It’s now November, 2012. I will be 50 at the end of this month. Around the time of my birth, my parents – living in Louisiana – participated in the fight for Civil Rights. Their part was small, but it was not without danger. Others, as we know, paid with their lives.
Four years ago, though racism is far from dead in this country, we saw a black man elected president of the United States. I cried with pride, because it showed then how much America deserved to be called a great nation and a world leader.
I have since been often appalled at the number of my fellow citizens who are apparently mortally offended (or fearful) at what made me so happy. They don’t all dare use the racist words of 50 years ago, but it’s there, in code.
The war for Civil Rights is not over. The war for gay rights has barely begun. And the GOP is trying to roll back women’s rights, also hard-won decades ago. They want it to be “their” world again, a world “safe” for straight white men.
Yes, I feel very strongly about this. I was raised to believe in “liberty and justice for all”, though I knew from an early age that that was a goal not yet achieved.
So, if you’re one of those people trying to turn back the tide of history, I want to hear why you think this is a good idea. Step up. You know who you are. I’m waiting.
