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Race
and Reagan: A Minority View of the Reagan Era
KPIX-TV
June 11, 2004
By
Bill Schechner
(Visit
KPIX's website
to view the video)
The
death of Ronald Reagan has stirred debate over the legacy of the
great communicator, especially among minorities.
Thousands
silently filed past Ronald Reagan's casket this week, but very
few were people of color.
Reagan
was never very popular among black voters. Few were republicans,
and in 1980 only 11% of black votes went to Reagan.
But
the voting record is just one of many details about this conservative
president beginning to emerge as progressives and minorities voice
their opinions of his record.
Reagan
biographers write that he opposed sanctions against South African
apartheid, preferring a go-slow approach. He purged the civil
rights commission, and initially approved tax exemptions for private,
segregated colleges. During Reagan's term, job training and anti-poverty
programs were reduced.
Longtime
civil rights activist Eva Patterson, director of San Francisco's
Equal Justice Society, has a minority perspective on Reagan's
passing.
"On
a human level I mourn his loss," said Patterson. "But
we're talking about a political drama right now, and we are supposed
to pretend that all Americans mourn his passing because he was
a great man who made things better. He made things worse for people
of color and progressive people."
Charles
Henry, professor of African-American studies at Cal, recalls a
1980 Reagan campaign stop in Philadelphia, Mississippi.
"(It)
had all sorts of symbolic meaning, because it's where three civil
rights workers were killed, and he started his campaign with a
speech about states rights," said Henry."
Robert
Smith, professor of political science at San Francisco State,
says Reagan was definitely not racist, but he was very conservative.
"He
believed that the federal government had no authority under the
Constitution to tell the states how to conduct their affairs,"
said Smith. "He said he would support civil rights in California,
which he did. But he said the Congress had no right to dictate
to the states about civil or voting rights."
Reagan
received mixed reviews on the streets from those minorities old
enough to remember his presidency.
"He
wasn't someone I voted for," said one pedestrian. "And
I don't regret not voting for him. Leave it at that."
"How
did he do for African Americans? He did alright," said another.
"Just like the rest of them. I don't see any difference."
"Ronald
Reagan, may he rest in peace. I don't want to speak ill of the
dead," commented another pedestrian.
So,
to some extent, the great communicator was and remains, as presidents
do, a great polarizer.
---
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the CBS5 website at www.CBS5.com.
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