How do we remember one of the greatest civil rights activists of our time? By paying lip service to her “dignity” or her “faith”? Or by using her passing as an opportunity to advocate for those same the things she did?
Some conservatives are shamefully attacking liberals for not knowing “how to act at a funeral,” because a select few Democrats actually bothered to address political issues in their speeches about a political figure’s life and legacy. Here’s the deal: People who dedicate their lives to social justice probably want that mentioned, and not in vague terms. Lord knows I will never do as much in my life as Coretta Scott King did in hers — not even close — but if I achieve 1/100th of what she did, it had damn well be talked about at my funeral. And if my funeral is a place where people are actually paying attention to what’s being said, someone had damn well better say what I would have wanted the world to think about. Activists value action. It is not only appropriate but absolutely necessary that King’s funeral served as a platform to get the word out about the goals she spent her entire life working to achieve. In death, her ideals were given a wider audience than they had been offered at just about any single point in her life. Those who knew her, and who understood the legacy she truly did leave, said what they believe she would have. That is how you do someone honor, not by throwing a few laudatory adjectives their way.
So when I read about Kate O’Beirne’s comments on Hardball, I was appalled. Since I hadn’t seen the episode myself and couldn’t find a transcript, I watched a video excerpt of the show. Just so we’re all on the same page, here’s what was (in part) said:
Video of Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowry at King’s funeral, saying, “We know now there were no weapons of mass destruction over there. [Standing Ovation] But Coretta knew and we know that there are weapons of misdirection right down here. Millions without health insurance. Poverty abounds. For war billions more but no more for the poor.”
Matthews wants to get into the politicization of the funeral. Cynthia Tucker of the Atlanta Journal says, “Let’s remember that Coretta Scott King was a political figure herself, and she was an anti-war figure. She was perhaps an anti-war figure perhaps before her husband was, and when he protested the Vietnam War she was right there by [his] side.”
The conversation turns to Jimmy Carter’s speech, which mentioned wire tapping.
Colbert King of the Washington Post responds, “Jimmy Carter touched a nerve when he mentioned wiretaps, because the civil rights movement undestands all too well what that was all about.” He refers, of course, to the fact that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was wiretapped by the federal government, and that the government went so far as to send Coretta one of the tapes in an effort to put a strain in their marriage.
Video of Jimmy Carter:
Carter: “It was difficult for them personally, with the civil liberties of both husband and wife violated when they became the victims of secret government wiretapping and other surveillance and issued harassment from the FBI.”
The other panelists discuss whether or not it was appropriate to being up politics at King’s funeral. Cynthia and Colbert assert that it was, because the funeral served in many ways as a speaking event. Politicians were present, and King’s life was a politicized one — it would only follow that attention should be directed to her political causes.
To which Kate O’Beirne responds:
Kate: “Both were completely inapprorpiate. Just because politicians are present… it’s not a convention or a campaign event just because former presidents are there … liberals don’t seem to be able to keep politics away from furnerals.
…
It was reminiscent of Senator Wellstone’s funeral. And look what we’re talking about. We’re talking about Reverand Larry’s [note from Jill: I swear she said “Larry” and not “Lowry,” but I could be mistaken] cheap shot about the war, regardless of whether or not Coretta Scott King held pacifist views, and we’re talking about former president Jimmy Carter’s cheap shot … if it’s possible for him to be a worse former president than he was a president, then I think he’s achived that.”
[Note from Jill: What was that about cheap shots?]
Chris Matthews: Was there something inaccurate in what they said? Either he or Dr. Lowry?
Kate O’Beirne: “It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if they were reading fatcual material to make a cheap political point. It totally is contrary to the spirit. we are not talking about Coretta Scott King and the incredible legacy of the Kings, and her incredibly dignified life, which this runs counter to I might add. We’re talking about these two political characters.”
Colbert King: “Of course that legacy was non-violence. And you can’t come to a funeral where you eulogize Coretta Scott King and not talk about non-violence and the presence of violence in the world. You can’t come to a celebration of the life of Coretta Scott King and [not] talk about civil liberties, and the infringement on her civil liberties by her own government. You cannot do that and be true to the King family.”
And I just fell in love with Colbert King. Steve Gillard said it best — Kate O’Beirne is vermin. And idiotic vermin, if she actually believes what she’s saying. As John from AmericaBlog writes in a must-read post,
I say this because you know it’s only a matter of hours before the Republican Swift Boating of Rev. Lowery and Coretta’s funeral begins. How dare a black man not know his place at a funeral, they’ll say. As if the Republican party and its surrogates have any right whatsoever to speak on behalf of Mrs. King, to tell black America what they can and cannot do to honor one of their most revered leaders.
A party that doesn’t have a single African-American member of Congress has no right lecturing black people about knowing their place.
And you know that lecture they will.
He’s right. Just wait; this will be all over right-wing sites and papers. Post what you find in the comments.
They’ll be all over Coretta and Lowery, with the help of the media they’ll trivialize her funeral, her death, the honor being paid to her, by claiming her funeral was all a big stunt, a big act, one big political opportunity for the Democrats to abuse a poor old dead woman, they’ll say.
But that’s because the Republican party, and increasingly the media, have no clue about black America, about progressives, about civil rights, and about what it means to be a committed activist who actually cares about our country and the direction its heading. If Coretta, on the occasion of Martin’s death, could launch (and continue) a decade’s-long campaign for equality and justice in his name, we should only be so honored to do the same to mark her passing.
Perhaps I’m wrong. Perhaps the old white men of the GOP (read: Ken Mehlman) and their media enablers will sit well enough alone. Perhaps. But I doubt it. Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King, and the legacy they leave behind, is far too dangerous to the right-wing extremists that run our country. They’ll have to do something to mar Coretta’s legacy. I have a hunch this will be it.