by Kathie MM
In this week in which the nation celebrated, sort of, particular Presidential birthdays (and raised some serious questions about where the Presidency is heading}, let’s ask: whose birthdays should the nation celebrate?
George Washington is probably acceptable–not because he was the first US president, and not because he led a rebellion against a militaristic, authoritarian, morally bankrupt political system, but because of his integrity, his lack of arrogance, his sense of service and obligation to the American people,his cautious optimism regarding the potential for national unity over “local prejudices or attachments” that might subvert the young country, and his view that governmental policy should be rooted in a private, universalistic morality. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/george-washington-the-reluctant-president-49492/
I would also vote for Abraham Lincoln, who literally gave his life not just to hold the country together when confronted with divisive “local prejudices and attachments,” but also to pursue a moral imperative to free people whose enslavement had no justification in any universalistic moral code.
Personally, I’m not content to continue trying to identifyPresidents worthy of inclusion in our Presidents Day celebrations. Let’s create instead a Moral Role Model Day. We already have a start on such a holiday with Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. MLK was a man whose moral courage and integrity rightfully immortalized him. While we’re at it, let’s start recognizing other people of color who’ve spoken out against the racism that has poisoned efforts to create a government of the people, by the people, and for the people right from the beginning. I nominate American author Toni Morrison who just celebrated her 88th birthday. See this short video: to get to know her better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ0mMjII22I
And please submit your own recommendations for people to be honored on a new Moral Role Model Day.