50th Anniversary of the Little Rock Nine.
Today is the 50th Anniversary of the Little Rock Nine. Ceremonies were held at which all of the nine students spoke, as did former President Bill Clinton. Clinton rightly said that as they changed their world, we have the responsiblity to change ours as well:
''I'm grateful we had a Supreme Court that saw 'separate but equal' and 'states' rights' for the shams they were, hiding our desire to preserve the oppression of African-Americans,'' Clinton said. ''And I am grateful more than I can say that we had a president who was determined to enforce the order of the court.''
Clinton said he was grateful that the Little Rock Nine took action rather than looking to others to pave the way.
Now, 50 years later, we have to finish the work of the Little Rock Nine and revive the notion that all people -- not just all Americans -- are truly equal. The fight of the Little Rock Nine is the same fight that people all over the country and all over the world have fought, to be treated with dignity and respect regardless of race, religion, and creed. Their fight is the fight of lower and middle class Americans to join a union and get good wages. Their fight is that of the immigrants, who want to be treated with dignity and respect, and who fled persecution, starvation, and poverty. Their fight is that of the Muslims, who have been scapegoated and blamed for the 9/11 attacks when the condemnation of such attacks from the Muslim world was nearly unanimous. Their fight is that of the GLBT community, who want to live with the people they choose to, not the people James Dobson says that they have to. Their fight is that of the Jews, who have fought against anti-semitism and crackpot conspiracy theories and persecution for centuries.
Their stories are all different and unique. Yet there is a common thread running through them, as well as a common enemy -- those who value money and power over people, those who want special rights for corporations to oppress and steal food off the table of the worker, and those who think that their way is better than anyone else's. Whether it is the UAW worker fighting against cuts in health benefits, or whether it is the immigrant who wants to escape poverty and persecution and start over, or whether it is the city of New Orleans, who is still trying to rebuild from the terrible hurricane in 2005, we must always remember that we must always take the side of the people over the powerful. Our Declaration of Independence, which says that all people are equal, and not just all Americans, demands no less of us.
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