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We Surround Rochester
Aug 28, 2010, Washington DC
By Tommy Davis, D.D.C.S.
Master Chaplain
Republican Review of America
Reflecting on black history month I care to be reminded of the foundational advancements that clever African-Americans made in our society. Not only were their precedents valuable, they were made in the midst of malicious discrimination and prior to the enactment of some civil rights laws; as in the case of John Hyman, a former slave born in North Carolina who was elected as a Republican to the 44th Congress in March of 1877. In spite of being sold to slaveholders in Alabama, the Honorable Hyman overcame the disgrace of prior captivity and took on a political career after the culmination of the Civil War. His political influence would surpass ten years.
Further inspiration should be the appointment of Jeremiah Haralson —born a slave on a Georgia plantation in 1846; self educated, yet was elected as a Republican to the 44th Congress in 1875 where he served for two years. This Alabama representative, also a minister, was raised in servitude and did not consider failure as an option.
Jefferson Franklin Long, also born a slave on a Georgia plantation in 1836, was elected to the 41st Congress as a Republican in 1870. Who knows, while a slave, whether The Honorable Long thought he would be Georgia’s first black Congressman.
Edward Brooke, an African-American Republican from Massachusetts , was the first black man elected to the Senate in 1966 by a popular vote even though three centuries had passed since Massachusetts in 1641 was the first colony to legalize the slave trade. Senator Brooke had also served as attorney general of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts after having been elected in 1962; and then reelected in 1964, the same year of the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
There are many more African-American notables in the archives that would dismantle the contemporary myths that the primary reasons blacks lag behind is due to systemic racism. I see more evidence that would allow me to suppose that some pause at the rear due to erroneous expectations from government intervention coupled with a paternalistic analysis of economics and leadership.
The honorable mentioned share some key components. They took responsibility for their lives, obtained an education, and participated in government by becoming a personal contributor to influence change. They understood that by becoming key players in authority they could limit the effects of inequity. The solution here was not additional legislation, but participation in enforcing the laws already on the books.
When the Republicans sought to protect southern blacks by passing the Civil Rights bill of 1866, they had to override President Johnson’s veto. The same Congress subsequently drafted the Fourteenth Amendment (ratified in 1868) that nullified the Dred Scott decision of 1857 that said slaves nor descendants of liberated slaves could become citizens.
Section Two of the Fourteenth Amendment also terminated the Three-Fifths Compromise that counted five slaves as three persons for the purposes of apportioning the number of representatives to Congress from southern states. Sometime thereafter, in March of 1877, Frederick Douglas who escaped a Maryland plantation, eventually became the first black to receive a chief government appointment by being named U.S. Marshal of the District of Columbia.
Black history month would serve well as a remembrance of men like Thurgood Marshall, the first black U.S. Supreme Court Justice, and the Honorable Clarence Thomas, our current conservative Bush Sr. appointee, who believed that in order to create a level playing field, we must be in a position to put into effect and translate into reality the principles that would confirm that all men are created equal. Hence, the primary legacy of black history month should be to accept no excuses for failure and always be determined to become an asset within our communities.
All POW-MIA
9 responses so far ↓
1 phantomlord // Feb 7, 2008 at 9:26 am
I can’t understand why the D&C wouldn’t print it… unless, maybe because it mentioned the words “African-American” and “Republican” together in a positive light?
2 rochester_veteran // Feb 7, 2008 at 10:20 am
I got into a discussion on one of Petrena Hayes’ Editorial blog topics, Garnish Your Wages?? about Hillary’s statement to George Stephanopoulos on the “This Week” program, that she would consider garnishing the wages of workers who refuse, but can afford, health care coverage. Hillary also said, “I think you can automatically enroll people, and you will then say you’ve got to be part of this”. How does this fit into Tommy’s excellent and informative essay?
