The tragedies that occurred in 1968 was the focus of a recent editorial in The Tuscaloosa News. As many of us can recall the decade of the 60’s was a tumultuous time. For some, the election of the first Roman Catholic president presented cause for concern, which I might add, was never manifested. In 1962 we lived through the drama that unfolded in Dallas after the president was shot and subsequently died. Glued to televisions throughout the country people watched as the police cornered Lee Harvey Oswald in a theater and then the following morning watched as he was murdered by Jack Ruby. In the 60s we also lived through the numerous demonstrations and marches promoting the civil rights of all citizens. Headlines reported the murders of innocent people in Alabama and Mississippi. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. became a catalyst for change and was a critical individual who quelled the instinct to retaliate by those subjected to senseless criminal activity. As we know, Dr. King was murdered in Memphis as a led a march of sanitation workers. Robert Kennedy took up the mantle of his assassinated brother and was in the midst of campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination when he was struck down in a hotel kitchen in Los Angles. Freedom Riders were murdered in Alabama and individuals working to register voters in Mississippi were killed. The Ku Klux Klan was responsible for much of the criminal activity directed toward blacks and reached the height of its influence during these very challenging times.
During this trying decade, George Wallace rose to prominence throughout the south. His fiery rhetoric ignited the flames of those threatened by the recently passed Civil Rights Act (1964). After he lost his first attempt to become the Governor of Alabama, he is to have said, “I’ll never be out-segregationist again”. He went on to repeat throughout campaigns and after becoming the governor of Alabama, “segregation now and segregation forever”. The words and actions of those in power in the south created an era of violence and much of this can be attributed to Governor George Wallace. He was a crafty populist politician who struck the chords of fear in many southern folks, but also had a measure of popularity elsewhere in the country. Words expressed by those in powerful positions can and do incite violence. Some would argue that the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham and the death of four young girls was the result of the ongoing barrage of speeches and comments by individuals such as Governor Wallace.
The 1960s also was the decade of the increasing involvement of the United States in the conflict in Viet Nam. The rationale used to justify the involvement has proven faulty, but not until thousands of men and women were killed and countless others ravished by the effects of “the war”. Our involvement was never supported by many people in the country and this was evident when veterans returned home. There were no parades and organized activities that showered praise on those who fought for their country. It was a war that was not winnable and, ultimately, we withdrew our involvement. The war did incite several demonstrations and marches. The angst that many experienced culminated at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Numerous individuals were arrested, and the police were guilty of brutal treatment of those who were actively involved in the fray.
It was during the 60s that many of the cities in the country went up in flames. It started with the riot in the Watts section of Los Angles. There were also destructive riots in Newark, New York City, Chicago, and East St. Louis, to mention a few of the sites. The riots seemed to be an outlet for pent-up frustrations experienced by those living in the ghettos of the big cities.
This brief overview of the 60s has been an attempt to paint a background that is not far removed to the current climate in the United States. The actions that we have been aware of just in the past few weeks should be reason to pause and reflect on what is going on for the past 18 months or so. The president can blame the media, but often, the media is simple reporting what he has said or done. When he praises a candidate for public office for body-slamming a reporter or when he mocks a disabled person or when he bashes the parents of an American soldier of Iranian decent what is the media to do. Much of the rhetoric of the president comes close to mirroring the words and actions of Governor Wallace and can lead to violence. Bombing a church in Birmingham, Alabama or sending bombs through the mail are quite similar and it is fortunate the latter were not detonated. When the president states that all people in the country need to come together and then he undermines his own pleas in the next campaign stop, why are we surprised with the outcomes. His words are giving license to those living on the fringe of sanity to behave in a manner that becomes violent and directed to those with whom they disagree. Throughout the campaign and since he has been president, he has acted in a way that has been divisive and has led to a divided country. Words do matter. Are the occurrences of 2018 repeating the occurrences of 1968 and the 60s? The results of the midterm elections may well set the stage for where the country goes from here.