Lighting a firestorm in the Chicago Mayor’s race, candidate James Meeks, an African-American touched a firestorm in the city when he was asked why “African-American businesses got a 7 percent sliver of Chicago’s $1 billion spending pie through Aug. 31, down from 8 percent a year ago.”

He replied, “The word ‘minority’ from our standpoint should mean African American. I don’t think women, Asians and Hispanics should be able to use that title. That’s why our numbers cannot improve — because we use women, Asians and Hispanics who are not people of color, who are not people who have been discriminated against.”

He continued, “I don’t believe white women should be considered in that count ….You have white women in the category. They receive contracts. Then, white men receive contracts. Where does that leave everybody else?”

Chicago “currently earmarks 25 percent of all city contracts for minorities and 5 percent for companies owned by women.”

In trying to put out the fire, hours after the remarks Meeks said he would only exclude white women if elected mayor.

Read more at the Chicago Sun-Times