A Silicon Valley business group’s endorsement in a San Jose
City Council race stirred up controversy after posting what some believe was a “racist”
photo.
The endorsement of Jim Zito was put together by the
organization’s political action committee. The side-by-side photos of Zito and
his opponent, Sylvia Arenas, have been taken down, but a screenshot captured by
The San Jose Spotlight shows Arenas photo visibly darker than Zito’s.
“If they oppose me, you know, everybody has a right to free
speech,” Arenas said. “But no one has the right to alter the color of my skin.”
She said the posting was dirty politics.
“It’s not only inappropriate, let’s call it what it is,”
said Arenas. “It’s a racist tactic.”
The group has apologized, but this isn’t the first time it
has been criticized for posting a darkened photo during a campaign.
Arenas said that in a 2016 campaign against city councilmember
Sergio Jimenez, the site also darkened his photo.
Eddie Truong, a member of the organization that sponsors the
web page, said it was a mistake.
“It’s a very sensitive issue, especially for candidates of
color,” Truong said. “It was something that when we recognized it was an issue,
we immediately took steps to correct it. And it was no longer on our website.”
In addition to calling out the Silicon Valley organization,
Arenas is also asking Zito to speak out.
“I denounce any form of racial or personal attacks in
politics or otherwise,” Zito said in a statement. “I want to run this campaign
on my and Ms. Arenas’ records of service to the community and the city.”
Although the photos have been removed from the web page,
there’s a chance they may be included in fliers that are already in the mail on
the way to voters.
Source: NBC Bay Area