TIMES UNION: Local civil rights leaders speak

Local civil rights leaders speak
Submitted by Deirdre Conner on Tue, 01/20/2009 - 12:48.

In case you're moved away from the television screen, here are few thoughts on new president Barack Obama from some Jacksonville civil rights leaders.

Sunday's episode of the public radio show "This American Life" featured an interview with activist and author Stetson Kennedy about the inauguration. The interview takes place about 45 minutes into the show. You can listen to it here.

Rodney Hurst, who wrote a book about his experiences as a participant in civil rights demonstrations in Jacksonville, wrote a letter to Obama at our request back in November after the election. The letter didn't make it to print, so we're sharing it below.

Dear Mr. President …

Let me address you first by paraphrasing words of Dr. Martin Luther King … Occasionally in life there are those moments of indescribable joy and fulfillment which we cannot completely explain with symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the language of the heart.

This is one of those moments.

As a veteran of the Civil Rights Movement, I always had faith that one day this country, would acknowledge the profundity of leadership qualifications without referencing a tag of skin color. America in its finest hour recognized your leadership qualifications, without a skin color tag and bestowed upon you the mantle which allows us to proudly call you Mr. President.

This country was founded on the backs of many Black Americans. An entire regional economy of this country flourished with our free labor. Many called it the “heritage of the South”… I call it Slavery.

Black people fought and died in every declared and undeclared war by this country … and we continue to fight the declared and undeclared war ofracism and racial discrimination here at home.

There are those who would say that we as Blacks have a special agenda that we would expect you to follow. Nothing is farther from our minds or from the truth. Blacks have never asked America for anything other than fairness and that America live by the words used by our founding fathers which resonate so well “… that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

So what advice do I have for you as the first Black President of the United States of America? Simply to be a Fair President to ALL the people. And this would represent another first.

Sincerely,

Rodney L. Hurst, Sr.