Bussell: Letter writer ignores recent history on Dems, GOP regarding civil rights

 I recently read Sarah West’s letter titled “Democrats are the root of slavery’s evil.” I found her conclusions quite interesting. She mentioned that since 1829 Democrats have fought against every civil rights initiative while implying that Republicans have supported those measures.

Sarah starts out correct. The Democrats of the 1800s supported slavery, seceded from the Union, and then founded the KKK. Then in the first two-thirds of the 20th century, Democrats largely supported Jim Crow and segregation. President Woodrow Wilson was racist and led efforts to segregate our government, and he was a Democrat. Nobody denies or ignores that history of the Democratic Party.

However, when we look at the more recent past, does the broad brush that Sarah used paint an accurate picture? Over the past decade, the Supreme Court has gutted to Voting Rights Act that was supported by those Republican legislators of the 1960s. Which Justices have voted to gut those protections? Republicans. Who has fought to
save monuments to those racist Democrats of the 19th century? Republicans. Which political party has been found guilty of racial gerrymandering to dilute the political power of Black Americans? Republicans. When the former Grand Wizard of the KKK, David Duke, ran for political office, which party did he register with? Republican. It seems that thing may have changed over the past 60 or so years, but Republicans choose to ignore that for some reason.

As for the final point about White privilege, oppression of Black Americans did not end in 1865. It did not end in 1965. There have been generations upon generations of trauma heaped upon Black Americans, and it’s a poor excuse to not help others because you’re worried about helping too many people.