History
The states ratified the 13th Amendment, outlawing slavery, in 1865.
Plessy v. Ferguson established the constitutional principal of "separate but equal" in 1896, which remained the law of the land until 1954.
The next year, Montgomery experienced a bus boycott.
President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964.
He signed the Voting Rights Act in 1965, the same year a great host marched from Selma.
May we bear proper and right witness to a moment resonating in our history this very night, a moment that may take its place among all of these mighty lurches toward justice.
Yes, we can.
Plessy v. Ferguson established the constitutional principal of "separate but equal" in 1896, which remained the law of the land until 1954.
The next year, Montgomery experienced a bus boycott.
President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964.
He signed the Voting Rights Act in 1965, the same year a great host marched from Selma.
May we bear proper and right witness to a moment resonating in our history this very night, a moment that may take its place among all of these mighty lurches toward justice.
Yes, we can.
posted by JRB at 9:36 PM
5 Comments:
And to think in 1857 the Supreme Court stated that blacks were nothing more than property(Sanford v. Scott).
Let us keep progress alive -- for "all" groups. I do find it interesting that it was a southern politician that helped get so much done. Sure, JFK put things in motion -- but he was slow as a Democrat that needed the south.
I actually believe that you do a great disservice to those monumental events by comparing the nomination of a political party to them.
After all, those events were "apolitical" and empowered an entire race that had previously been disempowered.
In this instance, that has not occurred.
After all, were you to replace this event with, say, Condoleeza Rice obtaining her party's nomination or J.C. Watts obtaining his party's nomination, I would be hard pressed to believe that you would place it among such historical company.
This is certainly a significant partisan event in our country's history (and certainly represents progress of some sort--though I continue to contend that nominating a female would be much more historically-significant than any other demographic).
But, this is not Plessy nor the Civil Rights Act for those events represented and advanced the interests of all blacks whereas this event represents and advances only those of a certain political viewpoint.
Those events certainly were monumental and empowered an entire race, but they certainly, absolutely were political, all wrapped up with party, politics and elections. Politics are part and parcel with all of this movement.
I certainly would have celebrated Rice and Watts with equal praise, as I have praised and lauded Rice's ascension since the day she was appointed.
I believe you're missing my point.
The historical events that you cited advanced the situation to black individuals regardless of their political beliefs.
Plessy wasn't limited to only blacks of a certain partisan persuasion.
Obama's nomination is just that. It is a significant step for those who support his political viewpoints. For others (including other blacks), it is nothing to celebrate as they believe his potential presidency would not be something to celebrate. Again, I am not suggesting that it is not significant. It certainly is.
But, to place it among those other cited events is unwarranted because there are blacks who actually oppose Obama and would much rather have not seem him nominated.
Compare that to the end of slavery or the right to vote and you simply won't find the same result as their was not a segment of the black population that would rather have seen a different conclusion.
You are obviously a big fan of Obama so I understand your excitement about his success. But, that excitement must be tempered by reality to some degree.
In this case, I would place his nomination in a category of significant historical event (similar to Powell and Rice's back to back Sect'y of State stints) but certainly short of reaching the level of other events that empowered all black Americans regardless of their partisan viewpoints.
Also, let me clarify that I am not proposing that Obama, within himself, has waged some sort of civil rights battle, overcoming awful racism or violent opposition to overcome injustice. Rather, I mark the occasion in celebration of the remarkable progress of the nation whose people and laws have evolved rightly to have given him the opportunity to suffer the slings and arrows of a political campaign that is NOT about race.
That is the significant thing. That Obama and HRC (and Albright, Powell, Rice, etc.) gained their status, success and power not because of their race or gender or even despite their race or gender, but because they were good at what they had done and did to get there.
That is the remarkable moment, juxtaposed against American history and progress.
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