Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) announced Thursday that they will be skipping Saturday’s opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson because Donald Trump will be in attendance—something they consider to be “an insult” to the black heroes commemorated there.
Thompson and Lewis issued a joint statement that said, “President Trump’s attendance and his hurtful policies are an insult to the people portrayed in this civil rights museum,” Politico reports.
According to its website, the museum “shares the stories of a Mississippi movement that changed the world” and “promotes a greater understanding of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement and its impact by highlighting the strength and sacrifices of its people.”
It continues:
Visitors will witness the freedom struggle in eight interactive galleries that show the systematic oppression of black Mississippians and their fight for equality that transformed the state and nation. Seven of the galleries encircle a central space called “This Little Light of Mine.” There, a dramatic sculpture glows brighter and the music of the Movement swells as visitors gather.
Lewis, himself an icon of the civil rights movement, worked as an organizer in Mississippi during the 1960s.
He and Thompson are not the only ones who view Trump’s presence at the museum to be hypocritical and in poor taste. NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson issued a statement earlier this week that said, “President Trump’s statements and policies regarding the protection and enforcement of civil rights have been abysmal, and his attendance is an affront to the veterans of the civil rights movement.”
In response to the announcement from Lewis and Thompson, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement, “We think it’s unfortunate that these members of Congress wouldn’t join the president in honoring the incredible sacrifice civil rights leaders made to right the injustices in our history.”
Oh, you mean sacrifices like the lunch-counter sit-ins in Nashville, Tenn., and the Freedom Rider movements that Lewis himself helped organize and participated in?
Girl, shut your ass up.
That you would even think you are qualified to speak on who should or should not be in attendance is an insult to black people everywhere.
I’m tired of everyone. How about you?
Read more at Politico.
