by nahlah abdur-rahman
March 17, 2025
‘Every single time we give you an opportunity to show us something different, you show us who you are.’
South Carolina State Rep. Jermaine Johnson dropped jaws on the State House Floor after stopping Republicans from pushing an anti-DEI measure.
Johnson called out his fellow members’ hypocrisy during a recent floor meeting. As conservative lawmakers tried to push a new provision in South Carolina’s state budget to remove DEI practices, Johnson did not mince words on how he felt about the measure.
The recorded impromptu speech has garnered national attention, as Johnson emphasized Republicans’ inconsistencies in their stances.
“You don’t like being called racist in here. You hate when we use the word racist…You hate being attacked. You hate when we bring up race and everything. But then, when we have an opportunity to show that we’re not racist, you let me down every time.”
He then noted how his fellow lawmakers break bread with one another, and they assure Democrats that funding will not fuel white supremacist initiatives. However, these measures are tabled when they meet again on the floor.
“And I sit here, and we talk about our families. We talk about our kids. We go on trips together. And then we talk about not using our state dollars to go to white supremacy programs, and then we table it,” he continued.
He then listed the numerous instances where inclusive practices have faced removal in South Carolina. Johnson detailed how AP African American studies no longer exist in the state’s public schools or how funding was stripped from the College of Charleston due to its programming benefitting Black students.
“Why do we continuously do this to our kids? Why? What is it that you’re doing? What are you showing your kids that public funds can go to white supremacy programs,” Johnson said. “We just had an issue at USC where all those kids felt scared. As a matter of fact, we just had the Patriot Front on our steps last week. What are we doing here? Please tell me what we’re doing. Don’t try to explain to me. ‘Well, I thought it was this or not. It’s that. No, Jermaine, we want to see equality.’”
Fed up with the political games, Johnson made clear that his Republican colleagues continue to grant false promises.
He added, “We give you an opportunity every single time, and here we go again. I was in the bag. I was ready to go just like y’all are, but here we go.”
However, the conversation may have struck a nerve with his fellow lawmakers, as the measure to stunt DEI in the state’s budget failed. While his impassioned speech did yield results, his words remain felt across other political circles on a local and national scale.
“Every single time we give you an opportunity to show us something different, you show us who you are.”
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