BREAKING NEWS – New York City, New York – MSNBC weekend host Melissa Harris-Perry objected to use of the term “hard worker” on a recent show, telling a guest it demeans the experience of slaves. MSNBC weekend host Melissa Harris-Perry objected to use of the term “hard worker” on a recent show, telling a guest it demeans the experience of slaves. Harris-Perry was interviewing guest Alfonso Aguilar, Executive Director of the American Principles Project’s Latino Partnership, about Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) and his fitness for the role of Speaker of the House.
“If there’s somebody who is a hard worker when he goes to Washington, it’s Paul Ryan,” Aguilar said.
While Harris-Perry agreed Ryan could make a good House Speaker, she had a problem with Aguilar’s word choice. “[I] want us to be super careful when we use the language ‘hard worker,’” she cautioned. “Because I actually keep an image of folks working in cotton fields on my office wall, because it is a reminder about what hard work looks like.” She got angrier and stood up and spoke. “Slaves worked in the heat and the humidity in the summer outdoors for hours at a time! And in the history of this country, no white person or Latino has ever experienced having to work under these same or similar conditions!”