Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 12:12am
No Hillary or Obama without LBJ or MLK
Column: All Paths
Most Americans believe that this country of ours is blessed, and I agree. It would be hard for me as an African-American, who comes from a community that has been systematically denied the full rights and privileges for centuries, to argue the point. I say this with confidence, because if you have traveled around this big old world of ours, you would have to agree that America, with all of its problems regarding race and class, is still by far the best example of an inclusive society that we have on this planet.
I know it's not perfect. I know our history. Our level of inclusiveness has been forged in battle and blood. But, nevertheless, somehow and some way we have this living and breathing document called The Constitution. According to this document, we are all equal. The words are there. Just take a minute and read them. We all know what's in this great document, and sometimes it took great men and women to remind us about what's in it and make it better.
So where am I going with all of this? I'll tell you. After listening to the comments by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton concerning Martin Luther King and Lyndon Johnson, and who was the major catalyst behind the passage of the landmark legislation of the Johnson presidency, I would like to offer some comments.
Yes, Hillary, it did take a president, Lyndon Johnson, to sign the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act. It is important for me to also say that Johnson was one of the few Southern members of Congress in 1956 who refused to sign the Southern Manifesto, which was a document aimed at coercing Southern members of Congress into defying the 1956 Supreme Courts desegregation order.
Many doubt the sincerity of President Johnson's motives. I don't really care what motivated him as it relates to civil rights. I have read many or most of the biographies on Johnson, and I understand that he often referred to African-Americans in a derogatory manner. But, he still did the right thing when it mattered. His vision of a Great Society and the skilled, masterful work that he did to enact those programs made America better.
However, I challenge anybody to disagree with the fact that the social and political environment created by Dr. King and so many other civil rights activists, ranging from A. Philip Randolph to Frederick Douglass before him, made it easy for President Johnson to propose and win passage of major civil rights legislation and Great Society programs as well. They needed each other to get it done. Johnson was our leading citizen and King our leading agitator.
They were a great team, and there is proof that they worked together. I urge you to read, Nick Kotz, author of "Judgment Days: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Laws that Changed America." So Clinton and Obama should both realize that as a woman and African-American, their very credible campaigns to be president of the United States are a direct result of the hard work and vision of these two men.
Mrs. Clinton, it's OK for Mr. Obama to draw upon Dr. King as a source of inspiration for his campaign and to inspire voters. Your husband invoked the name of John Kennedy in his first campaign. There is nothing wrong with this. It reminds us of our greatness. I want you to know that you would be hard-pressed to find an African-American politician who is not inspired by Dr. King. I know you are inspired by both Johnson and King, even though you supported Barry Goldwater, who ran against Johnson in 1964.
You know, we live in an era when we need to be reminded of our heroes, because we have so few today who ask us to step into our greatness. Thank you, Hillary, for reminding us about the great legacy of Lyndon Johnson. I also thank you for being a very credible candidate for president. And, I thank Mr. Obama as well.
When President Johnson and Dr. King talked during those tumultuous days in the 1960s, as Mr. Kotz mentioned in his book, I would like to think that deep down in their hearts they felt some day a woman and an African-American would become president of the United States. Please make them proud, and run based on your convictions, vision and the legacy you want to leave.
So, here we are in 2008, with two of America's most unlikely children, a woman and an African-American, credibly running for the highest office in our country. Could this have happened without a great president and a great agitator, who collaborated and both believed that every person should be able to achieve their highest potential, which is what God wants for us all?
— — —
Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main U.N. representative for The New Seminary in New York. You can learn more about his work at The New Seminary website or at http://jayspeights.blogspot.com/ . His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Jay Speights.
I know it's not perfect. I know our history. Our level of inclusiveness has been forged in battle and blood. But, nevertheless, somehow and some way we have this living and breathing document called The Constitution. According to this document, we are all equal. The words are there. Just take a minute and read them. We all know what's in this great document, and sometimes it took great men and women to remind us about what's in it and make it better.
So where am I going with all of this? I'll tell you. After listening to the comments by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton concerning Martin Luther King and Lyndon Johnson, and who was the major catalyst behind the passage of the landmark legislation of the Johnson presidency, I would like to offer some comments.
Yes, Hillary, it did take a president, Lyndon Johnson, to sign the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act. It is important for me to also say that Johnson was one of the few Southern members of Congress in 1956 who refused to sign the Southern Manifesto, which was a document aimed at coercing Southern members of Congress into defying the 1956 Supreme Courts desegregation order.
Many doubt the sincerity of President Johnson's motives. I don't really care what motivated him as it relates to civil rights. I have read many or most of the biographies on Johnson, and I understand that he often referred to African-Americans in a derogatory manner. But, he still did the right thing when it mattered. His vision of a Great Society and the skilled, masterful work that he did to enact those programs made America better.
However, I challenge anybody to disagree with the fact that the social and political environment created by Dr. King and so many other civil rights activists, ranging from A. Philip Randolph to Frederick Douglass before him, made it easy for President Johnson to propose and win passage of major civil rights legislation and Great Society programs as well. They needed each other to get it done. Johnson was our leading citizen and King our leading agitator.
They were a great team, and there is proof that they worked together. I urge you to read, Nick Kotz, author of "Judgment Days: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Laws that Changed America." So Clinton and Obama should both realize that as a woman and African-American, their very credible campaigns to be president of the United States are a direct result of the hard work and vision of these two men.
Mrs. Clinton, it's OK for Mr. Obama to draw upon Dr. King as a source of inspiration for his campaign and to inspire voters. Your husband invoked the name of John Kennedy in his first campaign. There is nothing wrong with this. It reminds us of our greatness. I want you to know that you would be hard-pressed to find an African-American politician who is not inspired by Dr. King. I know you are inspired by both Johnson and King, even though you supported Barry Goldwater, who ran against Johnson in 1964.
You know, we live in an era when we need to be reminded of our heroes, because we have so few today who ask us to step into our greatness. Thank you, Hillary, for reminding us about the great legacy of Lyndon Johnson. I also thank you for being a very credible candidate for president. And, I thank Mr. Obama as well.
When President Johnson and Dr. King talked during those tumultuous days in the 1960s, as Mr. Kotz mentioned in his book, I would like to think that deep down in their hearts they felt some day a woman and an African-American would become president of the United States. Please make them proud, and run based on your convictions, vision and the legacy you want to leave.
So, here we are in 2008, with two of America's most unlikely children, a woman and an African-American, credibly running for the highest office in our country. Could this have happened without a great president and a great agitator, who collaborated and both believed that every person should be able to achieve their highest potential, which is what God wants for us all?
— — —
Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main U.N. representative for The New Seminary in New York. You can learn more about his work at The New Seminary website or at http://jayspeights.blogspot.com/ . His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Jay Speights.