White North Dakota lawmaker is branded racist for claiming black Americans are 'glad their ancestors were brought here as slaves' - but is backed by black Republican who says slavery was good for Africans who became Christians

A white North Dakota state Lawmaker has come under fire for saying that black Americans are 'glad their ancestors were brought here as slaves.'

State Rep Terry Jones, a Republican from New Town, has made the controversial statement while discussing his newly introduced bill that would allow residents to put down 'American' as their race on official paperwork.

House Bill 1333 would require state agencies to list 'American' as the first option on documents that ask for information on race.

North Dakota Rep Terry Jones, a Republican, has landed in hot water after saying that black Americans are 'glad their ancestors were brought here as slaves'

Jones' remarks about slaves have been labeled racist by Fargo Black Lives Matter activist Jamaal Abegaz, who stressed that he is 'not happy that my mother's ancestors were stolen and brought here,' as first reported by The Forum.

But Michael Coachman, a former Republican gubernatorial candidate, who is black, has rushed to Jones' defense.

Coachman said that while slavery was terrible, he argued that it was good for Africans who converted to Christianity in America. 

Michael Coachman, a former Republican gubernatorial candidate, who is black, has rushed to Jones' defense

The controversy began unfolding after Jones introduced the bill on Wednesday, arguing that the legislation would help unite the country under a shared American identity, rather than allow race to divide people further. 

Jones claimed that the American nationality qualifies as a race under a definition he offered as 'a group of people that has lived under common laws for mutual benefits.'

The US Census does not allow respondents to put down their nationality as their race. 

Rep. Gretchen Dobervich, a Democrat from Fargo, rejected Jones' reasoning and said her colleague's bill would do nothing to heal the racial divide. 

'I don't think the is meant to be racist, but the optics are not good,' Dobervich said. 

Jones argued that people of all races and cultural backgrounds are proud to be Americans, including the descendants of slaves.

He added that his belief is rooted in a Reader's Digest article from the 1980s about a black doctor from the US who visited a war-torn African country and came away from the experience feeling grateful for slavery. 

Coachman said he believes questions requiring people to identify their race only sow division in the country

Fargo Black Lives Matter board member Jamaal Abegaz said Jones' comments are racist, crass and unrepresentative of the way many Black Americans view their ancestors' forced arrival on the continent. Abegaz, who is Black, emphatically said he's "not happy that my mother's ancestors were stolen and brought here."

'The unrelenting buffoonery of Jones' statement cannot be understated,' said Abegaz, a member of the Fargo BLM board, adding that his proposed legislation that would do away with racial identification on official forms is a 'piece of nonsense.' 

But Coachman, who unsuccessfully ran for governor in November as a write-in candidate, and who has now emerged as Jones' supporter, said he believes questions requiring people to identify their race only sow division in the country. 

Jones is a rancher and farmer with a wife and six children who was first elected to the State House of Representatives in 2016

Jones is a rancher and farmer with a wife and six children who was first elected to the State House of Representatives in 2016. 

In the fall of 2020, state Democrats made a failed attempt to kick Jones off the ballot by claiming that he is a resident of Wyoming, where he operates several businesses.

Jones argued that he owns a home in New Town, pays North Dakota income tax, and has led a congregation at a Mormon church there for years.

In a ruling issued in September, the State Supreme Court ruled that Jones was eligible for re-election, which he won in November. His current term ends in November 2024. 

Coachman is a retired Air Force veteran with a wife and three children who has run several statewide campaigns, including in 2018 when he made a failed bid for North Dakota secretary of state.

During his campaign for governor last year, Coachman criticized the state's response to the coronavirus pandemic and railed against restrictions, saying: 'we’re not free. We’re under bondage and being told to wear a mask when we don’t need to,' reported The Dickinson Press last October. 

He also weighed in on race relations, which he described as one of the biggest problems facing the US. 

'We the People of the United States ... Our Constitution says it best. We the People,' he said. 'It’s not We the Blacks, not We the Native Americans, We the Whites, We the Catholics, Lutherans, Baptists, Democrats or Republicans ... No, it’s We the People.'