Colorado GOP lawmaker reprimanded for racial slur

A Republican lawmaker in Colorado was reprimanded Thursday after calling a colleague "Buckwheat" during debate on legislation — a racist term that provoked outcry from Democrats at a time when America is confronting its history of discrimination.

It wasn't clear who state Rep. Richard Holtorf was directing the remarks to Wednesday during debate on a stimulus measure. Holtorf, who is white, quickly said he was using the word as a "term of endearment," furthering angering Democrats, before he apologized.

"I'm getting there. Don't worry, Buckwheat. I'm getting there," Holtorf told someone in the chamber. "That's an endearing term, by the way."

A lawmaker shouted at Holtorf, and his remarks provoked a temporary break in legislative business. Democratic Rep. Leslie Herod, who is Black, rushed to the podium to confront him. Video of the remarks spread widely on social media.

Buckwheat was a Black child character in the "Our Gang" or "Little Rascals," serials of the 1930s, and is widely considered a racial stereotype. Holtorf told The Colorado Sun that he wasn't aware of the racial connotations of the term.

Democratic House Speaker Alec Garnett told a silent chamber on Thursday that he'd had a long conversation with Holtorf and with lawmakers who were offended by the remarks.

A chastened Holtorf apologized again from the podium Thursday but didn't didn't directly refer to his comments.

"I hope you all understand that I see all of you as my brothers and sisters, all created by God and all equal," Holtorf said. "You all have my sincerest apologies."