House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stumbled and slurred her words through a meandering address to the Parliament of Ghana on Wednesday to mark the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved Africans arriving in America.
The embarrassing performance, amid a field trip with the Congressional Black Caucus and Rep. Ilhan Omar, was designed to highlight America’s partnership and support for the African nation, and it undoubtedly left an impression.
Pelosi’s remarks were rife with her trademark gaffes, slurred words, and mispronunciations, as well as numerous self-aggrandizing references to Democrats in Congress that drew more than a few interesting reactions from members of parliament, who at times seemed to be sleeping, while others scoffed.
Pelosi opened her address with high praise for her “distinguished delegation” and Ghana officials, before delving into festivities in Jamestown, Virginia Wednesday marking the beginning of slavery in America, and Ghana’s focus on 2019 as “the year of return” for those affected by the slave trade.
“We are so excited about being here in the year of return, the year of return we solemnly remember the horrors of that terrible atrocity. What a beautiful gesture of your president … to declare the year of return campaign to turn the memory of such a horrible and, event in the history of the world – it could be nothing, stiff competition for the honor but te – for the recognition, not an honor, of shame,” Pelosi said.
“So, it’s but it’s so beautiful to spea, so many people who are here for the homecoming, day to day people wan from America with no official capacity, just wanting to come home,” she said.
“Our delegation has been humbled but what we’ve seen this week. At Em Elmina Castle, we saw the dungeons where thousands were grotesquely tortured,” Pelosi continued. “At Cape Coast Castle, we stood before the door of no return, where countless millions caught their last glimpse of Africa before they were shipped to a life of enslavement.”
Pelosi described the trip as a “transformative experience for all of us, even if you had been here before, because of it, um, the chronology of it.”
“Our souls have been touched by what we saw there, transforming how we go forward,” she said.
“Indeed, there are two of the tragic, uh, sites – where we went we saw two of the tragic sites – um, where journey of the African American experience began. This is where the African American experience began,” Pelosi repeated. “There are other sites, but these two are two of them.”
Pelosi repeatedly emphasized the slaves from Ghana played a pivotal role in early America and pointed to the country’s transformation as an inspiration for the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S.
“That is why, when the cock struck midnight on March 6, 1957, so many Americans, including D … Re… Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King gathered then, seem to know more, the polo grounds, to witness the Ghana become the world’s youngest nation,” the House Speaker said.
“Dr. King would speak of that night in his profound sermon ‘The Birth of a New Nation,’ when he spoke of the lowering of the union jack, replaced by the pan-African colors and the black five-pointed star,” she continued, pausing awkwardly, “of the o, of the elders and the children alike who swept through the streets of Accra calling out ‘freedom, freedom.’”
Pelosi went on to bemoan countries that continue to deny millions freedom and justice she claims is the new reality in Ghana, and the country’s responsibility to fight for those ideals abroad.
She also called for efforts to empower women in Ghana, as well as “economic justice,” “justice in healthcare,” and “environmental justice.”
Pelosi described Ghana as a “model to the world” for protecting the environment, acknowledged the country’s involvement in the Paris Climate Accord, and promised America will do its part to reduce waste and emissions.
“We all know we have a moral responsibility to future generations to pass the planet forward in a responsible way,” she said. “We look forward to working with you closely on that. We thank you for your leadership, we can learn a lot from Ghana in this regard.”
Leave a Comment
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.