Politics

‘Cannot be ignored’: BIPOC leaders want action after N.H. lawmaker allegedly said n-word

State Rep. Nicole Klein-Knight, a Democrat, allegedly said the racial slur "multiple times" to a Black organizer last month and defended her usage of the word.

The New Hampshire State House dome in Concord. AP Photo/Charles Krupa

February 1, 2022

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A Democratic New Hampshire lawmaker who allegedly said the n-word multiple times to a Black organizer last month is facing condemnation from leaders and organizers of the state’s Black, indigenous, and people of color communities who say the legislator must face consequences.

The advocates, in a statement released Monday, allege state Rep. Nicole Klein-Knight, of Hillsborough, “accosted a young, unpaid” organizer in the State House after he testified on a bill in committee.

Klein-Knight said the slur “multiple times to make a point,” they wrote.

“Despite not using that hateful word at this young man directly, Rep. Klein-Knight crossed a line in aggressively using a word with such a horrible history to intimidate a Black constituent,” reads the statement, which is signed by 12 individuals. “This was only made worse when she defended her use of the word, despite his repeated asks for her to stop, and proceeded to call security on this same constituent.

“Not only did she verbally abuse him, but the representative put this young
man’s safety at risk in a situation she started, continued, and escalated,” the statement continued.

The news release was signed by Sebastian Fuentes, Deborah Opramolla,
Asma Elhuni, Clifton West, Marcus Ponce de Leon, Jordan Thompson, Carlos Cardona, Alissandra Rodriguez-Murray, Emma Shapiro-Weiss, Grace Kindeke, Erika Perez, and Duaa Zahra.

The group, made up of BIPOC — Black, indigenous, and people of color — organizers and leaders, says it is considering how to report the incident within the State House, but it is also speaking up in hopes of spurring larger community action.

“We are calling on people and organizations who are in relationship with Rep. Klein-Knight to hold her accountable for her actions against BIPOC organizers in New Hampshire,” the statement reads. “Whether this means encouraging her to seek help, retracting endorsements, or calling for resignation. Her habitual aggression and disregard is tearing apart the progressive community in NH, endangering BIPOC organizers’ lives and livelihoods and cannot be ignored any longer.”

A two-term legislator, Klein-Knight had worked with many of the organizers in the past.

However, the signers of Monday’s statement indicated their relationships with the lawmaker took a turn in recent months, even before the alleged slur incident, describing Klein-Knight’s behavior as “alarming” and “increasingly dangerous.”

Klein-Knight “has cut ties with nearly every BIPOC organizer in the state and made baseless and biased accusations against many of us,” the group wrote. The advocates did not elaborate in their statement.

Klein-Knight did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Leading lawmakers condemned the alleged slur incident in statements to InDepthNH.org on Monday.

House Democratic Leader Rep. Renny Cushing, of Hampton, and Deputy Leader David Cote, of Nashua, told the outlet they will seek to have Klein-Knight removed from the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.

“We are both shocked and deeply disappointed that a legislator would use this kind of inexcusable racist language…The behavior and language used by Rep. Klein-Knight is completely irreconcilable with legislating in a way that promotes the safety and humanity of BIPOC Granite Staters,” a statement from Cushing and Cote reads.

House Majority Leader Jason Osbourne, a Republican from Auburn, told InDepthNH.org the allegations against Klein-Knight are “unbelievably appalling.”

“The writing is on the wall. Democrats are losing ground to the more extreme members of their own Party. This isn’t just a local phenomenon, but a national one,” Osbourne said. “Leadership failure and unethical tactics in Washington have a trickle-down effect that is proving to be disastrous on the local level.”

The BIPOC advocates behind Monday’s statement wrote they believe in supporting others so they may learn, grow, and do better.

But they also believe in accountability.

“When powerful people commit repeated offenses to marginalized Granite
Staters, a line must be drawn to protect people and prevent instigating further harm or trauma,” the statement reads.