Years ago, when Bill Clinton was styled as America’s first black President, more than a few Americans, knowing it to be hyperbole, were tolerantly amused. It was fun to appreciate the direct connection the African American community and he shared but, of course, along came Barack Obama. My bemusement at the Clinton pretext stemmed from the wanton disregard of Lyndon Johnson’s role in cracking open the world for African Americans – and HispanicLatinos simultaneously. After decades of oppression, minority communities began to emerge from their suppressed selves because of Johnson. LBJ was America’s first black president politically and America’s first HispanicLatino president, to boot.
Tag Archives: LBJ
LBJ: An Eternal Gift to DOJ
What was it worth to me, those many years ago, as a young teenager watching President Johnson give his memorable speech in support of the 1965 Voting Rights Act to a joint session to Congress? When U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder spoke Tuesday at the LBJ Library on the very matter that made Lyndon B. Johnson a hero in American history, my mind went back through time, and I was left pondering the void of leadership that has formed since.