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Nancy Pelosi trolled for honoring Giants legend Willie Mays with Willie McCovey's pic: 'All Blacks look alike'

Last month, Pelosi drew criticism for thanking George Floyd after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering him

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi made a grand faux pas. On May 6, 2021, Pelosi’s Twitter account mixed up photographs of two famous Black athletes.

Pelosi posted a 90th birthday tribute to legendary baseball player Willie Mays. However, the post was alongside a picture of Pelosi posing with a different baseball player: Willie McCovey. Pelosi, after getting called out, deleted the tweet. The original tweet read: “Happy 90th Birthday to an all-American icon, Willie Mays. A trailblazing, record-breaking baseball player, civil rights leader, and champion for youth sports and well-being, Willie Mays is a civic legend and national treasure. #SayHey90.”

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Pelosi then replaced it with the correct photo in a new tweet. The tweet also came with an official statement that read, “How proud we were to see President Obama joyfully granting him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. How proud we were to see Willie reveling in the San Francisco Giants’ three World Series victories and rallying fans at the ballpark.”

It further said, “When we dedicated a statue for Willie Mays’ fellow Alabamian, civil rights hero Rosa Parks, in the Capitol of the United States, I invited Willie Mays as my guest. He could not attend but sent a letter to mark the occasion, and gave me permission to share his words. He said: ‘Most times, change doesn’t happen fast. Most times, it happens bit by bit, little by little, one person’s actions inspiring another. Rosa Parks simply did what was natural. And that simple act sparked outrage, and that outrage spread, and one person’s actions inspired change. We will try to remember to encourage change when it serves justice’.”

The statement further said, “On his 90th birthday, we remember Willie Mays growing up with injustice and blazing a trail, first in the Negro Leagues, and then as a Hall of Famer in Major League Baseball with the Giants. We celebrate Willie Mays using his voice to advocate for civil rights, for opportunity for children, and against domestic violence. We celebrate his lasting impact, through his Say Hey Foundation and the Willie Mays Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco, on the legions of youth scholars and athletes he has helped. And we celebrate Willie Mays for all he has done and continues to do to encourage change when it serves justice.”

But at no point did it acknowledge the faux pas. “A staffer inadvertently selected the wrong photo for the tweet,” Pelosi’s office said in a statement to CBS San Francisco. “The photo we wanted to use was of the speaker and Willie Mays at Willie McCovey’s August 2018 wedding. The quickly deleted photo was the wrong photo from the right wedding. We apologize for the error.”

In no time, Pelosi was slammed on Twitter. “‘Cause all black people look the same @SpeakerPelosi?” asked a person on Twitter. Conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza wrote, “Nancy Pelosi shares the wrong photo for sports legend Willie Mays. Does she think all blacks look alike?” Another Twitter user said, “Nancy Pelosi confused Willie McCovey for Willie Mays. Not surprising since all black people look the same to her. And her party.”

Last month, Pelosi drew criticism by thanking George Floyd after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering him. During a news conference following Chauvin's conviction on three criminal counts, Pelosi said, "Thank you, George Floyd, for sacrificing your life for justice," referring to Floyd's death in May 2020 as Chauvin pinned his knee on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes.