Mark Kirk’s racist attack on Tammy Duckworth’s patriotism is all too familiar to people of color

A white senator suggested a woman of color’s family can’t have military history. It’s all too typical.

Rep. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and her family have always served their country. Not only is Duckworth currently a US representative, but before that she fought in Iraq in the US Army, and her family has long served in the US military all the way back to the American Revolution.

Tammy Duckworth is a vet who lost both legs in Iraq. Her family has served since the Revolutionary War. And yet... pic.twitter.com/DHd3kWrUsN

— Anthony Breznican (@Breznican) 28 October 2016

Yet at a debate on Thursday night, Sen. Mark Kirk a Republican whom Duckworth, a Democrat, has challenged for his Senate seat actually questioned her patriotism in a frankly racist remark. After Duckworth brought up her familys long history of serving in the US military, Kirk said, I had forgotten that your parents came all the way from Thailand to serve George Washington.

Read full article here