It’s 2021, but Louisiana Republicans are still fighting over whether slavery is evil – NOLA.com

The chair of the Orleans Parish Republican Executive Committee on Monday condemned statements about the good aspects of slavery by Martha Huckabay, president of the Womens Republican Club of New Orleans and a vocal, far-right conspiracy theorist.

Parish Republican chair Adrian Bruneau denounced Huckabay, who over the weekend defended state Rep. Ray Garofalo, R-Meraux,after the lawmaker suggested thereweregoodaspects to slavery.

These are atrocious, Bruneau told Gambit regarding Huckabay's statements, adding, This is not what we stand for. We dont agree with her stance in fact, we vehemently disagree with her stance.

Huckabay told Gambit on Tuesday evening, "My comment is a series of statements taken out of context. Nobody believes there is anything good about slavery."

But on May 2 she lashed out at state Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, R-New Orleans, after Hilferty correctly pointed out there are no good parts of slavery during consideration of Garofalos legislation to ban teaching critical race theory, which examines systemic racism.

In a rambling Facebook post, Huckabay, whose views often reflect the QAnon movement, claimed Hilferty and other conservative legislators were becoming indoctrinated by Communist beliefs. She also insisted slavery resulted in hard working ethics and love and respect between some enslaved people and slave owners.

In the United Statesand other parts of North America,millions ofAfricanswereraped, tortured andforced into labor. The United States was one of the last Western nations to end the practice during theCivil War. Since thattime,Jim Crow policies and other forms of institutionalized race-based discrimination have persisted in Louisiana and the rest of thecountry.

Huckabay argued Garofalo's words were appropriate and lamented that the Republican-dominated state legislature has been infiltrated with marxisum[sic] and said the topic of slavery is a one-sided leftist trap.

She wrote, Slavery goes all they [sic] way back to biblical times, and if youve read your Bible, you would know that many of the slaves loved their masters, and their masters loved them, and took very good care of them, and their families.

The post captured the attention of lawmakers and political organizations after the Twitter account,@HellOrBywater which frequently tracks Huckabays online activity sharedscreenshotsof it that went viral.

On May 4, Huckabay postedSlavey[sic]is an evil stain on humanity on her Facebook page after Bruneau posted a message condemning her comments.

Bruneau says the official committee stands with Hilferty, and sought to distance his party from Huckabay, saying the conspiracy theorist has zero clout with the GOP.

This lady Id never heard of her; I dont know her. I know there are two Republican womens groups in New Orleans, possibly three. Im not familiar with her group, Bruneau told Gambit.

However, Huckabayis clearly a fixture in Republican circles.Her personalFacebook page and the page for the WRCNO arelitteredwith grip and grin photo op shots with most of the states leading Republicans, including House Minority Whip SteveScaliseand Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry.

Martha Huckabay's Facebook rant

But while those sorts ofpicturesarefairly routine virtually anyone can get in line for a picture with Scalise at a public event, for instance lawmakers and party leaders have clearly made it a point to attend her events, which the name of the organizationnotwithstanding, are typically held in Metairie. TheMetairieCountry Club and DesiVegas Steakhouse which has had itsownproblems with racismin recent months have served as venues.

These events regularly draw Republican elected officials, candidates and party leaders as guest speakers.According to the groups Facebook page, since 2019 guest speakers at WRCNO lunches have includedlosinggubernatorial candidateEddieRispone, Lt. Gov.Billy Nungesser, Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin, state Sen. Kirk Talbot, and Jefferson Parish Judge Scott Schlegel and his wifeLaurie,aswell as representatives for other politicians, including U.S. Sen.Bill Cassidy who has since been denounced by Huckabayas a traitorafter he voted to convict former president Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial.

Nungesser on April 29 was also a guest on her conspiracy talk radio show Liberty or Lockdown." His office did not respond to requests for comment.

Additionally, Huckabay has long been an early adopter of many of the dangerous ideas that have become articles of faith for some of Bruneaus party.

She has encouraged flouting public health guidelinesthroughout theCOVID-19 pandemic, claimedthere has been widespread voter fraud favoring Democrats and that Donald Trump won the 2020 election.She also believes the government is exerting controlby distributingFDA approved coronavirus vaccines, which weregreen-litunder the Trump administration.

Manyof her positions are extreme, even for the modern Republican Party.

In recent weeks shehas alsosuggested White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg are the same person andclaimedGeorge Soros funds Gambit, which she believesemploys nefarious operativesattempting to destroy New Orleans.

Gambit is owned by Dathel and John Georges, who are of no relation to Soros.

This story has been updated to include a follow-up statement from Martha Huckabay.

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It's 2021, but Louisiana Republicans are still fighting over whether slavery is evil - NOLA.com