From the Feb. 17th USA Today by Rick Hamson.
The article was about the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, specifically the re-enactment of the swearing in of Jefferson Davis that took place in Montgomery, Alabama, on the 18th. But a big part of the article was about the Civil Rights efforts that too part in the city.
For example, the parade through the city started near where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in 1955, sparking the Montgomery bus boycott. It also went up the avenue where King and his followers completed the Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights mrch in 19654. It also passed the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church where King was pastor.
It also came close to the bus station where Freedom Riders were beaten by a white mob.
Mark Potok of the Civil Rights group Southern Poverty Law Center called the re-enactment as "particularly ugly. This is a racist event, celebrating a government that stood on the foundation of slavery. Bernard Simelton of the Alabama NAACP likens it to "celebrating the Holocaust." (I'll need Mr. Simelton's proof of Confederate gas chambers and concentration camps for that one.)
This intro to the article and quotations kind of sets the tone for the rest of the story. In other words, those of us who are proud of our heritage are not going to get a fair shake.
Again, as I said in yesterday's entry, let everyone observe the 150th anniversary as they see fit. And, I will respect and be interested in what they have to say.
Proud of My Heritage, Even If Some Don't Like It. --Old B-Runner
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