A candidate for the B.C. Green party who came under fire for impersonating Martin Luther King Jr. at a campaign event this week has apologized.
Speaking to a group of supporters on Wednesday, Mark Neufeld, a teacher who is running in the Saanich South riding, quoted the famous "I've been to the mountaintop" speech King delivered the day before his assassination.
"I went to the mountaintop, y'all," Neufeld said. "And I looked over – my, my. My eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Greens!"
He also referenced the portion of King's speech where he defiantly proclaimed, "I'm not fearing any man."
Some took umbrage with Neufeld's performance, interpreting the candidate's remarks as drawing a comparison between the party's political goals and the fight for black civil rights.
Others on social media went even further, labelling Neufeld, who appeared to affect an accent during the speech, as racist.
The candidate was quick to apologize, which he did in two separate Facebook posts, first on Thursday then again on Friday.
"In a misguided attempt to share the inspiration of one of the greatest leaders of our time, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I made one of the greatest mistakes of my life. I was excited by the crowd, but I was wrong to do what I did. I take responsibility for my actions and I am very sorry," he wrote.
Neufeld described his speech as "deeply insensitive" and criticized his own "stunning lack of awareness."
"I have to own my white privilege and my station in society. As a teacher of 25 years, I have no excuse. And intention is not enough," he added.
The candidate said no one else from his campaign or the Green party was aware of what he was going to stay on stage.
King's speech, delivered on April 3, 1968, famously challenged the United States to live up to the ideals of its own constitution, and prophetically alluded to the possibility the civil rights leader wouldn't live to see everything the movement would accomplish.
