Mayor's Advertisement Creates Controversy
By Daniella Guzman
HOUSTON - Houston Mayor Bill White is under fire after appearing in an advertisement in a local newspaper between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and President Barack Obama, KPRC Local 2 reported Wednesday.
Some said the ad in The Defender is offensive and they feel insulted
"I don't quiet understand how he represents hope for black people," said Deric Muhammad, leader of the Ministry of Justice.
In the ad, over King's head it reads "The Dream", over White's head it reads "The Hope" and over Obama's head it reads "The Change."
"For Mayor Bill White to place himself in the center of Dr. King and President Obama and say he's the hope between them is insulting," said Muhammad.
The ad was designed by the The Defender's art team, paid for by White's campaign for Senate and approved by one of his workers.
White said he had not seen the ad and that no disrespect was intended at all, as the purpose was to show tribute to the two great leaders.
"I think a lot of people that know me know that I would never compare myself to Dr. King or President Obama," White said. "No one can say they've heard me say that I deserve to be compared to either one of them."
The Defender's publisher said it designed the ad, but White's campaign gave its approval.
"The bottom line is what the messages says and when you look at it. It says these three leaders represent dream, hope and change and Mayor Bill White salutes them. If you want to read into it more than that, then we welcome it," said "Sonny" Messiah Jiles, the publisher of The Defender.
The Defender has been in circulation for almost 80 years
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