A Democratic state lawmaker has come under fire following an alleged incident in which she used a racial slur while speaking with a Black Peterborough resident and activist after a committee hearing in January.
A group of community activists and organizers signed a letter Monday denouncing Rep. Nicole Klein-Knight, D-Manchester, for allegedly using the slur during an interaction with youth activist Jonah Wheeler of Peterborough after he testified on a bill in her committee.
Emma Shapiro-Weiss, a community leader and organizer who has lived in Peterborough for the last seven years, said the letter was part of an effort from other BIPOC individuals to stand in support of Wheeler.
“When something like this happens, all of us come together to support each other,” she said. “I think, when racist incidents happen, it’s horrible, and when it’s a person in a position of power, when it’s a state rep repeatedly using this word multiple times – it’s baffling to me how anyone would think that’s okay.”
“In their conversation she said [n—–] multiple times to make a point,” the letter stated. “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.”
According to the letter, Wheeler asked Klein-Knight to stop, at which point she became defensive and called security.
Wheeler declined to comment due to an ongoing ethics complaint filed with State House officials, and according to published reports, Klein-Knight was removed from the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee following the letter.
“The goal was to hold her accountable, and say what happened and share with the wider community what happened,” Shapiro-Weiss said. “I’d like to see a wider community coming together and holding her accountable and standing together.”
This incident is part of a larger cultural issue, she added.
“I’ve experienced racism in organizing, in New Hampshire and the Monadnock region,” she said. “And especially in New Hampshire, there’s this repeated saying that New Hampshire is such a white state and there isn’t racism here – there’s absolutely racism in New Hampshire and it’s really important that the BIPOC community sticks together. I think we should all be learning and teaching and growing, but I think we also need to hold people accountable for their words.”