Opinion
We honor and we apologize
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1956 sermon
Tomorrow, as the nation celebrates the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we also pause to remember those in East Mississippi who were integral in the American civil rights movement.
We pause to honor them through vowing to never forget their struggle, their passion, their persistence, their courage -- and what these human qualities have meant to our community.
We pause to remember James Chaney, Obie Clark, Polly Heidelberg and others so important to the struggle for equality who are no longer with us. And to honor those who are still with us like Rev. Charles Johnson and State Rep. Charles Young.
We pause to remember so that we never go back; so that we always move forward for social justice and human rights.
We vow to be their voice. We vow to embody their passion.
It is also important, and historically significant, that today marks the start of official inauguration events for Barack Obama, the country’s 44th president and the first black person elected to that highest of political offices.
His swearing in Tuesday will, in a special way, fulfill the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., James Chaney, Obie Clark, Polly Heidelberg and the countless other front-line soldiers in the fight for civil rights across America.
The same as Americans put aside political ideology in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on our soil on Sept. 11, 2001, to support President George W. Bush, we should now respect and rally to the historical significance and symmetry of the civil rights movement and Barack Obama’s inauguration as president.
The civil rights pioneers of East Mississippi helped build the foundation of human values that made this milestone inauguration possible. So it is especially important that our communities come together at this moment.
It is also important that we not forget our past failings to live up to those values.
There was a time when this newspaper – and many others across the south -- acted with gross neglect by largely ignoring the unfairness of segregated schools, buses, restaurants, washrooms, theaters and other public places.
We did it through omission, by not recording for our readers many of the most important civil rights activities that happened in our midst, including protests and sit-ins. That was wrong. We should have loudly protested segregation and the efforts to block voter registration of black East Mississippians.
Current management understands while we can't go back and undo some past wrongs, we can offer our sincere apology -- and promise never again to neglect our responsibility to inform you, our readers, about the human rights and dignity every individual is entitled to in America -- no matter their religion, their ethnic background or the color of their skin.
- Opinion
-
-
Super Saints
Hell has frozen over. Pigs are flying, and when the sun rose over Bourbon Street this morning, it came up out of the west. An entire city called in sick because the party is still going on. The Saints are in the Superbowl.
I have been a Saints fan all of my life. I have been a Saints season ticket holder for years. Many years. I’ve stuck by them through thick and thin, through one-win seasons, through last minute fumbles and interceptions, through ill-advised trades, and through amazingly poor draft decisions. All the while I’ve kept the hope alive while watching a professional football franchise display every conceivable way a game can be lost. I never wore a bag, but I have hung in there for years, many years. That is, except this year. -
State tax hike waits at the end of the standoff
While the state budget standoff continues, the fact remains that regardless who "wins" the current argument it's clear that special funds or "one-time money" and existing revenues sources won't be sufficient to carry Mississippi through the next three years of fiscal woes.
House Speaker Billy McCoy and the Democratic leadership of the House, Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and the Republican leadership in the Senate and Gov. Haley Barbour are all on the record as seeing any new tax revenue as a political non-starter this session.
Given that fact, the options left to state government are pretty slim. Cutting spending is already on the table as Barbour has whacked some $437 million from the original 2010 fiscal year budget. - Sumrall's situation is a shame
-
East Central Mississippi belongs on the Civil War map
Re-enactors will be fighting the war between the states all over again during the Civil War Sesquicentennial 2011-2015.
- East Central Mississippi belongs on the Civil War map
- Sumrall's situation is a shame
- MEC's Blake Wilson to ‘shake and bake’ at annual press roast
- Who speaks to dying town dilemmas?
- While we weren't watching
- A few words for Mayor Barry
- More Opinion Headlines
-
Super Saints
