Although the first half of the year is a celebration of freedom for many, symbolizing a new beginning, renewal and change, a lot of others see a slow undoing of human rights.
It has been a very difficult and disappointing year for some African Americans, who are yet struggling to break the bonds of mass misery. Many of the revolutionary beliefs for which civil rights and the women’s movement leaders fought are still at issue today.
And prejudice and racial hatred remain facts that we must recognize. Many states have various bands of hate groups, and the murder of the Charleston Nine is a reminder of the danger that hate poses.
One symbol of controversy is the Confederate battle flag that flies on the capitol grounds in Columbia, South Carolina. The flag is a source of pride for many in the South and a remembrance of its soldiers killed 150 years ago, but others see it as a symbol of oppression and of a dark chapter when 11 rebelling Confederate states fought to keep blacks enslaved.
The issue has taken center stage after nine black worshippers were shot to death during Bible study at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. Mother Emanuel is the oldest AME church in the South.
President Obama sang “Amazing Grace” at the funeral for South Carolina state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, the pastor who was killed along with the eight others in the church shooting.
President Obama has scored some very import victories recently. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a key part of the Affordable Care Act that provides health insurance subsidies to all qualifying Americans, supporting his most prized domestic achievement.
On another issue, President Obama called the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision affirming the constitutional right of same-sex marriage a “victory for America” that had “made our union a little more perfect.” But the president’s opinion did not delight everyone.
It was a long-pursued victory for the gay rights movement, but the Rev. Bill Owens, president and founder of the Coalition of African-American Pastors, directly criticized President Barack Obama on this issue.
“If they rule for same-sex marriage, then we’re going to do the same thing we did for the Civil Rights Movement,” Owens said. “We will not obey an unjust law.”
Locally, we are passing through great transformations, such as the establishment of a Civilian Oversight Board for the City of St. Louis. It was introduced by Alderman Terry Kennedy and sponsored by Alderman Antonio French, and creates a civilian board to receive and review complaints about the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
We are still besieged with the reminders of Ferguson, with police harassment and illegal stops and arrests in some municipalities, as well as voter apathy and so much more.
The year is only half over, and I am interested, curious, fearful and nevertheless optimistic and encouraged to see what the rest of 2015 will bring.
Please watch the Bernie Hayes TV program Saturday night at 10 p.m. and Sunday evenings at 5:30 p.m. on KNLC-TV Ch. 24. I can be reached by fax at (314) 837-3369 or e-mail at: berhay@swbell.net.