Hillary’s mentor, Saul Alinsky, was a radical socialist organizer. He helped form the FIGHT organization, at the invitation of Rev. Franklin Florence. The influence of Alinsky radical socialist ideals still has a hold on the black community in the City of Rochester to this day! Tommy’s written about this in the past, on how as a clergyman, he’s frozen out because he’s a Black Republican and not a radical socialist Democrat! I certainly hope that Tommy’s words start reaching people because they ring true:
The primary legacy of black history month should be to accept no excuses for failure and always be determined to become an asset within our communities.
3 leavingroch // Feb 7, 2008 at 10:50 am
Did the D&C give any reason they were not interested in printing it? I know there is no way they have every essay picked for this month.
I would be very interested in their answer.
Rupublican or Democrat this is a great essay, full of knowledge and facts not taught in schools and not talked about. I have to wonder if Obama knows any of this. I am betting most readers don’t.
4 rochester_veteran // Feb 7, 2008 at 11:13 am
leavingroch,
Obama was also mentored by Saul Alinsky. Here’s a link to read up on the subject:
Hillary, Obama And The Cult Of Alinsky
He knows what he’s doing…
5 Rev. Dr. Tommy Davis // Feb 7, 2008 at 3:26 pm
The D & C just didn’t respond. It may be due to the influence that the article may have in the Republican primary. My articles really disturb some in the community. Also, the D&C sometimes wait for long periods before printing my articles.
Many blacks wonder why I am a Republican; but I wonder why any educated black would want to be a Democrat. Given the history of the Party and its current socialist ideas just does not fit well in any free-market Republic.
It was the Democrats who oppsed every civil rights legislation; and it also was the Democrats who opposed Reconstruction and went to Tennesee to form the KKK to fight against black and whit Republicans. I cannot line up with a party like that.
Thanks for yall’s comments.
6 rochester_veteran // Feb 7, 2008 at 4:09 pm
As I wrote to you in email Tommy, we welcome your articles on RochesterConservative.com !
We’ve been doing a blog exchange with AllAmericanBlogger.com and I’m wondering if you’d be interested in representing RochesterConservative.com (and Republican Review of America, of course!) in the next go-around of the blog exchange? phantomlord submitted an article for the first exchange, on the topic of “Why I Should Care About Politics”. Here’s the link:
phantomlord’s commentary on AllAmericanBlogger.com
If you’re interested, I’ll give you a heads-up on what the topic will be on. It’d be a great way of getting your message out into the blogsphere, Tommy!
7 leavingroch // Feb 7, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Rev. It is interesting that they wait to print your stuff. I admit some of my stuff has never made it thru but every time I have something to say they push to get it in.. not that is it alot but it happened.
I think they fear you and your knowledge. You may educate and stand as a beacon to African Americans.
Actually, my black friends that are educated run both ways. David is a republican but has a hard time talking to his family about it. He says it is because they weren’t educated. He is interesting and torn…
My girlfriend, who just past in October and was my best friend, actually was a registered democrat. But when we would discuss things I would tell her…”but that is a republican view” or that is what republicans want. I think somewhere it got jaded and democrat/liberal meant diversity/minority friendly, welfare and “help” and republican/conservative meant keep the people down and work… if I am making sense. After my girlfriend and I would talk she would see that what she really stood for was republican views except for her view on abortion, she was a republican at heart. She would yuck at me for backing this person or that but once we talked it would be different. She was always shocked. It is almost like this was what she was told all her life she should back and didn’t really look into what a democrat or republican stood for. Just because mom is or cousin John is…. Her cousins, are republican too. It drove her nuts lol.
Well keep up the effort to educate us all. It is important. History is very important.
8 Rev. Dr. Tommy Davis // Feb 7, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Yes, rochester_veteran, I am interested in the blog exchange.
9 rochester_veteran // Feb 7, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Tommy,
Excellent, I’ll let Andrew and Duane know about it! Duane wrote that 2 part series on the Human Induced Global Warming Hoax that I posted here:
10 Reasons to Doubt Global Warming is Man-Made (Part 1)
and
10 Reasons to Doubt Global Warming is Man-Made (Part 2)
That was a great look into one of the biggest socialist wealth redistribution schemes the world has yet to see!
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