A days-long observance of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington is drawing to a close.
Soon, America’s focus will return to a government that spying on its citizens, how their health insurance costs are rising or how our Nobel Peace Prize-winning president will soon commence aggression against Syria in a manner that Joe Biden found to be a potentially impeachable offense back when he was a senator.
Before all is forgotten until the next major observance, however, Project 21 member Derryck Green weighs in on today’s all-star Lincoln Memorial tribute and what he sees as the underlying problems facing the current civil rights lobby and President Obama:
From perpetuating the racial victimization myth (Trayvon Martin, in particular) to the cheap and disingenuous plug of ObamaCare, progressives never seem to miss a chance to politicize something for their own ideological purposes.
In my opinion, today’s events meant to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington were disgraceful. It was an embarrassment, and it did a tremendous disservice to the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision for America.
President Obama’s speech was just the culmination of a progressive, political hijacking of a commemoration that should have concentrated on a moving tribute and reflection, and an encouraging forecast of the nation’s movement toward completely fulfilling and furthering Dr. King’s dream.
The first half of the President’s speech, though rather boring and uninspiring, obligatorily acknowledged the history of the March and Dr. King’s moving oratorical contribution toward ending racial injustice.
President Obama also dutifully acknowledged the sacrificial contributions of many Americans who not only came to Washington and marched, but who also went home with the hope and faith that things would indeed change for the better.
Predictably, it went downhill from there.
For example, when speaking about the lack of economic opportunity and growing inequality, the President mentioned that unemployment for blacks and Latinos is higher than that of whites – as if nefarious forces in combination with unknown reasons are to blame. What he didn’t mention is that the respective unemployment rates for blacks and Latinos are more likely due to his inept and careless economic stewardship.
Latinos aside, black unemployment has only been under thirteen percent twice during Obama’s presidency. Black teen unemployment has hit 40 percent 30 times and has yet to fall below 30 percent.
The irony is that, 50 years ago, there was a black preacher fighting for equality and economic opportunity. Today, a black president is effectively perverting equality and stifling economic opportunity.
We’ve come so far, yet regressed so much.
But it’s not just what happened today that is the problem.
There are people across America – let’s call them members of the racial grievance industry and their supporters – who claim that even though progress has been made in race relations and the quest for equality since Dr. King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech five decades ago, much more is needed.
The problem with what they claim is needed – a closing of the statistical socio-economic gaps between blacks and whites – shouldn’t be the responsibility of the government.
Since Dr. King inspired the nation to achieve a higher moral standard of brotherhood and biblical justice, America as a society has not only created opportunities for those it had previously excluded, but has gone above and beyond expectations. Now, there are opportunities guaranteed for many Americans who’ve never experienced the kind of injustice their predecessors faced. Consider it a form of reparation to absolve society of the sin of racial segregation.
But many people still aren’t happy and their unhappiness with the lack of black progress stems from the fact that equality under the law is erroneously conflated with equality of outcome.
Freedom affords opportunity to achieve success, it doesn’t guarantee it.
Herein lies the problem plaguing the civil rights establishment – integration isn’t the same as assimilation.
Integration precedes and allows for assimilation. The former doesn’t guarantee the latter, and isn’t the same thing. When blacks were legally allowed to integrate, many eagerly did. A lot also chose to assimilate, meaning they adopted values and behavioral characteristics such as hard work, sacrifice, delayed gratification, educational attainment, speaking Standard English, marrying before having children, embracing religion and other things that allowed them to ascend the socio-economic ladder and experience middle class life.
This is also known as the American Dream.
Unfortunately there is a large segment of black America that has yet to assimilate into the dominant culture by adopting behaviors and embracing a value system that allows them to ascend to the middle class. These behaviors and values are often derisively referred to as “acting white.” But this so-called “acting white” generally leads to success for those who adopt it, regardless of their color or geographical origin.
Once again: integration can lead to assimilation, but it doesn’t assure it. If Americans want to increase black progress and socio-economic achievement – and we do – we should encourage wholesale black assimilation.
Integration, assimilation and success contribute to self-preservation and are in our best interests morally and economically.
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