Barry Presgraves, the mayor of Luray, Virginia, is being asked to resign from his position after posting a message on his Facebook page saying, "Joe Biden has just announced Aunt Jemima as his VP pick,” according to local news outlet WTOP.

Presgraves quickly deleted the post, but a source shared a screenshot of it with WTOP. The news outlet noted that he has been in office since 2008 but is not seeking reelection this year.

Although he is not seeking reelection, the mayor has refused to resign and criticized the town's reaction to his post.

“I saw it last week, and I thought it was funny. I thought it was humorous. I had no idea people would react the way they did. I think people have gone overboard on this. … It’s an election year. Hell no, I’m not resigning. The people elected me and I have a few months more to serve,” Presgraves told the Page Valley News.

“This was about a prominent woman who made pancake batter and the company was forced to take it off, which was wrong. This was no more racist than the names I’ve been called. I don’t have a racist bone in my body. I don’t even depict that as racist. I ate Aunt Jemima all my life,” Presgraves said on Monday according to the newspaper.

The message has caused furor locally, and officials released a statement on the town Facebook page condemning racism.

"We believe that our employees and every person in our community deserves fair and just treatment. The many voices of our community welcome all to Luray. The Town of Luray rejects racism and is committed to working together with the community through understanding, compassion, and opportunity," the statement read.

"The Town Council will discuss the events leading to this statement at their August 10th meeting," the statement added.

Luray Town Council member Leah Pence said she emailed Presgraves herself to express her outrage at the post.

“I am writing to strongly urge you to resign over a racist comment you made on Facebook. The comment you posted has a type of humor that has not been appropriate or funny in my lifetime or yours,” Pence wrote in her email.

Pence went on to write that Presgraves' "resignation is imperative" for the town to begin to "resolve the systemic subliminal racism that plagues our community."

Pence noted that he should be held accountable for his words and decisions because of his position as the leader of the town of Luray.

"Your recent actions have caused me and many citizens to lose faith and confidence in your capacity to effectively and justly serve,” Pence added.

“All racial comments are inappropriate given the heightened sensitivity to racism in our country today. We are and should be held to a higher standard. I can assure the citizens of Luray that kind of thinking is not indicative of the council," Luray Councilman Jerry Schiro told The Washington Post.

Presgraves did not respond to requests for comment from WTOP. The town of about 5,000 people is 92% white and roughly 4% Black.

Black citizens of Luray have been calling for him to leave office, reports Page Valley News.

“Barry Presgraves, Goodbye… It is very disappointing that the Mayor of Luray would go to this LEVEL! I never comment on RACIAL comments… but this one is pretty low,” said Audrey Tutt Smith, a Black resident of Luray.

Biden has said he plans to choose a woman as his running mate. Sen. Kamala Harris, Rep. Karen Bass and former national security adviser Susan Rice have all been floated as potential picks.

Conservatives across the country have continued to harp on the decision by Quaker Oats to retire the Aunt Jemima character in June, which for more than 120 years has served as a part of the company's pancake brand.

The character has deep connections to slavery and racism. The New York Times noted that a former enslaved person was hired by the brand's creator to play the character at events in the 1800s and that there were numerous efforts to modernize the character.

Biden has not yet responded to the mayor's remarks.

Luray-Virginia

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