Black Activist v. (60s) Black Activist and the Black Caucus

The people who fought against Jim Crow segregation in the 1960s were quite literally risking their lives. The list of martyrs is a long one. Activists of that era are rightly respected and their courage must not be forgotten or taken for granted. But as congressman John Lewis proves, their actions at that time should not provide dispensation from critique in the 21st century. Lewis is the latest target of president-elect Donald Trump’s attacks but that shouldn’t give him a pass either.

Despite his early history, Lewis now exemplifies everything that is wrong with the Congressional Black Caucus, the Democratic Party and the black misleadership class. The caucus was once known as “the conscience of the Congress.”

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But all that changed when they were targeted by big money contributors like the rest of their congressional colleagues. After years of unsuccessfully attempting to make inroads among black Americans the right wing realized their error. They began to promote compliant corporatist candidates for office and to target people like Cynthia McKinney and Earl Hilliard for defeat. The result is now a CBC that is a shell of its former self.

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They said nothing when Barack Obama made grand austerity bargains with Republicans, or used sanctions, jihadists and drone warfare to kill in Somalia and Libya, or when he refused to prosecute killer cops. Only one of them, Keith Ellison, chose to support Bernie Sanders instead of Hillary Clinton.

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Sanders used his own youthful movement activism as a political calling card but Lewis dismissed him. [...] The effort to discredit Sanders was so obvious and the claims about the Clintons were so outrageous that Lewis was forced to back track and clarify his comments.

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Sanders signature proposal of providing free university education was rejected out of hand by the civil rights icon. “I think it’s the wrong message to send to any group. There’s not anything free in America. We all have to pay for something. Education is not free. Health care is not free. Food is not free. Water is not free. I think it’s very misleading to say to the American people, we’re going to give you something free.”

Of course all of those things should be free.

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Lewis stood out among all the genuflectors. Having been dubbed a “civil rights icon” his opinions are given undue weight and he uses them to uphold the corrupt establishment.

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The movement that spawned Lewis was the primary victim of COINTELPRO, the program used to discredit and even to kill people who fought against the system as Lewis did. The movement was crushed by the deep state but 50 years later, one of its “icons” parrots their every word.

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The lesson is to ignore the likes of Lewis and his ilk. They are no friends of black people and are undeserving of our support, even if Donald Trump attacks.

  Margaret Kimberly @ Black Agenda Report

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.