Kennedy’s assassination, on November 22, 1963, was the
first among five that exposed a critical divide concerning America’s communal
image. Medger Evers was killed on June
12, 1963. Malcolm X was killed on February 21, 1965. Martin Luther King, Jr. died on April 4,
1968, and Robert “Bobby” Kennedy, Jr. was killed on June 6, 1968.
It was an era of both domestic and global
confusion. America’s persona as the
world’s body ground against all forms of tyranny was juxtaposed against bloody
battles regarding race. The nation was engulfed in redefining its
identity. The melting pot experiment was
exposed as a colossal contradiction.
Public servants imitated the message of Hitler
In 1963, the world watched as Theophilus Eugene
"Bull" Connor , commissioner of public safety for the city of
Birmingham, Alabama, authorized the use of fire hoses and police attack dogs
against peaceful demonstrators, including children.
The nation and world took notice on January 14, 1963, as
George Wallace stood on the gold star where Jefferson Davis took oath, 102
years earlier, to become president of the Confederate States. Wallace boldly stood to take his oath of
office as Governor of Alabama.
“In the name of the greatest people that have ever
trod this earth, I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the
feet of tyranny, and I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation
forever,” he said.
In North Carolina, Jesse Helms emerged as a critic of
the civil rights movement. His columns
in the News & Observer reflected
a growing view among southern whites. Helms claimed he civil rights movement
was infested by communist and “moral degenerates”, and argued that Medicaid was
a "step over into the swampy field of socialized medicine".
The deaths of the Kennedy brothers, Medger, Martin and
Malcolm are imbrued within a context were the battle to celebrate particular perspectives
is hindered by a universal mandate.
Those clinging to Dixiecrat views were forced to concede a world were
black people exist beyond functioning as their servants. Democracy was tested in a way that reflected
the rationale for the Civil War.
The deaths of John and Robert Kennedy, Medgar Evers, Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X are, in part, about America’s unresolved
issues with race. It was also about the fear of Communism and liberalism. They
all died due to America’s ongoing dilemma with dreading the unknown. The years between 1963 and 1968 reflected the
nation’s fear of the other.
Are we a nation that kills the best of what we could
be?
Remembering JFK uncovers the agony related to being
nurtured in an era of assassins. The phantasmagoria of better days was quickly eradicated
by the deaths of those who tried to lead the way. The subtle message regulated the ambitions of
those who followed - be careful when you challenge America’s
contradictions.
The essential question for today regards the lessons
learned since the assassinations of those who tried to make a difference. Has America changed since then, or are we
quick to kill those who expose the things we fear?
Jesse Helms argued that Medicaid is socialized
medicine. Sounds familiar. States should
be allowed to enforce laws consistent with the views of its citizenry. He’s a communist. He’s a liberal intent on destroying
America.
The force of rhetoric stirs the unruly ways of
lunatics. That’s a lesson taught by the death of President John F. Kennedy. We will never be a diverse union until we
celebrate the message of those we fear.
I wonder if we will ever learn from our mistakes.
No comments:
Post a Comment