Devon Raymond, a student at ULM, is finding himself stuck in the middle of a con­troversy involving his father, Maine Gov. Paul LePage, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP).

Raymond, who is black and a Jamaican native, is the adopted son of the newly-elected gover­nor, a white man with a white household.

Last week, LePage became the center of a racial firestorm.

LePage has been accused of racism after declining an invita­tion by the NAACP, to attend a Martin Luther King Day break­fast. He then told the group to “kiss [his] butt” in response to its criticism.

The relationship between the LePages and Raymond began during his childhood.

Raymond was born in a rough part of Jamaica. He met the LePages on one of their annual vacations and was eventually added to the family to pursue a golf future in America, trading the ghetto and pristine weather in the Caribbean for the frigid eight-month winters of Maine.

But for Raymond, the tough­est transition was not leaving his family or even the dramatic temperature shift. His first ex­posure to racism was the biggest shock, having seen none before.

“The Jamaican motto is, ‘Out of many, one people,’” said Ray­mond, a philosophy he says em­bodies the mindset of his new American family, despite what the NAACP may say.

Accusations of racism have hounded LePage ever since his “butt” com­ment, but R a y m o n d explains that other mo­tives may be to blame for the attacks against his fa­ther.

Raymond is referring to an incident that occurred during his father’s campaign.

The NAACP asked LePage to visit black inmates in prison. LePage declined, stating that he would attend if he could meet with all prisoners, not just the black ones.

This sparked a feud between the organization and the gover­nor, growing more intense after the MLK Day controversy.

LePage argues that the NAACP has become a special interest group, and Raymond agrees that the organization has veered from its original intent and is using the MLK contro­versy as ammunition against his father.

“[The NAACP] did a lot for African Americans back in the day when we needed it,” said Raymond, “but what has it done recently for civil rights?”

There is evidence to support the father-son tandem’s assess­ment of the group.

LePage, a Republican, was elected largely based on Tea Party support, a movement de­nounced by the NAACP whose anti-Tea Party rally was lead by First Lady Michelle Obama.

LePage declined the invita­tion for this year’s MLK day celebration because he was pre­viously scheduled to attend the funeral of a fallen state trooper.

LePage had been a guest speaker at the event for the four years prior. In the end, LePage made it to both events.

Not all agreed with LePage’s actions, even after hearing the governor’s reasons.

Yasmeen Davis, a junior pre-pharmacy major, said that LeP­age should have been more re­spectful of the memory of Dr. King and the NAACP.

Davis said, “[The funeral] jus­tifies why he could not go, but it does not justify what he said.”

Despite the controversy, Ray­mond just hopes people can see his father the way he sees him: a person who helps anybody of any color.

“My father speaks his mind. He has true passion,” said Ray­mond, adding that his father will do anything to make Maine a better place for all of its citi­zens.