John McPartland is a member of the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Board of Directors and was censured in January 2023 for for using a racist expression.  McPartland told three Black staff members at a meeting Jan. 12 that their work on BART's ongoing racial equity initiative was "cotton-pickin' inspirational."

McPartland apologized after learning that people were offended by his choice of words.  He had never intended for his words to be racist.  It's not his first embarrassing brush with racist language or situations - and it turns out that racist expressions are a mainstay of American English.

America was built on racism and it appears everywhere from children's toys to popular food brands to popular expressions.  From the ice cream truck jingle to pancakes, racist imagery and ideas are everywhere.