During the Board of Commissioners regular meeting on Tuesday, County Manager Carlos Tobar apologized for his use of the word “brutal” when describing the length of past Black History Month presentations at county commission meetings.
Tobar made the comment in an email earlier this month.
“I used a very poor choice of words that offended folks when I was trying to explain the length of a particular presentation. In my haste to explain myself, I failed to apologize,” he said.
Tobar added that he attended an NAACP meeting earlier this week and “explained the situation” and apologized.
“I want to thank the folks who were there at that meeting. I felt like I was shown a lot of mercy and grace, and I appreciate that,” he said.
However, local NAACP president Cynthia Edwards later spoke on the matter during the “public comments” portion of the meeting.
“We’re thankful that (Tobar) did show ownership, but ownership sometimes isn’t enough,” Edwards said. “As a result, we ask that he have some type of sensitivity training ... Those types of comments should not continue. All communities deserve respect, inclusion and cultural awareness.”
Latonya Howell, who has done extensive research on black history in Baldwin County, also spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting.
“For someone to think that it would be taxing to learn about the community that they represent, I have to say that it was heartbreaking,” she said. “But, at the end of the day, I understand that sometimes things can be misconstrued. So, like Ms. Edwards said, maybe sensitivity training would be the way to go.”