The Movie
Last week I was asked to join friends to see Spike Lee’s movie, The Black Klansman. Though I knew little about the movie, I did want to spend time with friends, so I went along. The movie is based on the memoir of Ron Stallworth, the first African-American detective in the Colorado Springs police department. In the late 1970’s he initiated an undercover operation to infiltrate and expose the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan.
It is a powerful film that illustrates the savage hatred that fuels bigotry, racism and violence in the underbelly of this country. It is chillingly reminiscent of the current atmosphere. In fact, Stallworth’s story concludes with actual footage of the “Unite the Right Rally” in Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017, and Donald Trump’s response.
Charlottesville, Virginia, August 2017
Marchers included white supremacists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, Klansmen, and other self-identified members of alt-right hate groups, ostensibly protesting removal of Confederate era statues. As they marched through the streets of Charlottesville with their burning torches, Nazi flags and other Nazi symbols, they shouted their hatred of Jews. It might as well have been Berlin in the 1930’s.
Clashes erupted between the marchers and a large number of counter-protestors, resulting in a bloody melee. An auto driven by one of the marchers drove directly into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing a young woman—Heather Heyer—and injuring several.
Is This My Country?
As the theater houselights came on, I remained seated. The fictional rendition of Ron Stallworth’s real-life story situated in the late 1970’s is again playing out today. It’s not that I needed a reminder. But this film puts the issue in sharp focus. “Is this my country?” I asked myself.
Having been born in 1940, I have seen, and at a time been a victim of, hatred, bigotry and violence. But this is the first time in my lifetime that the President of the United States is complicit, if not actually instigating such conduct. In his statement,Trump employed what is referred to as the “dog whistle,” a coded message meant to communicate his acceptance of racism. His position is unmistakable, and as many have already said, this President is using a “bullhorn.”
Trump the Racist
Perhaps the most glaring example is Trump’s reaction to that very march and violence in Charlottesville. He asserted that “both sides” were guilty of “hatred, bigotry and violence.” Then he added that there are “very fine people on both sides.” This was a clear message to his white supremacist supporters. To him it did not matter that these “very fine people” were venting their hatred for American citizens who were black or Jewish. It did not matter that these “very fine people” were prepared to commit violence against these groups. He did not condemn these racists. Instead he placed them on the same moral ground as the individuals there to protest against hatred and bigotry.
His actions left no doubt that the candidate of choice for those who endorse hatred, bigotry and violence is Donald Trump. Stallworth’s book, Black Klansman: Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigation of a Lifetime provides context. Trump’s actions confirmed the 1978 words of Fred Wilkens, state organizer (Grand Dragon) of the Colorado Ku Klux Klan. “We will also support non-Klansmen who share our philosophy. If a candidate wants our public endorsement we’ll give it to him or we may support him with financial aid. The important thing is to get the right kind of thinking into government.”
If you have any doubt as to the current relevance of that policy, look back a year. David Duke, Former KKK Grand Wizard, quickly reiterated it at the August 2017 rally. “We are determined to take our country back,” he said. “We’re gonna’ fulfill the promises of Donald Trump. That’s what we believed in. That’s why we voted for Donald Trump.”
Values of a Real Patriot—John McCain
What’s happening to my country, to the values my parents instilled in me? Or the values epitomized by the late, great, war hero and patriot, Senator John McCain? The antithesis of hatred for his fellow man, Senator McCain worked tirelessly to bring people together. That goal permeated his entire life and was clearly evident in the recent tribute to him in Arizona and his funeral in Washington.
The outpouring of affection and love for this irascible maverick spoke of his patriotism, honor, integrity, justice and dignity. It spoke of his belief in the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Trump’s Embrace of Hate and Division
Yet Trump has chosen, instead, to stand with the groups of hate and division. He has brought with him the entire remnant of the Republican Party, once the proud party of Lincoln. Today, it is a party politically afraid to stand up to Trump’s outrages—of which this is but one. Satisfied with his agenda, the Republican Party has placed Party over Country. Evangelicals have placed cause for a compliant Supreme Court Justice over the very principles espoused by Jesus Christ. Is this what it means to Make America Great Again?
The America that was Always Great
If you think so, let me impart a few of Meghan McCain’s very pointed words in the eulogy to her father. “The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again because America was always great.”
Yes, America was always great. Not because of these small-minded men who walk around with torches and Nazi flags spouting about their superiority over those of a different faith or color. Nor by the efforts of the corrupt men who now occupy seats of power in our government. No, the very diversity of its citizenry made this country great. Individuals of a variety of races, religions and genders made this country great. They were born here or immigrants, all seeking the American dream with the freedom to do so. They worked and built lives for their families during peacetime. They went to war and sacrificed their lives when called upon. These are the people the haters and bigots cannot tolerate.
During her eulogy, Meghan McCain mentioned her father’s favorite book, For whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. In his personal homage to McCain, former President Barack Obama referred to something Hemingway wrote in that book. “Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be. But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today.”
If you are a person who believes in the ideals and principles this country represents—the dignity of man, regardless of race, religion, gender or party affiliation, and the rule of law—all as memorialized in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, it is time to speak out against this President and his racist policies.
Thank you for your straightforward, heartfelt comments and your calls to stand for policies, practices and values (of equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility) that move us closer to what this country could be – not further away.