Black Lawmakers Walk Out On Resolution Honoring Racist Segregationist
by Josh Kilburn
On
Tuesday, Virginia lawmakers in both the state house and senate revived
the specter of segregation with a resolution to honor a notorious racial
segregationist and bigot, prompting Black lawmakers to stage a silent protest by leaving the floor.
Byrd,
Jr., who died in July of last year at the age of 98, served in the
state senate for 18 years and the U.S. Senate for another 18 years.
Byrd, Jr., an ardent segregationist and engineer of the Southern
Manifesto, was praised in the resolution for his, "gentlemanly demeanor"
and "his unswerving commitment to the commonwealth’s and the nation’s
fiscal and economic well-being."
But,
before the ceremony in the Senate could begin and the resolution could
be presented to Byrd, Jr.'s, family, a number of senators left their
seats for the antechamber. All of the senators that left were Democrats,
and all except for one were African-American. One of the Senators,
Mamie E. Locke, the chairwoman of the Black Legislative Caucus, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that,
“It wasn’t anything that anybody planned to do. I just didn’t want to
sit there and listen to a resolution that honored someone who was an
ardent segregationist and never said I’m sorry for being a
segregationist.”
Senator
Locke went onto to express that the gesture wasn't meant to be a
disrespectful one to Byrd, Jr.'s family. To the contrary, Senator Locke
believed that, “... it was more respectful that I left.”
Senator
Henry L. Marsh III of Richmond, remained in the room against the
chamber wall, silent throughout. He later told the Richmond
Times-Dispatch that he felt the resolution was really to honor Byrd
Jr.'s family, but it left out some historical realities that should have
been mentioned in a tactful manner. Marsh said of Byrd, Jr., that his,
“positions caused a lot of pain and suffering to many people in
Virginia.“
Of course, it's not like the Virginia GOP doesn't have a history of racism in recent decades, right?
It's a good thing the GOP seems to think that racism is over. Do you think Virginia got the message?
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