Florida Republican Byron Donalds – one of only a handful of Black Republican lawmakers serving on Capitol Hill – says his Washington, D.C., office was sent a copy of ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin.’
In a tweet, Donalds said the well-known anti-slavery work, which was authored by Harriet Beecher Stowe in the mid-1800s, was sent to his office Thursday by someone who had ‘hate in their heart [and] the desire to depict me as a sellout.’
The novel has been recognized as one of the most well-known abolitionist works in history. The term ‘Uncle Tom’ has been used in the modern era to describe Black people who are deferential to White people or White culture.
‘Today, my D.C. office received a copy of the world-renowned book ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ by Harriet Beecher Stowe,’ Donalds said. ‘Whoever sent this book did so w/ hate in their heart & the desire to depict me as a sellout.’
Donalds’ tweet showed a picture of the book he received along with a quote from NBA legend Bill Russell that reads: ‘Concentration [and] mental toughness are the margins of victory.’
This isn’t the first time Donalds has been on the receiving end of racist attacks from those who disagree with him politically. Earlier this year, amid Republicans taking a small majority in the House, Donalds’ wife, Erika, shared screenshots of the ‘racist attacks’ that she and her husband endure from the left.
‘Byron and I have been together for 23+ years, and the most racist attacks we experience are always from the left,’ she wrote in a tweet. ‘They can’t accept that a free thinking black man achieves success on his own merits, and they sure as heck can’t stand that he’s married to me!’
‘Cry harder, haters,’ she added.
Harrison Fields, a spokesperson for Donalds, told Fox News Digital at the time that ‘the congressman stands by his wife and denounces the blatant racism being thrown at them.’
Donalds was among a group of nearly two dozen Republicans who refused to vote for Kevin McCarthy in the House speaker race after he initially voted in his favor. He then switched to support Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, before his fellow Republicans nominated him for the role. Ultimately, Donalds voted for McCarthy.
Fox News’ Houston Keene contributed to this article.
