Well, this is awkward. CNN is reporting today on a few anti-Semitic skeletons in Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ closet.

Jeffries’ uncle, Dr. Leonard Jeffries, was a black studies professor at CUNY. He lost his job in the early 90s after making some anti-Semitic and anti-white remarks. Here’s an account of what happened from the NY Times which was published in 1992:

After months of anger, tension and political maneuvering stemming from his racially charged remarks about Jews and whites, Dr. Leonard Jeffries Jr. was replaced as head of City College’s black studies department, effective July 1…

The controversy about Dr. Jeffries exploded last summer after he gave a speech in Albany telling of a “systematic, unrelenting” attack from “the Jewish community” against himself and other black scholars, and of “a conspiracy, planned and plotted and programmed out of Hollywood” by Jews and Italians to denigrate blacks in films.

In his Albany speech, Dr. Jeffries also said that Jews had helped to finance the slave trade. Students have said that Dr. Jeffries has distributed booklets in class suggesting that the melanin in skin pigment may give blacks an intellectual advantage. And he has often talked about the difference between the humanitarian and communal “sun people” of Africa and the “ice people” of Europe, where harsh conditions produced a culture of “domination, destruction and death.”

At the time of this controversy, Hakeem Jeffries was a college student. And several times since then, when asked about it, he has told a consistent story about his father trying to isolate him from the controversy and adding that he had only a “vague recollection” of it.

But CNN’s report reveals that Hakeem Jeffries was a board member of the Binghamton University Black Student Union which invited Dr. Jeffries to the school after the controversy erupted. Beyond that, Hakeem Jeffries also wrote an editorial defending both his uncle and Louis Farrakhan.

…in a previously unreported college editorial, Jeffries defended his uncle along with Nation of Islam Leader Louis Farrakhan, writing, “Do you think that a ruling elite would promote individuals who would seek to dismantle their vice like grip on power?” He added that they were unfairly targeted by “White media” for challenging “the longstanding distortion of history.”…

“Dr. Leonard Jeffries and Minister Louis Farrakhan have come under intense fire,” wrote Jeffries in February 1992. “Where do you think their interests lie? Dr. Jeffries has challenged the existing white supremist educational system and long standing distortion of history. His reward has been a media lynching complete with character assassinations and inflammatory erroneous accusations.”

Those are the highlights but CNN has posted a pdf of the entire editorial and it’s a screed aimed at black conservatives. Here’s a sample:

There has been a recent trend in the Black political arena which I believed threatens to sustain the oppression of the Black masses. The phenomenon I refer to is the rise of the Black conservative. The most notable indicator of this is the appointment of Justice Clarence Thomas to the United States Supreme Court…

The Black conservative buys into the idea of the American dream, the dream in which hard work and perseverance eventually liberate and reap benefits. However this totally ignores the economic reality of this country’s capitalist system. Capitalism necessitates the perpetuation of a permanent underclass. Capitalism in a racist society means that underclass will be disproportionately Black.

The American dream will never be a reality for most Blacks living in a racist and capitalist United States…

Perhaps the most frightening aspect of the rise of Black conservatives is that of their popular acceptance by the predominantly white media. Clarence Thomas, Colin Powell and Shelby Steele are hailed as our leaders and pointed to as examples for us to follow. I find it suspect when the white power structure and their propaganda emissaries, the media, tell us who our leaders should be. Do you think that a ruling elite would promote individuals who would seek to dismantle their vice-like grip on power? Of course not.

Dr. Leonard Jeffries and Minister Louis Farrakhan have come under intense fire. Where do you think their interests lie?

Dr. Jeffries has challenged the existing white supremacist educational system and the longstanding distortion of history. His reward has been a media lynching complete with character assassinations and inflammatory erroneous allegations.

In short, anti-Semites like Jeffries and Farrakhan aren’t taking fire because they are anti-Semitic (and anti-white) but because they spoke up about white supremacy.

Here’s the CNN segment about this which includes a few more details. As you’ll see at the end of this clip, Jeffries office did respond but only by denying he agreed with his uncle’s views. The fact that he clearly defended his uncle and his view 30 years ago seems like something he should explain.

When did he actually change his mind about his uncle? About Minister Farrakhan? Has he actually changed his mind about Black conservatives? What about the American dream and capitalism? Is he still suspicious of the “white media” which was recently celebrating his elevation within the Democratic Party?

Lots of interesting questions that could be asked. I wonder if he’ll be pressed to answer any of them.