Jill Biden is sorry for referencing bodegas and breakfast tacos as highpoints of Latino culture in a speech at the annual meeting of Latino civil rights and advocacy organization UnidosUS. Raul Yzaguirre, the former president/CEO of the organization, recently received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. From ABC News:
The first lady noted in her remarks that the group's longtime leader, Raul Yzaguirre, had "helped build this organization with the understanding that the diversity of this community — as distinct as the bodegas of the Bronx, as beautiful as the blossoms of Miami, and as unique as the breakfast tacos here in San Antonio — is your strength."
Republicans pounced on social media, saying she was comparing Latinos to tacos, and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists also clapped back, sending a message to the first lady to "not reduce us to stereotypes."
"NAHJ encourages @FLOTUS & her communications team to take time to better understand the complexities of our people & communities. We are not tacos. Our heritage as Latinos is shaped by various diasporas, cultures & food traditions. Do not reduce us to stereotypes," it said.
This morning, Michael LaRose, the First Lady's press secretary, tweeted: "The First Lady apologizes that her words conveyed anything but pure admiration and love for the Latino community."
