Lindsey Graham: America Has A Long Way To Go On Race Relations
Don’t count Lindsey Graham among the Republican Presidential hopefuls who think that mass shooting in Charleston was about something other than race. He spoke out this weekend to address the murders, and his statement differs sharply from what some of his colleagues are saying.
Unlike Rick Santorum and Jeb Bush, Lindsey Graham isn’t pretending the murders were about religion or insisting that we can’t tell yet what motivated the attack.
Instead, Graham openly recognizes that this attack was racially motivated — and says that America has a long way to go in the racial relations department.
“There can be no doubt that the shooting on Wednesday night was racially motivated and signals to all of us that the scars of our history are still with us today. Throughout our country, we still have much to do in the name of equality.”
“There is no doubt we have made great progress, but Charleston reminds us there is still much to do.”
Graham also declares that the shooter’s attempt to start a race war has failed.
“This murderer said he wanted to start a race war; he has failed miserably. In Charleston this weekend, I saw a community coming together. I saw people seeking solace in what they share together, not in what makes them different.”
Lindsey Graham’s statement did not, however, go as far as that of some prominent Republican politicians: Mitt Romney has actually joined the call to remove the Confederate Flag from the South Carolina State House.
Take down the #ConfederateFlag at the SC Capitol. To many, it is a symbol of racial hatred. Remove it now to honor #Charleston victims.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) June 20, 2015
Graham also didn’t go as far as many Democrats, and call for reforms to gun control laws. He did hint vaguely at action “on multiple fronts” to “make sure this never happens again,” but put it off to an unspecified point in the future.
At an appropriate time, we will move forward to have a discussion on a variety of fronts about what will make us stronger as a nation and what solutions need to be found to achieve that goal. But now, please join me in continuing to pray for the victims, for the citizens of Charleston, of my home state, and of our nation. Let’s find the strength and wisdom, together, to make sure this never happens again.
(See Lindsey Graham’s full statement here.)
It’s also not the first time that Lindsey Graham has spoken about racial inequality in America. Graham released an ebook (pdf warning) of his life story as a part of his presidential campaign, and in it, Graham lauds his father for, in Upstate South Carolina in the 1960s, putting a stop to mistreatment of black customers in their family’s dining establishment.
In that same booklet, Lindsey Graham also mentions laws at the time that were inequal, and talks of his demands, even at a young age, for these policies to change.
The Charleston shoot was a horrible, hate-induced attack, fueled by racism. However, judging by Lindsey Graham and Mitt Romney’s responses to it, we may be seeing the beginnings of a change in our nation’s conversation on race.
[Photo by:Scott Olson/Getty Images]
