Often times, it is a slightly different perspective on a slice of life that makes all the difference. That truly brings an issue into clarity or clears up a seemingly complicated matter, boiling the whole thing down to its simplest form by just taking a step back and seeing it a bit differently.
That’s what Steven Reed did for me on Wednesday.
During an interview on our podcast, Alabama Politics This Week, the Montgomery Mayor was asked about the recent comments some Alabama politicians have made about Muslims in the state. Reed, like most of us with working brains and hearts, expressed extreme disappointment in the rhetoric, which is meant only to vilify good people for political expediency.
He talked about meeting with the Muslim community around Montgomery and ensuring that they felt safe and appreciated. He talked about the disappointment in watching America, which has marched consistently forward over the past 60 years when it comes to addressing racism and bigotry, now taking noticeable and obvious steps backwards.
Then, after talking about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “letter from a Birmingham jail,” and the importance of it today, Reed said this: “This state’s history is littered with politicians from both parties tossing around a lot of rhetoric …. And that rhetoric has done nothing to help the people of this state achieve anything. Jobs, healthcare, education, opportunity, a better life for their kids and grandkids. It didn’t help any of that.”
Do you know how true that is?
Seriously, take a moment and really think about it. For all of the racist rhetoric, for all of the ignorant bigotry, for all of the religious-based violence, find me the citizen who has been bettered by any of it.
Attacking Black people never brought a single job to Alabama’s working class. Attacking Hispanics has never helped any poor person receive health care. And vilifying Muslims has never made a single school system better, cleaned the water in any Alabama river, solved the sewer problems of any Alabama city or landed an economic development deal for any area.
So why in the hell do you keep voting for such stupidity?
Why do you dare tolerate the ignorant, racist attacks on perfectly innocent people, such as those tossed around so easily by Tommy Tuberville and Wes Allen? Why would they ever believe that such blatant and reprehensible speech would be appealing to you as a voter?
Because it truly is a waste of time and energy.
Think of the months and years lost on bigotry in this state. Of riled up white people convinced that simply sharing a water fountain with a Black man would spread disease. Years lost trying to stop Black children from attending white schools. Years lost trying to chase away Hispanic families. Years lost trying to erase the history of slavery and pretend that our white ancestors were all just hapless prisoners of their time and couldn’t be expected to know that owning another human was wrong.
All of that time lost when all you ever had to be was kind.
When all you ever had to do was treat each other fairly and with respect and dignity.
We could have solved our health care crisis or made groceries affordable or made sure every child had a quality education, but instead we spent our time arguing over whether Blacks should be able to vote and whether we should feed Hispanic children and whether we should allow Jewish people to attend colleges.
Alabama has been absolutely eaten alive by hate over the years. It has driven this state into poverty and allowed the worst of us to rise to positions of power and prestige. It has allowed those who peddle such rhetoric to keep a thumb on the lower and middle classes, selling fear and hatred as warnings and promises of protection.
And now, we have politicians challenging each other to see which one can be most awful to those who practice a minority religion. For no reason whatsoever, other than it requires significantly less thought than actually solving the issues that most affect Alabama’s citizens.
It is truly disgusting. It is genuinely disheartening.
Because Reed was absolutely correct—Alabama has marched forward from the days of lynchings and bombings and separate water fountains. It has made great strides towards equality. Nothing close to perfect, of course, but moving forward most of the time.
Until now. As we watch ugly, barbaric political tactics of the Jim Crow past come back to life and soulless politicians vilify the minority for no reason other than to gain favor from the majority.
We should be better than this. We should, at the very least, realize that these tactics and this hate have never—not once in all the times it has been attempted in this state—helped a single person accomplish anything of substance.
But it has cost a whole bunch of good and decent people plenty.
