Jemele Hill appears to have ruffled the feathers of Ohio senatorial candidate Josh Mandel after the award-winning journalist called out the former Ohio state treasurer for reaching “peak Caucasity” with his rant on critical race theory.
The online squabble took place last week when Mandel referenced Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while slamming the study of CRT — a term coined by UCLA and Columbia University law professor Kimberlé Crenshaw that she recently described as “an approach to grappling with a history of white supremacy that rejects the belief that what’s in the past is in the past.”
Conservative lawmakers in nearly a dozen states, including Michigan, Texas, Georgia, and Mandel’s home state of Ohio, have made CRT one of their latest fronts in the culture wars as they push measures to ban teaching of the theory in schools.
“By advancing the lie of Critical Race Theory, the liberals are stomping on the grave of Martin Luther King,” the politician wrote in a Twitter post.
Bernice King, one of MLK’s two daughters, replied on Twitter by advising Mandel to take a history lesson on her father, saying, “I invite you, if you truly desire to advance the cause of humanity toward true peace, to study my father’s teachings in full and in context.”
“He was not a drum major for a colorblind society, but for justice, which requires truth about our past and present,” she added. Mandel fired back, “Spare me your lectures,” before claiming “’critical race theory’ teaches students to be racist.”
Hill called out Mandel over his behavior, writing on Twitter, “Imagine being the obnoxious moron who tried to lecture DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR’S DAUGHTER on her own father. This is some peak Caucasity.”
The Republican politician seemingly tried to aim below the belt by bringing up Hill’s fallout with her former employer ESPN.
“Getting fired from ESPN for being a horrible reporter doesn’t qualify you as race expert,” Mandel wrote. “It just makes you a failure who cries racism to make excuses for sucking at your job.”
He later warned Hill to “stay in your lane,” before taking shots at fellow journalists Marc Lamont Hill and Keith Olbermann.
“@JemeleHill,
Getting fired from ESPN for being a horrible reporter doesn’t qualify you as race expert.
It just makes you a failure who cries racism to make excuses for sucking at your job.”
In turn Hill told Mandel, “I know facts aren’t really your thing, but I wasn’t fired from ESPN.” She continued, “2nd: I’m better at my job than you are at yours. 3rd: You don’t have the range to understand MLK’s work. If you did, you wouldn’t be out here loud, proud, and wrong.”
“Sit this play out, chief,” she concluded.
Following Hill’s last post, the exchange of fire appeared to cease from there.
