March 23, 2022
Page 9
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o piNioN
No Problem Seeing the Threat
Black Americans
and the attacks
on democracy
By Ben Jealous
Anti-democratic authoritarianism is on
the rise–both around the world and here
at home. Sometimes it is easier to recog-
nize overseas. That’s especially true at
moments like this when Vladimir Putin’s
military is killing civilians in Ukraine
to feed his ambitions for greater power
and is crushing any effort at dissent or
truth-telling in his native Russia.
Americans don’t often recognize au-
thoritarianism at home because they don’t
want to. They believe the U.S. is so excep-
tional that the checks and balances built
into our system will protect our democratic
values. That smug assurance was shaken
by the Capitol Insurrection and the all-out
effort by former President Trump to stay in
power after the voters sent him packing.
Black Americans have never had a prob-
lem seeing the threat. After all, we were
formally denied our place in democratic
government for most of the country’s first
century. And in some parts of the country,
we were violently locked out of real access
to democracy—and to opportunity—for
most of its second century.
AU.S.’s third century, we see access to
voting being rolled back. We see mecha-
nisms being put in place for the party in
power to steal elections if they don’t like
the outcome. And we see corrupt census
figures and abusive gerrymandering being
used to deny Black people the level of ac-
cess to political power that we deserve.
We’ve seen this all before. Specifically,
Black newspapers have seen it all before.
In 1942, the federal government was
rallying Americans to support the cause of
democracy in World War II, which the U.S.
formally entered at the end of 1941.
One Black man called out the glaring
contrast being our country’s stated ideals
and the reality of life for Black people who
faced prejudice and discrimination even in
the military. James Thompson wrote a let-
ter to the Pittsburgh Courier, which was the
largest-circulation Black newspaper at the
time. The paper titled the letter, “Should I
Sacrifice to Live Half American?”
“Would it be demanding too much
to demand full citizenship rights in ex-
change for the sacrificing of my life?”
he wrote. “Is the kind of America I know
worth defending?”
The Courier turned Thompson’s letter
into a public campaign that other Black
papers embraced. They adopted the allies’
“V for Victory” slogan with a call for a
double victory over the enemies of de-
mocracy at home and abroad. The Dou-
ble V Campaign urged Black Americans
to fight “not merely for the salvation of
America, not merely to secure the same
degree of democracy for Black Americans
that white Americans have long enjoyed,
but to establish precedent for a world-
Letter to the Editor
Fireworks Ban
for Safety
Ben Jealous
wide principle of free association among
men of all races, creeds and colors. That’s
the black man’s stake.”
That is still our stake. It is still our fight.
It’s no surprise to us that the same far-
right media figures excusing Vladimir Pu-
tin’s brutality have also excused or actively
promoted Donald Trump’s Big Lie about
the election—and used that Big Lie to jus-
tify new assaults on Black Americans’ ac-
cess to democracy.
Back in 1942, James Thompson wrote
that he was “willing to die for the Amer-
ica I know will someday become a real-
ity.” That is the kind of remarkable faith
that motivated and sustained the civil
rights movement after the war. It is the
same kind of faith and determination we
must find to defend American democracy
and our place in it.
Ben Jealous serves as president of Peo-
ple for the American Way and Professor
of the Practice in the Africana Studies De-
partment at the University of Pennsylvania
where he teaches leadership.
The Portland City Council this month
unanimously passed a ban on the personal use
and sale of fireworks. The driving factor for
developing and passing this policy was the
safety of Portlanders.
In recent years, the West Coast in particular
has witnessed increasingly frequent and se-
vere wild fires. Here in Oregon we remember
the devastating firework caused burn that start-
ed on the Eagle Creek trail in 2017. Then last
summer we witnessed climate catastrophe, as
extreme heat and draught brought devastating
wildfires to Portland and throughout Oregon.
In response, we issued a temporary ban on
the personal use and sale of fireworks and the
results spoke for themselves: In 2021 we re-
duced firework caused fires by 66% during
the fire season and 83% on the Fourth of July
compared to 2020 when no ban was in place.
While I was fortunate enough to avoid
combat when I served in the Navy, I know
that many veterans and others that experience
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) have
long spoken out about the harmful effects loud
explosions from fireworks cause. And if you
or someone you know owns a pet, you certain-
ty are aware of how upsetting fireworks are to
our furry companions.
At the end of the day, this ban is for the
safety of our community as we adapt to the
unfortunate realities of climate change. I also
want to be clear that this ban does not prohibit
professional, licensed firework displays like
what we are accustomed to watching on the
waterfront each Fourth of July.
I appreciate the support from my col-
leagues and the leadership from Portland Fire
& Rescue Chief Sarah Boone to make this
happen. I take the danger caused by fireworks
to our community as well as our brave fire-
fighters very seriously. We must adapt during
a climate emergency.
Jo Ann Hardesty, Portland City Commissioner
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