Mark Robinson, the Republican candidate for governor in North Carolina, is facing heavy criticism over his reported remarks about Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. In response, three prominent Black pastors in North Carolina, along with other respected clergy, have condemned him.
Robinson has been under intense scrutiny after CNN unearthed a series of controversial comments allegedly made by him on social media, websites, and message boards between 2008 and 2012. These include a claim in which he referred to himself as a “Black Nazi.” Despite these allegations, Robinson denies making such remarks. Despite calls for him to step down, including from within the Republican Party, Robinson has vowed to stay in the gubernatorial race against his Democratic opponent, Josh Stein.
Amid the controversy, Robinson’s spokesperson, Michael Lonergan, stated in an email following the CNN report that “what the Democrats say about Mark Robinson is either an outright lie or twisted so far out of context it might as well be.”
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Robinson has not directly addressed his inflammatory 2011 comments, which, according to CNN, referred to King, the iconic civil rights leader, as a “commie bastard,” “worse than a maggot,” and a “huckster.” When NBC News requested comment from Robinson’s campaign, it went unanswered. He also allegedly wrote, “I’m not in the KKK. They don’t let Blacks join,” and reportedly used a racial slur to refer to King, calling him “Martin Lucifer Koon.”
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Robinson has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, who once compared him to King, saying, “I think you’re better than Martin Luther King. I think you are Martin Luther King times two.”
Given Robinson’s track record of incendiary comments, King’s oldest son, Martin Luther King III, expressed little surprise at the reported remarks. In a statement on Thursday, King said: “His praise for slavery, disparaging rhetoric, and grotesque characterization of my dad and his legacy are deeply worrisome for North Carolinians and all Americans who oppose racism and bigotry.” He added that he and his wife, Arndrea Waters King, will actively campaign for Stein and other local candidates “who will stand up for women, Black and Brown North Carolinians, and everyone else whom Mark Robinson chooses to disparage.”
Black religious leaders, who hold King in high regard, were particularly insulted by Robinson’s alleged disparagement of King’s legacy. Some pastors have chosen not to respond directly to Robinson’s comments, while others, including Bishop Sir Walter Mack of Union Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, emphasized the need to educate people about King’s message.
“What we need to do is help people understand what King stood for, which was to unify people in the spirit of love,” Mack said. “We won’t glorify anyone or anything that attacks the work and legacy of Dr. King.”
Mycal Brickhouse, of Baptist Grove Church in Raleigh, said Robinson’s past remarks expose “a political leader who embraces a narrative of hatred and supremacy, creating more division by casting a unifying leader as a threat.” He stressed the importance of learning from history rather than promoting “polarizing and malicious views.”
In 2018, on Martin Luther King Day, Robinson mocked those who admired King’s legacy, calling him an inferior preacher. “It is at once funny and sad that so many people will follow the lead of a bunch of atheists and worship an ersatz pastor as a deity,” Robinson wrote in a Facebook post.
Robert C. Scott, pastor of Saint Paul Baptist Church in Charlotte, said Robinson’s disregard for King’s work is not only an affront to the man himself but also to the Black church and humanity in general. “What Robinson and Donald Trump did, in comparing him to Martin Luther King, is a gross misappropriation of King’s legacy. They don’t understand him well enough to make such a comparison.”
In response to this, a Trump campaign spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, stated that the campaign is focused on winning the White House and “saving this country,” with North Carolina being a vital part of their plan.
Robinson’s inflammatory rhetoric has shocked many, including Henry P. Davis II, pastor of First Baptist Church in Highland Park, Landover, Maryland. Referring to Robinson’s 2017 Facebook post where he called the Civil Rights Movement “crap,” Davis warned of the dangers posed by banning Black history in schools. “This is why certain history must be taught in classrooms. It is obvious Mr. Robinson doesn’t know it, particularly when it comes to Dr. King and those who stood alongside him.”
Eric Vickers, pastor of Fairfield Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia, linked Robinson’s comments to a broader “moral decay” in America, deeming him “unfit for public office.” Vickers said, “For a Black man in America to disrespect the sacrificial work of Dr. King is an affront to his ancestry and the freedoms he enjoys.” He added that Robinson’s behavior reduces him to a “bigot in blackface” and urged voters to engage in the election, saying, “the church must be concerned about the kind of society we will inherit if we fail to participate.”
