The
following is a news release from the state Republican Party. It, plus the
extended remarks which follow, appear exactly as written by the Republican
officials. Not a word has been altered, added, or subtracted. All spelling and syntax is exactly according to the original.
State GOP chairman
Robin Smith and party spokesperson Bill Hobbs, both of Nashville, journeyed to
Memphis to the site of the museum, where Smith read the prepared statement
directly under the wreath that marks the site of Dr. Martin Luther King’s
assassination in 1968:
“MEMPHIS, TN
– The Republican Party’s historical contribution to ending slavery and advancing
civil rights for minorities in America
should not be forgotten as Tennessee
and
America celebrate Black History Month.
“In remarks
Monday at a press conference outside the National Civil Rights Museum in
Memphis, Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Robin Smith, a member of the
Tennessee Human Rights Commission recounted many of those historical facts.”
[The prepared statement follows.]
“The
Tennessee Republican Party salutes the memory of those who have sacrificed,
those who lost their lives in their commitment to civil rights and those who
continue to remind the citizens of our nation of the need to stand for that
which is good, decent and humane in the fight for the dream of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr.: ‘to be judged by the content of your character, not the color of your
skin.’
“History
reflects a strong foundation and relationship with African Americans and the
Republican Party to pursue freedom, equality and civil rights.
“The
founding of the Republican Party as a third political party resulted in the
divide over the issue of slavery. Abraham Lincoln asked the opinions of his
closest advisors and counsel and stood against the political advice of the day
to steer away from the abolition of slavery.
“During the
years of the Civil War and Reconstruction, the Republican-led Congress added
Constitutional Amendments that declared the rights of freed slaves to be
citizens, own property, vote and enjoy equal treatment. Not one single Democrat
supported the Constitutional Amendments declaring civil rights.
“Democrats
fought through hate to intimidate African Americans to abstain from their voting
rights and to undo legislation passed by Republicans to prevent equal access and
dignity. To circumvent the U.S. Constitution, Democrats employed poll taxes,
literacy tests and gerrymandering districts, holding African Americans from
exercising their right to vote.
“The
targets of the Ku Klux Klan, founded in Tennessee by Confederate General Nathan
Bedford Forrest, the first grand wizard, were blacks pursuing their rights and
white Republicans who led efforts to protect their fellow citizens’ rights. From
1882 to 1964, it is estimated that 3446 African Americans and 1297 white
Americans died from lynching.
“President
Theodore Roosevelt received created a furor due to the counsel he sought from
Booker T. Washington and having entertained him as the first African American to
dine in the White House.
“Until
1935, every African American federal legislator was a Republican with the first
African American Air Force and Army four-star generals appointed by Republicans.
“The
founding of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP) was founded on February 12, 1909. February 12: The shared date of
Abraham Lincoln’s birth.
“Republican
President Dwight Eisenhower mobilized the 82nd Airborne to allow children of
color to attend public school in Little Rock, Arkansas in the face of hateful
resistance from the Democrat Governor.
“In 1957,
the Civil Rights Act was signed into law by President Eisenhower following a
filibuster conducted by 18 Democrats in the U.S. Senate that lasted five days
and five hours attempting to kill the legislation. The 1964 Civil Rights Act was
signed by Democrat President Lyndon Johnson following KKK member and Democrat
Senator Robert Byrd’s filibuster of 14 hours. Klansman Byrd, who remains a
Democrat Senator today, was joined by 22 other Democrats voting against this
humane legislation. Tennessee’s Democrat Senator Al Gore, Sr. joined Byrd and
others in voting against the Civil Rights Act.
“Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. was memorialized by President Ronald Reagan in declaring a
national holiday in his honor.
“President
George H.W. Bush appointed Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court as a Justice.
“President
George W. Bush appointed the Colin Powell to serve as Secretary of State, the
first African American to do so with Condoleeza Rice appointed to the post as
the first African American woman to lead internationally.
“During the
last eight years, home ownership and small business ownership among African
Americans has reached historical records.
“This is
not an exhaustive list. Yet, the history of the Party of Lincoln vividly and
concretely displays the nature of the Republican Party: to believe in the people
rather than the government; to share values that are good and decent and inspire
individuals to pursue their God-given rights and success; and to commit to
partisanship with a purpose rather than for power.
“The Civil
Rights Museum exists due to the hard work of many, especially Dr. Benjamin
Hooks, who was just a few weeks ago awarded the U.S. Congressional Medal of
Honor by President Bush.
“Without
question and argument, there remains the need to be vigilant and vocal for that
which is right regarding the equal treatment regardless of skin color. Let
February’s designation as Black History Month provide a time to revisit the
historical record to celebrate the achievements and victories but acknowledge
the possibility of the human heart to stray from truth to that which is
politically expedient.
“President
Roosevelt paints the picture that bests captures the desire, priority and vision
of the Tennessee Republican Party: ‘Above all we must stand shoulder to
shoulder, not asking as to the ancestry or creed of our comrades, but only
demanding that they be in very truth Americans, and that we all work together,
heart, hand, and head, for the honor and the greatness of our common country.'”
Smith noted that February 12th of this week marks the birthday of the founding eminence of the Republican Party, Abraham Lincoln.
