Trail Maids Get Partial Apology

Mobile Naacp Alabama's NAACP President stands behind one comment and apologizes for another.

by Tiffany Craig

Published: Wed, January 14, 2009 - 5:25 pm CST Last Updated: Sat, January 17, 2009 - 4:05 pm CST

Mobile's Azalea Trail Maids get an apology for one comment made by Alabama's NAACP President!

President Edward Vaughn said last week that the hoop dresses remind him of the "slave era." He also said the girls would be the laughing stock of President-Elect Barack Obama inaugural parade next week.

Vaughn has had a change of heart on at least one of those comments!

He stands behind the dress comment but apologized for calling the girls a laughing stock. "I said they would be laughed at and I apologize for that. I should not have said that." Vaughn says the antebellum outfits still remind him of slave times. "I'm a historian and I know the history of Alabama. Yes, they do."

Vaughn says he wants to Azalea Trail Maids to go to Washington. He just wanted them to have company. "It would be nice if we could add with them the bands from Tuskegee or Alabama State or Alabama A&M to show at least the African-American side of it since the Civil War movement started here in Alabama." The Trail Maids are the only group from Alabama invited to participate in the parade.

Mobile City Council President Reggie Copeland appreciates Vaughn's apology. "It takes a big man to apologize. I thank him and admire him for doing it. We all make mistakes. We all say some things that we don't mean to say sometimes."

The girls now have all the money they need to make the trip. Copeland donated using 10,000 from his discretionary fund to help the girls make the trip. The Mobile County Commission donated 10k as well.

Vaughn says he should get some credit for helping bring attention to their cause. "I think the Trail Maids ought to put me on the payroll for blowing this thing up and getting them the kind of support they've been able to get around the world. They probably would not have gotten that had I not made some comment."

The Mobile Chapter of the NAACP made a 500 dollar donation Tuesday evening. Asked if the state chapter would pitch in, Vaughn says they can't afford it!

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Kymbi Says:

Sat, Jan 17, 2009 at 3:47 pm

The Azalea Trail Maids have nothing to do with slavery. Maybe they wear dresses that were similar to those from the slave era, but as far as I can remember we are now all equal races. Why is everyone on here so threatening and hateful? I don’t see any of those 50 girls out there making minorities pick cotton, or do their chores. WTF people.

belle53 Says:

Sat, Jan 17, 2009 at 3:05 pm

another b——boy pretending to be something from Mobile Alabama much less be in Washington to turn his back on the Azalea Trail Maids as they pass him in the parade.

PMcGill Says:

Sat, Jan 17, 2009 at 2:48 pm

I stand by my comments

belle53 Says:

Sat, Jan 17, 2009 at 10:45 am

PM in your statement where you quoted you and your service men campained in the soth and Mobile “Where you were told a black man would never get my vote” well you need to look again Alabama especially Mobile did not vote Obama in…sorry!

BamaBob Says:

Sat, Jan 17, 2009 at 7:02 am

The problem with PM is that he/she just wants to spew a little hatred. Logic does not enter the picture.

I just hope all these girls are safe in D.C. and are treated well. There are apparently a lot of nuts out there and a bunch of them will be in D.C. next week.

carl Says:

Sat, Jan 17, 2009 at 6:56 am

I have to agree with 2bornot2b that Pmcgill has the right to speak his thoughts and practice his freedoom of speech,although they are far from my own.Pmcgill seems to have a lot of bitterness bottled up deep down in his soul.If 2bornot2b can show me one race or group of people who haven’t shown hate and violence in their past,I would like to know about it.They seem to be missing from all my history books,so I guess no one should celebrate their heritage if you go along with that line of thought.As for President elect OBAMA,I hope he will be the best President we have ever had because of this big mess we all have been left with.In my opinion the Azalea trail Maids look great and are worthy to represent this area nationally.This is Just an old swamp dweller practing his freedoom of speech also.Try to see the good and don’t focus on the bad so much,you’ll feel much better.

2BorNOT2B Says:

Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 11:17 pm

Apologized? Why did he did he do that? If believes they are a “laughing stock”, he has the right to say it and believe it. I regret he was weak like Don Imus and apologized. Neither of them should apologize. Those dresses are pure dumb looking and worn simply for attention. I don’t laugh when I see them dressed so ignorantly, I just shake my head and wonder why people want to celebrate a heritage of hate and violence. Don’t be apologizing to them. Stand your ground. Freedom of speech is a great thing. If they are free to wear those ugly dresses, he is free to complain about it. You can’t have it both ways. Limit his freedom of speech while endorsing theirs is wrong.

glamblitz Says:

Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 10:21 pm

Black History Month reminds me of the days when everything was segregated. Since we have a
“Black” president now & it is time for change the first thing he should do is put a stop to Black History Month!! or he needs to have Asian, White, Hispanic, Jewish, & every other race represented in this country History Month!

southfan1981 Says:

Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 6:20 pm

KX, you are cracking me up.. MULTICULTURAL HOUSE.. that’s pretty funny.

I got to thinking while driving home, what if we stopped using the words, colored, white, hispanic.. etc.. would that help change how we see each other?

BamaBob Says:

Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 6:14 pm

This discussion took a right at the corner of Dumb & Dumber and landed in the Twilight Zone!

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