The White Girl in Maine’ Hits Back at Governor’s Racist Remark

[Janelle2002 3,865]

Mom Becca Edwards is “pissed” about a racist remark that her state’s governor made, and she’s calling him out on it, offering her own biracial family as an example of how very wrong he is.

STORY: What I’ve Learned as a White Mom Raising Two Black Sons

Maine Gov. Paul LePage issued his offensive comment at a town hall meeting in Bridgton on Jan. 6 while speaking about the influx of heroin in the Pine Tree State. “These are guys with the name D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty — these types of guys — they come from Connecticut and New York, they come up here, they sell their heroin, they go back home,” the Republican blasted. “Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young white girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue we have to deal with down the road.”

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Though the crowd at the town meeting didn’t immediately react, social media’s response was swift — and seething. The Portland Press Heraldreports that Marlon Marshall, Hillary Clinton’s director of state campaigns and political engagement, issued a statement calling LePage’s comments “racist rants,” while Maine Democratic Party Chairman Phil Bartlett dubbed them “outrageous” and Michael Tyler, the Democratic National Committee’s director of African-American media, declared them “disgusting.”

But in Edwards’s now-viral Facebook response, the self-described “white girl in Maine,” took it one step further and called for LePage’s ouster. “Last week the governor in Maine, my state, suggested to the world that if one were to see me (the white girl) and my daughter (the biracial girl) walking down the street, that she is a product of my involvement with a drug dealer from out of state. And even worse, that she wasn’t wanted,” wrote the mother in her Jan. 9 post, which has been shared more than 216,000 times in just two days. “Things he says don’t usually get under my skin, but these words were cruel, infuriating, insulting, and full of hate and should not be tolerated.”

Maine Governor Paul LePage (Photo: Portland Press Herald/Getty Images)

Edwards — who didn’t respond to Yahoo Parenting’s request for comment — revealed that she has a master’s degree and “an excellent job in health care,” and that her “daughter’s father (the black guy) is….wait for it…my husband!” “Even more crazy,” she continues, “he’s not a drug dealer! What?!? He’s a well-educated man with an excellent job in education, in fact. And our daughter, was so wanted. Do me a favor and share this status to show the world what the picture of a biracial family in Maine really looks like, and that we do not support the ignorant (expletive) that is our governor. ‪#‎impeachlepage‬.”

And while Edwards has raked in support, including comments like, “We are all behind you 100%” and “Beautifully put. Love wins,” since she spoke out, LePage has gotten attention of another kind. Lawmakers led by Portland, Maine, Democrat Rep. Ben Chipman have reportedlysubmitted an impeachment order demanding an investigation into LePage’s “alleged abuse of power.”

https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/the-white-girl-in-maine-hits-back-at-governors-180154282.html

[Darnell 8,478]

Maine is a dangerous place... Well, at least if'n yer the governor trying to fix a heroin problem.

[Janelle2002 3,865]

Maybe he should invest more in drug rehabilitation programs and less in profiling.

[Darnell 8,478]

nah, he needs to profile the black men there that are the actual heroin sales crew, and get rid of them.

or shut the @#$ up.

No need to have press conference.

Just think about it - if more time and money and energy was spent into actually DOING stuff,

he'd have a huge crew of penal workers he could use to build the wall between Maine and Canada, which, in turn, would be shutting down the heroin traffic across the border.

It's a triple win !

Edited January 12, 2016 by Darnell

[Janelle2002 3,865]

I'm totally impressed with your response and you are right, holding press conferences about what you are going to do does nothing if you aren't actually doing it. Press conferences are just for show.

[smilesammich 10,727]

just goes to show there are still bigots in positions of power, funny how this guy backtracked with, "i meant maine women" AND "there aren't any black women here, anyway"

don't even get me started on this completely outdated (and pointless) approach of going after dealers. lock up one, there's a hundred more waiting to take their place. treat the addiction, that's the only way to stop the addict.

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

STORY: What I’ve Learned as a White Mom Raising Two Black Sons

Maine Gov. Paul LePage issued his offensive comment at a town hall meeting in Bridgton on Jan. 6 while speaking about the influx of heroin in the Pine Tree State. “These are guys with the name D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty — these types of guys — they come from Connecticut and New York, they come up here, they sell their heroin, they go back home,” the Republican blasted. “Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young white girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue we have to deal with down the road.”

Up until that line I was getting ready to close the thread as another somebody-looking-to-be-offended story

[Janelle2002 3,865]

Up until that line I was getting ready to close the thread as another somebody-looking-to-be-offended story

Sorry, true story.

just goes to show there are still bigots in positions of power, funny how this guy backtracked with, "i meant maine women" AND "there aren't any black women here, anyway"

don't even get me started on this completely outdated (and pointless) approach of going after dealers. lock up one, there's a hundred more waiting to take their place. treat the addiction, that's the only way to stop the addict.

A combination of both would be nice. We police actually doing their jobs and we need to treat addiction. However, addiction in the U.S. is treated as a criminal offense than a social issue, which addictions are social issues.

[smilesammich 10,727]

A combination of both would be nice. We police actually doing their jobs and we need to treat addiction. However, addiction in the U.S. is treated as a criminal offense than a social issue, which addictions are social issues.

most runners and small time dealers are addicts as well. they've made it a big thing around here to charge 'dealers' when a user overdoses, once they track them back. from what i've seen recently, they're not making any money - just supporting their own habit.

[Janelle2002 3,865]

most runners and small time dealers are addicts as well. they've made it a big thing around here to charge 'dealers' when a user overdoses, once they track them back. from what i've seen recently, they're not making any money - just supporting their own habit.

They need treatment and time. Can't say I would agree with letting them completely off the hook because they are addicts as well. What do you think?

[Ban Hammer 13,337]

just goes to show there are still bigots in positions of power, funny how this guy backtracked with, "i meant maine women" AND "there aren't any black women here, anyway"

don't even get me started on this completely outdated (and pointless) approach of going after dealers. lock up one, there's a hundred more waiting to take their place. treat the addiction, that's the only way to stop the addict.

some countries execute the dealers....that tends to cut down on suppliers.

[smilesammich 10,727]

They need treatment and time. Can't say I would agree with letting them completely off the hook because they are addicts as well. What do you think?

i support the legalization of all drugs, money spent on arresting and imprisoning should instead go to treatment.

some countries execute the dealers....that tends to cut down on suppliers.

i'm also against the death penalty.

[Janelle2002 3,865]

i support the legalization of all drugs, money spent on arresting and imprisoning should instead go to treatment.

i'm also against the death penalty.

You want to legalize heroin, Crack, cocaine etc? Marijuana ok I get.

[Merrytooth 5,748]

Singapore has death penalty for drugs trafficking / possession beyond certain quantity amount.

It is working great, to make sure the general population is safe and drug free.

[smilesammich 10,727]

You want to legalize heroin, Crack, cocaine etc? Marijuana ok I get.

yes. legalization isn't going to make everyone a crackhead, but it will shift the focus to treating addiction as a health issue - not treating addiction as a criminal issue.

our government has lost all credibility in my mind when it comes to illegal drugs and scheduling and thereby..treatment. they consider marijuana schedule one but cocaine, meth schedule two? still? in the year 2016 with everything we know about addiction and the human brain?