Outdated civil rights leaders are not needed in the 21st century because their message, strategies and dreams for America are outdated. Yes, the message of these civil rights proponents is still geared for the 1960s.
These outdated proponents preach that rare incidents such as the wrongful killings of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, or George Floyd in Minnesota or Breonna Taylor in Kentucky are “modern day lynchings.” This message is wrong. It causes the masses to believe that lynching is still going on today. Wouldn’t it be more accurate if civil rights leaders preached that these unfortunate citizens’ lives were wrongfully ended? Why the hype?
The strategies of outdated civil rights leaders is out of step with peace. Although these civil rights leaders from the past preach nonviolence, many Americans are suspicious about their true intentions. They eloquently uphold the nonviolent tactics of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. but a closer look at the actual violence, looting and rioting makes one wonder what exactly have these thugs who break the law been listening to?
Integration has been a full reality in America since the 1960s. So why are civil rights advocates still preaching that integration is yet a dream? Did not America establish the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act to ensure full integration of all citizens? Yet outdated civil rights proponents mislead citizens to believe that America is disinterested in full equality, especially for black citizens.
So again I ask: Why are outdated civil rights leaders still preaching old messages, strategies and dreams?
Matthew Hutcherson of Riverdale is a retired African-American philosophy professor
