In today’s America, the line between fiery rhetoric and outright incitement has never been thinner, and Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas just bulldozed straight through it. Speaking to graduating seniors at Tougaloo College, a historically black college in Jackson, Mississippi, Crockett brazenly suggested graduates should be prepared to “use chairs” against those who stand in their way. No, she wasn’t urging these young Americans to simply pull up a seat at the table of discourse. She meant wielding chairs—as weapons.
Crockett’s speech—a twenty-minute tirade posted proudly on her YouTube page—contained a troubling reference to the infamous 2023 Montgomery, Alabama brawl. That incident saw groups of individuals, divided along racial lines, violently clash, with at least one participant swinging a folding chair as a makeshift weapon. Crockett leaned into that disturbing imagery, telling graduates, “There are people that are gonna tell you that there is not a table in which there is a seat for you, but I am here to remind you of Montgomery and those folding chairs. Let me tell you that we know how to use a chair, whether we’re pulling it up or we’re doing something else with it.”
This isn’t a harmless rhetorical flourish—it’s an explicit suggestion of violence dressed up as empowerment. Crockett, who has made a name for herself by hurling insults and employing profanity in congressional hearings, is now openly telling young people that physical confrontation is a legitimate response to disagreement. Is this the kind of message we want our nation’s youth graduating into adulthood with?
This speech marks yet another troubling escalation in the Democrat Party’s race to embrace the radical Left. Since her public clash with Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene last year, Crockett has become a media darling, her profile raised precisely because of—not despite—her crude behavior and inflammatory language. Democrats have even coined the phrase “dark woke” to describe their new combative posture, as reported by The New York Times. Crockett herself embodies that term—using profanity in public hearings and sinking to juvenile name-calling against political opponents like Texas Governor Greg Abbott, whom she disgracefully labeled “Governor Hot Wheels” due to his disability.
But Crockett didn’t stop there. In her remarks to graduates, she also absurdly argued that calling someone a “DEI hire”—a straightforward reference to affirmative-action style hiring—is the equivalent of using a racial slur. “Instead of publicly calling us the n-word,” she proclaimed, “they use racist epithets and suggest…we’re unqualified or diversity hires.” Crockett’s message isn’t unity; it’s resentment, division, and bitterness packaged as inspiration.
While President Trump continues his tireless efforts to restore American greatness—securing borders, reviving manufacturing, and putting America First—figures like Crockett are busy stoking the fires of racial grievance and division. These inflammatory calls to action directly undermine the peaceful society conservatives strive to preserve—a society built on law, order, individual responsibility, and merit rather than racial animosity.
Let’s be clear: Crockett’s rhetoric doesn’t empower anyone. It doesn’t prepare young Americans for success or foster a sense of national community. Instead, it perpetuates victimhood, grievance, and hostility. Conservatives must remain vigilant against this cynical strategy. We must insist on standards of decency and civility in our public discourse, especially when addressing impressionable young people.
As Ronald Reagan once wisely said, “Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” Crockett would do well to heed that wisdom instead of recklessly promoting division. It’s our job as conservatives to hold such irresponsible leaders accountable and to offer a better vision—a vision where young Americans are encouraged to use their education, skills, and talents to succeed, not furniture to attack their fellow citizens.
