Teresa Heinz Kerry: 'I'm an African American'

Newsmax ^ | 2/24/03 | Newsmax

[paltz]

Teresa Heinz Kerry: 'I'm an African American'

First lady-wannabe Teresa Heinz Kerry sometimes describes herself as an "African American," even though she grew up amidst segregated privilege in colonial Mozambique.

"My roots are African," she told a reporter in 1995. "The birds I remember, the fruits I ate, the trees I climbed, they're African."

Throughout the 1990s, Heinz Kerry referred to herself as "African American," the Baltimore Sun revealed on Tuesday. And when her use of the term set off a firestorm of controversy in 1993, she defended the claim.

"African-hyphen-American belongs to blacks," Heinz Kerry's spokesman told reporters, insisting that it was proper for his boss to call herself African American as long as no hyphen was used or intended.

The one-time Republican's depiction of herself as African rankles some who knew Heinz Kerry in the days when her father ran a medical clinic in Mozambique.

Some say the wealthy "African American" has snubbed blacks in her homeland, because she has done next to nothing with her vast Heinz Foods fortune to improve living conditions there.

"We are proud she is a daughter of the land," Neo Simbine, 75, a retired black nurse who worked with Heinz Kerry's father, told the Sun. "But you have to live what you say. If she really loves Mozambique and has lots of money, why doesn't she build us a hospital?"

Heinz Kerry's fortune is equal to nearly a quarter of Mozambique's annual Gross Domestic Product.

But aside from a contribution to her homeland's Save the Children Fund, the woman who repeatedly invokes her Mozambican roots has limited her generosity.

A spokeswoman for the Heinz Foundation said the prospective first lady would give more if she were more confident the money would be managed properly.

[marty60]

I agree totally!!!

[cyborg]

hehehe

[billhilly]

" A spokeswoman for the Heinz Foundation said the prospective first lady would give more if she were more confident the money would be managed properly."

You just can't trust those black Africans to use your money properly, can you Teresa baby? Since you are African American, How shocked should we be when your hubby campaigns in the south as John the Baptist?

[Ciexyz]

As a Pittsburgh resident, I remember all the controversy she caused in the '90's when she claimed she was "African American". She wanted to gain political advantage by making the claim. I can't remember the details, but it didn't help her, and she was slammed good on her claim.

[satchmodog9]

That was a big funny.

[Libloather]

Illinoisan? Does that mean you're always sick?

[Consort]

Do we owe her reparations?

[nopardons]

No, you bigoted, ill educated, name caller.

An Afrikaner, whose family has lived in South Africa ( don't cal,l them " Southies ", those are people from a certain area of Boston, usually of Irish descent! )far longer than many of the blacks who live there now and is NOT "pushing Apartheid", who moves to America, becomes a citizen, is far more an African-American ( unlike Teresa, whose father moved to Mozambique from Portugal),than any American black, whose familial roots go back 100s of years here, is.

And should that person have a child/children here, that child is also far MORE an African-America, for those who like hyphenated Americans, than any American black, who uses the term. And so, for that matter, is a Egyptian, or Libyan, who comes here and stays. :-)

[nopardons]

That is the case, though she and her sister did go to grammar school in Mozambique.

[Southack]

"Though her description is accurate, who will take bets that the Soul Patrol will give her a pass when they'd take anyone else to task?"

That's an easy bet. The Left *must* have double standards, otherwise their idea of *them* controlling *us* wouldn't make much sense.

[pointsal]

Seems like a fair question

[Ann Archy]

Do you mean schtupping?? And who else is he schtupping?

[Michael.SF.]

spokeswoman for the Heinz Foundation said the prospective first lady would give more if she were more confident the money would be managed properly

I could imagine what they would say if it was Trent Lott or any other Republican who said this. This is an overtly racist assumption here.

[InvisibleChurch]

So What, I'm the Easter Bunny

in PC terms, you're a Lepus-American

[jordan8]

She is, in fact, African-American.

"African-hyphen-American belongs to blacks," Heinz Kerry's spokesman told reporters, insisting that it was proper for his boss to call herself African American as long as no hyphen was used or intended.

This quote perfectly illustrates the navel-contemplating totalitarianism of political correctness.

[Tribune7]

I'm a Native American.

[Revolting cat!]

Do we owe her reparations?

No, but she does qualify for Affirmative Action!

[Revolting cat!]

Next thing she's gonna tell us her name isn't Mrs Ketchup but Mrs Catsup!

[the invisib1e hand]

No, you bigoted, ill educated, name caller. An Afrikaner, whose family has lived in South Africa ( don't cal,l them " Southies ", those are people from a certain area of Boston, usually of Irish descent! )far longer than many of the blacks who live there now and is NOT "pushing Apartheid", who moves to America, becomes a citizen, is far more an African-American ( unlike Teresa, whose father moved to Mozambique from Portugal),than any American black, whose familial roots go back 100s of years here, is. And should that person have a child/children here, that child is also far MORE an African-America, for those who like hyphenated Americans, than any American black, who uses the term. And so, for that matter, is a Egyptian, or Libyan, who comes here and stays. :-)

I stand corrected, insulted, bewildered, and uninterested!

[nopardons]

May I help you out of your bewilderment ? What has you confused?