Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) came under fire for openly stating that he favors hiring Black staffers because he believes they are “Earth’s most generous race.” The comment, which many view as racially charged, raises serious concerns about bias in hiring practices and the prioritization of identity over qualifications.
Mayor Brandon Johnson: "The reason I hire so many blacks to run Chicago is because we're planet earth's most generous race" pic.twitter.com/b2qEzWOR5x
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) May 18, 2025
While speaking to the congregation at the Apostolic Church of God, Johnson pushed back on critics who said he only hires black people, stirring controversy in his response.
“Some detractors that will push back on me and say, ‘The only thing the mayor talks about is the hiring of black people.’ No, what I’m saying is when you hire our people we always look out for everybody else. We are the most generous people on the planet,” he said. “I don’t know too many cultures that have play cousins, that’s how generous we are. We just make somebody a family member, right? That’s just how we are.”
The Democratic mayor highlighted several top officials in his administration who are black, including the Deputy Mayor of Business and Economic Neighborhood Development, the Deputy Mayor of Infrastructure, the Chief of Operations, and his Senior Advisor. He stated that he hired these individuals to give them an opportunity, emphasizing that their race played a role in his decision to ensure they had a chance.
His comments sparked backlash, with users pointing out that Johnson hired people based on their race, not their skills or merit.
Chicago pulled off the nearly impossible. They fired the worst mayor in the city's history… and immediately hired someone even worse. It’s like escaping a burning building and running into a snake pit.
— TheRightGuy (@TheRightGuy101) May 18, 2025
Imagine the meltdown if a white mayor said,
— MAGAProphet 🇺🇸 (@ProphetMaga) May 18, 2025
“I hire whites because we’re the most generous race.”
Generous race? Really? Maybe focus on fixing the crime and economic mess instead of playing the race card. This is why cities like Chicago are struggling.
— Jammles (@jammles9) May 18, 2025
So you hire people based on their race!
— Ms Tracy✌🏼 🇺🇸 (@TracyAFF1) May 19, 2025
It’s hard for me to comprehend that
This is okay!
Hire more Black Republicans, if you do, maybe Chicago would not be so screwed up.
— Douglas Lindsey (@Dug2AL) May 18, 2025