Every Person is Important

— by Sen. Robert Ford

One of the greatest lessons I learned working with Reverend Dr. James Bevel and Rev. James Orange of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was that we have to respect all people and show a special love and appreciation to our people - Black Americans. The reason this is so important is because of our history.  Being mistreated, made to work and live in unimaginable conditions, being called boys and girls no matter what our age might have been…  In other words, we were being treated worse than animals by white southerners, and Americans.  Dr. James Bevel, Dr. Martin Luther King and Reverend Ralph Abernathy always made their staff members understand that no matter how great we might think we are, everybody in the black community was supposed to be treated the same.  In other words, always show love and respect to our people at all times. 

In 1969, I was fortunate enough to take a trip with Rev. James Bevel and Rev James Orange to New York City.  While there, I was introduced to Congressman Adam Clay Powell.  One of my high school political science instructors, always made us believe that Congressman Adam Powell was the greatest congressman that ever lived because of all the important legislation he was able to pass in Congress. His legislation dealt with all types of issues and problems - not only in Harlem but for the entire United States of America.  He knew the importance of an elected public servant and the true definition of a public servant.  All the wonderful things he did, he related to all human beings as equal and he was minus an ego.  Also Congressman Powell had the same belief of Dr./Rev Bevel and all of the leaders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), that we must have a special love and always show respect to our black people and all people.

Can you imagine that in 2012, black elected officials and some self appointed leaders do not have that same level of respect for our people???  I was a participant in a political forum on September 25, 2012 for the Voter Education Project that was held at Greater St. Luke Baptist Church in Columbia, South Carolina.  The church was packed to capacity.   The entire program only contained five participants which were two (2) former legislatures, Attorney I.S. Levy Johnson, Attorney James Felder and I.  The other two gentlemen on the program did not come into the church until after we had finished our presentations.  One of these gentlemen was Congressman James Clyburn, who represents the poorest Congressional Districts in the Unites States.  The other gentlemen were Rev. Al Sharpton, who is a community activist and has a T.V. Talk Show.  The greatest disrespect you can ever show to people is that in your mind or your ego is so important that you cannot participate in a program until you are called upon to make your presentation.  While I was waiting to be heard, I did not pay attention to the fact that these two gentlemen were not in the pulpit.  Earlier that afternoon, I was a patient at one of the hospitals in Charleston, South Carolina.  I left the hospital (without permission) to attend and participate on the program in Columbia, South Carolina.  I tried to return to the hospital before they realized that I was gone.  On the way back to my car, I was asked by several people why Congressman James Clyburn and Rev. Al Sharpton were not in the pulpit and that is when I really became angry.  I have been fortunate enough to meet some of the greatest and most powerful people living between 1963 to the present day.  I have been on programs and in attendance at programs with many of these people such as the  President of the United States, major company CEO’s,  and some of greatest theologian ministers that ever lived. I have never experienced from 1963 until now, men whose egos and self importance only allows them to participate in a program if they are called upon. If you are a black elected official and the only thing you fight against is the Voter ID bill and Voter Suppression than you are not serving yourself.  If you are a black elected official and the only people you serve or do personal favors for are your family and personal friends, than you are not serving your constituents (and definitely not black people) - simply put, you are not a good elected official.  

Brothers and sisters, this is not acceptable. 

I think Rev. Jessie Jackson is one of the greatest people living today because he is still active in today’s affairs and he has done more for African Americans than any other person.  During the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. assigned Jessie Jackson to run Operation Bread Basket out of Chicago, Illinois. The reason that we have black people who own franchises and businesses in 2012 is because of the work that Rev. Jessie Jackson did with Operation Bread Basket and the Rainbow Push Coalition. Also, the reason we have African-Americans working on Wall Street, Black President’s, CEO’s and President’s of multi-million dollar companies is because of the tremendous efforts and life-long sacrifices of Rev. Jessie Jackson. 
                                                                                                                                             
Today we have powerful men who are still living that were also a part of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) such as Rev/Dr. Andrew Young, Joseph Lowery and others.  The accomplishments of the (SCLC) from 1957 to 1969 did more for our country, the United States of America and made the idea of one nation under God a reality.  The civil rights movement led by these gentlemen and the founder of the (SCLC), Dr. King and Ralph Abernathy and the mastermind of the (SCLC) did more to make America the proud and free country that it is today, than any war that our country has ever fought. We brought a whole race of people out of second and third class citizenship and made them first class citizens.  But this same movement also freed white southerners and whites began to treat all citizens like human beings.  

Brothers and sisters in America, we still have two major problems. Most of the gentlemen and ladies who made up the staff of the (SCLC) that transformed America between 1957 and 1969, are deceased. The only ones that I know who are still living are Rev./Dr. Joseph Lowry , Andrew Young,  Rev. Jessie Jackson, Rev. John Bascon, John Reynolds, and I. I hope and pray that there are more staff members of this organization, the (SCLC), who are still living.  I will do everything in my power to find out.    

It is crucial that we make contact with the individuals mentioned above because we have no written, accurate history of the (SCLC) and it historical strides for African Americans.    It is important for our younger African American generation to know why members of the (SCLC) put their lives on the line each and every day for twelve years. 

When I reminisce on history, I realize that people like James Bevel, James Orange, Josea William, Bernard Lee, and other leaders of the (SCLC) did not write books, memoirs or even notes so that our future generation could benefit from this proud history.  This is one of the reasons why we as a people have suffered. These brothers and sisters were some of the greatest theologians and professors that ever lived.  Some of them were also world renowned community organizers. What these brothers and sisters had in common was a deep love and respect for black people and all people - minus the ego.

Rev. John Reynolds, who is living in Charleston County on Seabrook Island, has just printed his book on the civil rights movement.  I am hoping that in the next year or so, I find the time to print all of the things that I experienced during the (SCLC) movement.  The reason I mention this is because every African American should learn why they are living the kind of lives they are living now, and who is responsible for those conditions. In other words, brothers and sisters, we simply don't know our history. And unfortunately, this is why we have self hatred and self destruction amongst ourselves. My second point is that not one of those gentlemen and ladies of the (SCLC) has ever shown that kind of ego and self praise that Congressman James Clyburn and Rev. Al Sharpton showed at the church program in Columbia, South Carolina.

The late Congressman Adam C. Powell made it clear that when you are an elected official you become a public servant and as a public servant, you belong to the people.  Your job as an elected public servant is to do everything in your power to better the living conditions of the people you serve.  That was the ideal of what we did in Selma, Alabama in 1965.  Furthermore, elected officials are people who are willing to save the masses in city hall, school boards, state legislature and congress. Electing the right people to these key elected positions is like taking the civil right movements off the street and into the hall of government.  By doing so, you can change the living conditions of the people you work for and make things better. 

Today, in 2012 there are close to 14,000 black elected officials in the United States.  Not one of us is expected to have some unimaginable ego and only look out for our family members and friends but to serve all people who entrusted us to represent them in the halls of government.