Yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day or, if you’re a Mississippi Republican, Robert E. Lee’s Birthday. The former is a federal holiday, the latter a state holiday to honor the memory of someone who likely never set foot in Mississippi and led an armed rebellion against the United States.
Not to worry, though. In a few months, it will be Confederate Heritage Month and, of course, Confederate Memorial Day (because the Confederates are so special that they cannot share the regular Memorial Day that honors our military dead).
The passing of the MLK/REL holidays means we’ll be spared hearing or seeing Republican office-holders quote Dr. King for another 365 days.
The standard go-to quote is, of course, from Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” Speech from August, 1963. In that speech, King dreamed of a day when his children would be judged “not on the color of their skin, but the content of their character.”
Republicans naturally love this quote, especially because it’s easy to manipulate.
So, when they enact policies that disenfranchise, demean or damage Black citizens, it’s not because they are Black, but because they lack character, won’t pull themselves up by the bootstraps, are lazy and dependent on government handouts and dress, speak and live in a manner of which they don’t approve.
Republicans will tell you that all people should be judged on the content of their character and that Black Americans have no exclusive claim on this demand.
It’s like responding to someone saying “Black lives matter!” by saying “All lives matter!” It misses the point and dilutes the issue.
After all, at what point throughout the broad sweep of American history, has a white man ever feared that society would judge him by the color of his skin? You will find no such example.
Appropriating these words from Dr. King in order to claim they — as white Americans — share the horrid history of oppression and systemic racism is a vulgarity.
Some are sure to take offense to ascribing this attitude to all Republicans. “I’m not like that!” they will say, to which I respond: If you’re a Republican state legislator or Governor, you are “like that” and your record proves it.
That’s why we still have Robert E. Lee Day, Confederate Heritage Month and Confederate Memorial Day.
Every year, Rep. Kabir Karriem of Columbus, files a bill to address the Robert E. Lee holiday. First, it was to observe the two holidays on separate days, which would have given state employees an extra paid day off.
Karriem’s current bill would eliminate the Lee holiday altogether as well as Confederate Memorial Day.
Karriem’s bills have gone nowhere and died in committee.
That’s likely the fate of this bill, too. Karriem said not a single Republican has offered to sponsor the bill. That includes our Golden Triangle delegation, Dana McLean, Andy Boyd and Rob Roberson.
So this bill will meet the same fate as the others and Republicans will go right on honoring Lee and the Confederacy while quoting Dr. King once a year and, in doing so, mock his legacy.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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