Some black commentators have said that Arizona governor Jan Brewer's wagging of her finger at US President Barack Obama has touched a nerve in the African- American community.

A television host Al Sharpton highlighted Brewer's gesture was another example of disrespect for the US' first black president on MSNBC.

His guest, Sirius XM host Joe Madison said such incidents show that there are people "who cannot stand the fact that this is an African-American who is now one of the most powerful individuals on the planet.

National Association for Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) Senior Vice President for advocacy and policy, Hilary O. Shelton said the incident played on age-old and discriminatory stereotypes of whites being superior to blacks, Politico reports.

He added said he was particularly disturbed by Brewer telling reporters afterwards that she "felt a bit threatened if you will, in the attitude that he had."

"What were you afraid he would do, steal your purse?" Shelton said.

Brewer had said she was taken aback when Obama brought up the way she wrote about him in a recent book.

She said she asked for a meeting with Obama and added that Obama told her that she hadn't treated him very cordially in the book, in which she wrote that the president was "patronizing" during a White House meeting.

The controversy does not seem to die soon as Shelton will discuss the incident on n TV One's Washington Watch with Roland Martin. (ANI)