It’s not about unifying
Trump and his goons try to turn it around.
NEW from @PressSec on Lewis, Thompson missing the Civil Rights Museum opening: “We think it’s unfortunate that these members of Congress wouldn’t join the President in honoring the incredible sacrifice civil rights leaders made to right the injustices in our history." (1/2)
— Elizabeth Landers (@ElizLanders) December 7, 2017
No, that’s not what’s happening. They’re refusing to join Trump because he is a racist himself, because he opposes civil rights himself, because he thinks there were good people “on both sides” in Charlottesville, because he refused to rent to black people in the 60s, because he was a birther, because he demanded the death penalty for the Central Park 5, to name a few items on the list. He is not in a position to honor civil rights leaders, because he is hostile to their work and to them.
MORE: "The President hopes others will join him in recognizing that the movement was about removing barriers and unifying Americans of all backgrounds.” (2/2)
— Elizabeth Landers (@ElizLanders) December 7, 2017
No, that is not what it was about. That sounds like those fools who announce that feminism is about equality for everyone, as if women are so trivial we don’t get to have a struggle of our own. The movement was about ending racism, white racism, racism that was the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow. It wasn’t about “unifying,” it was about rights. Fighting for rights is not automatically compatible with “unifying” people of all backgrounds, because some people want to deny others rights. Rights come first, and unity can follow when and if people stop denying others’ rights.
Very well said. It’s the people at the top who are anxious for unity, as long as they can get it without giving up anything.
Particularly upsetting in that Lewis is in fact one of the ‘civil rights leaders’ who made an ‘incredible sacrifice’.
@David – yeah, for them unity means “do what I say without question”.