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Today we remember Dr. King, but in Hub there’s still ...
Is it just me, or does it seem more than a tad bit strange and frankly somewhat appalling that the next president of the United States is tweeting out outrageous, insulting messages that make him seem more like a schoolyard bully than the leader of the free world? I am not the only one who finds it totally unbecoming and downright undignified.
President-elect Donald Trump’s latest tweet tirade, launched against U.S. Rep. John Lewis, is not only offensive, it comes during the weekend we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Lewis’ mentor and one of history’s greatest heroes. There is no question that Dr. King and John Lewis’ sacrifices are more valuable than the vast Trump holdings — including the apartments for which Trump was sued for discrimination for excluding blacks.
Adding insult to injury, Trump slammed Dr. King’s birthplace of Atlanta as crime ridden. It is easy to cast predominantly black communities in that light for some. There’s no doubt help is needed. But during this weekend, of all weekends, I am shocked at the insensitivity to the home of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. King and his father preached, not to mention a city that gave us such luminaries as Ambassador Andrew Young and Mayor Maynard Jackson, whose residents, black and white, proudly work together.
All this because Lewis expressed that he would not attend Trump’s inaugural, because he felt Trump was not a legitimate president. His opinion. His right. Trump has to know by now that Lewis is not the only one who feels that something just does not pass the smell test about his election. Trump’s all too cozy relationship with Russia doesn’t help. Nor do the stealth phone calls by a Trump aide to Russia’s ambassador after President Obama expelled Russian diplomats over the hacking.
On this day we as a nation celebrate Dr. King and those like Lewis and Obama, who stand as examples of his legacy. Let all Americans, black and white, take pride that we share in Dr. King’s legacy because we did look past color to character. And America made history because of it. We should all take pride that America broke a color barrier at the highest rung with Obama’s election.
Together, we showed our commitment to Dr. King’s ideals of freedom and equality. But by no means are we done because we elected the first black man to lead our nation. There remain many other barriers to break and more history to be made together when we work together in the spirit of Dr. King.
The president-elect’s inane statements, tweets and stereotypes demeaning blacks, other minorities and women should not deter our efforts. Together, we can.