Most of this nation and the world are outraged at the domestic terrorism carried out by Dylann Roof against nine innocent Americans inside a church in downtown Charleston, S.C.
It’s hard to fathom why God inflects such pure evil on His people; but we see God’s grace in the wake of this tragedy.
The grace and strength of the relatives of the victims expressing forgiveness at the devil on Earth who killed their loved ones.
For African-Americans, this horror occurred at one of the most historic Black churches, one founded by Morris Brown and Denmark Vesey, is stunning. This terrorism occurred around the anniversary of Vesey’s abortive slave rebellion in 1822 only served to demonstrate that Roof’s terror was designed to be both anti-Black and hate filled.
Roof “wanted to start a race war,” his bigoted behavior and racist attitudes, including wearing a jacket with the flags of the apartheid governments of Rhodesia and the Union of South Africa, only crystallizes to our Black community and to others that racism and hate still exists, perhaps more strongly in the President Barack Obama era.
Before the Charleston massacre, the nation had been transfixed by so-called transracialism. The spectacular absurdity of a white Montana woman Rachael Dolezal identifying herself as Black, changing her physical features to identify with our Black struggle and African-Americans.
But the true Black women were the six slain in “Mother” Emanuel AME Church along with three Black men. Dolezal was a racial sideshow that doesn’t depict the reality facing Blacks in America today. The Charleston martyrs do.
Indiana’s Black legislators, Black Expo, Concerned Clergy, ICLC and City-County Council President Maggie Lewis issued strong statements after the tragedy. Indy’s Jewish community released an extremely strong statement condemning the attack and standing in solidarity with our community.
But Indiana’s white politicians and leaders were silent!
Though Mayor Ballard issued a condolence on Twitter, he issued no public statement; said nothing to this city’s Black community.
Gov. Mike Pence was equally silent.
Why?
Focus has been placed on South Carolina’s abhorrently slavish devotion to the hate banner called the Confederate flag, which flies, defiantly next to that state’s Capitol.
South Carolina’s one of five states without hate crimes legislation. Indiana’s another.
In his feisty announcement that he’s running for re-election, Pence said, “In Indiana, we won’t tolerate discrimination against anyone. But Hoosiers also know there must be room for faith.”
With respect governor, shooting up and massacring people in a house of worship – a church, temple, mosque, even a gathering of believers in the open – is a terrorist act born of hate. A hate crime.
So, governor, if you’re serious about the words you spoke, then call TODAY for Indiana to enact hate crime legislation that would augment penalties for terrorist acts against a church, or against people’s race, gender, orientation, religion, national origin.
If Indiana’s serious that we welcome all, that we don’t discriminate, that we honor religion, then this is a no brainer that our legislature should approve unanimously. And that all candidates and politicians should readily endorse.
What I’m Hearing in the Streets
Ballard was geeked that Obama gave him two shoutouts when he addressed the U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting in San Francisco. The president praised Indy’s work with My Brother’s Keeper (though the mayor hasn’t really done any of the heavy lifting) and the city’s Pre-K scholarship program.
That program was the brainchild of Ballard’s Deputy Mayor for Education Jason Kloth who left the Administration last week to handle workforce issues for the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership.
What’s odd is the mayor didn’t personally acknowledge the departure of the architect of his aggressive moves in Pre-K and charter schools.
Why the disrespect?
I’m skeptical about that poll released last week, which showed Pence’s continued weak standing among Hoosiers. The poll was paid for by a partisan out to replace Pence and data was released only to certain Indiana media; Black media was specifically excluded.
Only independent polling, with full release of polling data, provides a credible snapshot of any political contest.
Without that, last week’s poll on Pence is worthless.
I was honored to serve six years on Indiana’s Education Roundtable, a group of 30 educators, business and civic leaders who advised five governors and three superintendents of public instruction on education policy.
I enjoyed my service in making a contribution to sanity in Indiana’s education policies.
But in a decision I’ll never understand or forgive, current State Supt. Glenda Ritz told legislators the Roundtable should be disbanded and the Republican-dominated legislature and Pence agreed.
My service officially ends Wednesday, but last Friday I got an e-mail from a gubernatorial minion with a PDF attachment of a form letter from Pence thanking me for my service. A letter with no name, title, address or other salutation. Just “Dear Mr. Brown.”
With a $2 billion surplus, you’d think the governor could’ve spent the $14.70 to mail out a real, official letter to thank all of us who served our state and the cause of education.
At least I got something from the governor. I’ve gotten nothing yet from Supt. Ritz.
See ‘ya next week!
You can email Amos Brown at acbrown@aol.com.
