That is a very important question to raise about someone who is seeking to become the president of the United States.
This nation has a racist pedigree and it took a lot of bloodshed, holocaust and struggle to overcome it. So when I repeatedly hear about this issue of whether or not Mitt Romney is a racist I find it more than coincidental. Things keep popping up on this matter with the greasy haired candidate.
First of all, Mitt Romney has been raised a devout Mormon. He's a leader in the group. The founder, Joseph Smith, was actually an abolitionist who vehemently fought against the ills of slavery and welcomed Blacks into his new religion replete with its own bible, "The Book of Mormon," written by members of this group. Smith's successor was Brigham Young, who indeed was a racist, and who introduced the doctrine that Blacks were descendents of Cain, the bad son of Adam and Eve. Thus, they were cursed with the mark of Cain (their Blackness) and are forbidden entry into heaven and prohibited from the priesthood of the Mormon Church. This started as Jim Crow laws were being written throughout the nation during the late 1800's during post-Reconstruction.
It wasn't until 1978 that the Mormon Church felt encouragement to change this policy. In the meantime the Romney families were thriving under it. A member of the Carter Administration's Justice Department decided that if the Mormon Church wants to embrace a racist doctrine they should no longer be given 501©3 tax exemption status. As the federal government was about to make its move, the Church proclaimed that God visited their president and twelve apostles and proclaimed the curse lifted. Blacks from here on have a chance beyond Hell. How convenient.
As an elected official, Romney has been known to make racial slurs. He has recently referred to a construction boondoggle, The Big Dig, as a "Tar Baby" he needs to avoid. Tar Baby — that's an old school racial slur. It's not something we want a presidential candidate to say and have such a thought process about.
Romney's successor as Governor of Massachusetts is the Honorable Deval Patrick, a Black who served as chief of the Civil Rights Office of the Clinton Administration's Justice Department. That is the same office that went after the Mormon Church's racist policies in the late 70s. There seems to be some serious "bad blood" caused by that. When inaugurating a new governor in Massachusetts, they have a ceremonial passing of the gavel. The outgoing governor stands and hands over the gavel to the new Governor and exits the building as the new Governors stands to the podium and delivers his inauguration address. For the first time in history, and without comment, Mitt Romney refused to participate in the ceremony and recognize the new Black Governor. That sounds like the old George Wallace or Strom Thurmond type of stuff. The people of Massachusetts were outright embarrassed.
Very recently, well-known Black Republican J.C. Watts publicly complained that the Romney presidential campaign was absolutely void of Blacks, Hispanics or any other ethnicity other than White. When approached about J.C.'s comments on CNN News, Mitt Romney retorted, "What's the charge? Is there something wrong with that?"
He then explained that he hired only the best workers and if that means an all-White staff – so be it. This, my brother and sisters, is "bigot code." It is the same thing they would say to keep us out of the military, college and professional sports, the better public institutions and corporate offices. It wasn't because of racism it's that we just weren't good enough. It falls right along with the "Cain Curse Doctrine." Slick-haired Romney is starting to appear to be very arrogant for all the wrong reasons. It is an aura about him that smells anti-American and anti-Christian. He appears to be a blast from the past and that is not good for us as a whole and harmonious society.
Harry C. Alford is the co-founder, president/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce.
