EDITORIAL/The racism problem

EDITORIAL/The racism problem

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Sen. Tim Scott, a black conservative from South Carolina whose family in one lifetime went from picking cotton to the United States Senate, declared last week, responding to President Biden’s State of the Union Address, that “America is not a racist country.”

It’s important to be honest about our country’s racist past, he said, something we know a lot about here in Neshoba County and have worked hard to reconcile and advance together.

A liberal Jackson blog by Monday was lampooning Gov. Tate Reeves for agreeing with Scott that systemic racism does not exist, citing loose statistics such as 64% of incarcerated people in Mississippi are black, despite only making up 38% of the state’s total population while ignoring the reality of who is committing the crime or seeking real, meaningful solutions such as better education. 

Scott is one of the GOP’s rising superstars because of his conservative principles and his willingness to push back against liberal Democrats who quickly and shamefully labeled him an “Uncle Tim” after his State of the Union response

What scares Democrats is that Tim Scott speaks for many black Americans when he tells us that his own personal experience demonstrates systemic racism does not exist in America.

We believe Sen. Scott when he says systemic racism does not exist in America, yet we know that he and many of our black and Native American friends have been victims of racism. Racism still exists, yet Sen. Scott gave the nation a prescription.

Race is not a political weapon to settle every issue the way Democrats want, he said. It’s too important, as we know here.

“Our best future won’t come from Washington schemes or socialist dreams,” Scott said in his address. “It will come from you — the American people. Black, Hispanic, white and Asian. Republican and Democrat. Brave police officers and Black neighborhoods. We are not adversaries. We are family! We are all in this together.”

Sen. Scott went on to say, “I am standing here because my mom has prayed me through some very tough times. I believe our nation has succeeded the same way. Because generations of Americans, in their own ways, have asked for grace — and God has supplied it.”

And Sen. Scott mentioned the national conversation on race many in our community have been a part of for going on six decades because young James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner were murdered here in a state that practically invented systemic racism, ginned up hatred, committed murders yet in more recent years has turned to repentance and reconciliation.

“I’m an African-American who has voted in the South all my life,” Scott said. “I take voting rights personally. Republicans support making it easier to vote and harder to cheat. And so do voters! Big majorities of Americans support early voting, and big majorities support Voter I.D. — including African-Americans and Hispanics. Common sense makes common ground.

“But today, this conversation has collapsed. The state of Georgia passed a law that expands early voting; preserves no-excuse mail-in voting; and, despite what the President claimed, did not reduce Election Day hours. If you actually read this law, it’s mainstream. It will be easier to vote early in Georgia than in Democrat-run New York. But the left doesn’t want you to know that. They want people to virtue-signal by yelling about a law they haven’t even read.”

The national conversation on race has collapsed, but Sen. Scott’s words and his passion give hope that we can overcome this wretched politicization of race in America.

Indeed, we are not adversaries. We are all Americans and should fix our eyes on repentance of our sins and racial reconciliation.






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