Alaskan Blacks Call Palin Insensitive

Black leaders in Alaska say it's no surprise to see Sarah Palin sparking debate over race on the campaign trail, the AP reports. "She has no sensitivity to minorities," said a black Baptist minister who has urged her to hire more people of color. Another likened her supporters to "a Ku Klux Klan rally." Her disinterest in rehiring two black officials is still a sore spot for some Alaskan black leaders.

In a meeting about them, Palin implied that "you can't tell me how to do my job," an Anchorage businesswoman said. "Her top lip got really tight." But Palin, who has appointed 417 officials, has given jobs to eight blacks and 49 Alaska natives—which her camp says reflects the state's diversity. "It's shocking to me that anyone would imply that she's racist or, you know, neglectful of people of color," said her communications director, who is part black. (More Sarah Palin stories.)