RNC backtracks on Rosa Parks tweet

The Republican National Committee issued a clarification Sunday after a tweet posted to its official account credited Rosa Parks for “her role in ending racism.”

Today we remember Rosa Parks’ bold stand and her role in ending racism. pic.twitter.com/uxIj1QmtkU

— RNC (@GOP) December 1, 2013

The message was intended to commemorate the 58th anniversary of Parks’s arrest, when she refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery city bus to a white man. But the statement drew immediate fire, with critics blasting Republicans for suggesting racism was over.

The flap briefly led to a #RacismEndedWhen hashtag on Twitter, which some — including DNC vice chairwoman Donna Brazile — seized on to poke the RNC.

#RacismEndedWhen black was in vogue and colorblind was a term of endearment.

— Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) December 1, 2013

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also seized on the hashtag to catalog instances of Republican missteps on racial issues.

#RacismEndedWhen a GOP pollster told Republicans last month to ‘stop pandering’ to racism http://t.co/eEB8JMGQpG

— DCCC (@dccc) December 1, 2013

#RacismEndedWhen Rep. Don Young (R-AK) referred to Latinos using a racial slur… cause we’re cool, right? http://t.co/D6ycpg2IsU

— DCCC (@dccc) December 1, 2013

#RacismEndedWhen @TedCruz and House GOPers joined Tea Party rally that told Obama to “put the Quran down” http://t.co/61MnTUKRNv

— DCCC (@dccc) December 1, 2013

Within hours, the RNC issued a clarification of their tweet, stressing that they meant to note the role of the historic protest in the fight to end racism.

Previous tweet should have read “Today we remember Rosa Parks’ bold stand and her role in fighting to end racism.”

— RNC (@GOP) December 1, 2013