Photo by Tom Brenner
Trump visited the new civil rights museum in Jackson, Mississippi, leading to some protests and boycotts. The new museums, the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and its companion state history museum, opened Saturday, December 9. Trump announced earlier this week that he would be visiting the museum to give a speech, which sparked some boycotts among the attendees and residents because of his history of supporting white supremacists, not speaking up on issues relating to police brutality, and promotion of policies that hurt minorities.
Though he ended up speaking to a crowd of museum donors, members of the civil rights movement, and government officials as opposed to the public, which was initially who he was going to deliver the speech to, some people view his appearance in different ways. Some, including people who took part in the civil rights movement, feel like his visit is "symbolic of a time for reconciliation," yet some feel like his presence is a negative thing, as it contradicts his attitude towards the issue of civil rights.
While I can somewhat appreciate his efforts to show up to the opening of the museum, I think his presence has done more harm than good. He's done very little, if anything, to try to improve race relations in the United States. He made some important statements about the civil rights movement in his speech, but I find it difficult to find any value in them because of his lack of action on the issue.
What do you think? Should Trump have gone to speak at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum? How should his visit be interpreted?
27 comments:
I believe his actions were good. Although it is true that his actions were very not good in the past towards race relations, I believe that everyone can change and maybe this is the beginning of a president who stands up against racism and for equality. Nonetheless, he took the first step by going to that museum and speaking in it. I understand why a lot of people could feel like his actions do not mean anything because of his past, but I personally think that it's a great first step. He was not obliged in any way to go to the opening and took it upon himself to go. It's definitely not going to solve any issues concerning race but it could be a first step.
Yes, President Trump has a right to visit the museum and give his speech. Yes, it seems uncharacteristic and perhaps contradictory of him to speak about civil rights, but this is the most we can expect of him. At least he is attempting to moderate his attitudes about race rather than go full white-supremacist. After listening to his speech, it seems to me that he made the speech out of courtesy rather than belief. Hopefully, if he continues speaking for equality and civil rights he can reform his views of race, which, hopefully, will reflect positively on his policy decisions in the future. It's a long shot, though, considering how stubborn he is, so we'll just have to wait and see.
I also agree with Julia and Diana that it was good that Trump spoke at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. Even if he may have seemed to support some racist things previously, I am firm believer that people can change. Like Julia said, this may be a start of a new attitude in President Trump. While I understand the sentiments of the protestors, I also think that they should have been willing to at least hear Trump out. If during the speech President Trump made offensive remarks, or claimed to do things that he in the future never follows through with, then protesting would seem more justifiable for me. Furthermore, I think that if we want to decrease the polarization in America, people should be willing to acknowledge the good things done by those they usually disagree with, instead of never giving them a chance simply because of previous incidents or discordant political beliefs.
I do believe he did the right thing. I think he should not be getting hate from the people who think it "contradicts his attitude toward civil rights." It seems like people are protesting against him for being racist but, when he isn't racist and supports the civil rights movement like right here, he is still under fire. It is a lose lose situation. I think the reason he is getting hate is because people are questioning why or if he has changed. Nothing major has happened recently to push a change in his stance on the civil rights movement.
I believe there was no right answer for Trump to make regarding visiting the museum. With him speaking at the civil rights museum as he intended, he is receiving criticism for going against the curator's wishes. Were he to do as he was told, he would receive criticism for not bothering to show up, which would be analyzed as a statement saying he doesn't care about civil rights. The ideal move, in my opinion, would be to allow someone else to speak and to visit the museum while remaining silent. In my opinion, white people shouldn't be speaking over the voices of people of color in regard to race. However, even this would have garnered criticism, and thus, like the other commenters above, I cannot fault him for proceeding to give the speech.
I believe that by going to the opening of the museum, Trump is trying to show that he is aware of the civil rights issues that still goes on in this country. The sheer fact that he is showing that he is aware is a step in the right direction. It is because of this that I think Trump is trying show a side of him, previously unseen in this administration. His visit should be seen as a positive thing.
I agree that it is a good thing that Trump went and gave his speech. I think it is counterproductive that people are complaining about his attempts to support civil rights, and rather can be focusing their efforts elsewhere. It simply detracts from their credibility as a cause that they are complaining that the president is showing support for Civil Rights. It is a lose lose. This reminds me of in Catch 22 when Captain Black wanted to oust Major Major from his position as squadron Commander, so started a loyalty oath crusade forcing everyone in the squadron to affirm their loyalty but not letting Major Major to sign the loyalty oaths, and then denouncing him for not signing the loyalty oaths. Sorry for making a book reference here, but I think it is a fair comparison. Of all the things to get mad at Donald Trump for, supporting Civil Rights and accurate history is not one.
While I agree with Aech and Daniel's views, and some in between, I feel it necessary to find a midpoint between the two stances. I find Trump's choice to speak at the event contradictory to his prior actions on race-related issues, and I am wary of his speeches not lining up with his actions. I think this skepticism and critical analysis of his actions is important in discerning his true beliefs. And Trump has a prior to saying (or tweeting) one thing and not lining his actions to meet his claims or promises. The discontinuity is important to look for in a president.
Nevertheless, many political leaders, from presidents to city council members, have walked back on their agreements. I think circumstances may change that influence a shift on the political leader's course of action, and incumbency helps a president wise up to the reality of the job requirements. Perhaps Trump spoke at the event for a boost in PR, or perhaps he really believes what he said. It is important to remain skeptical of motivations, but not so critical as to disregard it altogether.
I do not think that Trump should have given a speech at the museum. He is entitled to visiting the museum, however, his previous views on race relations and other topics involving race made him raise more controversy instead of awareness to race related issues. I feel like the speech was a publicity stunt which is unneeded for the opening of a museum which is meant to be a learning experience for the public, rather than a way for a man to try to "redeem" himself.
I believe that Trump's decision to give a speech at this museum was a good one. By accepting the speech he was able to show some form of respect for civil rights. Trumps past trouble with civil rights and race relations have left him open for criticism in those areas. Additionally, I would be interested to read the speech to determine if it was offensive or respectful towards civil rights and minorities.
I would normally agree with supporters of Trump's decision to attend the museum and give a speech. I'm sure he wanted to give this speech to try and show the country that he does advocate for civil rights and peace for all. But the problem is that his actions do not support this supposed sentiment of his. Things that he does always seem to contradict this idea, and he doesn't think a great amount before he does something too, like tweeting about events or responding to the Charlottesville tragedy. If he manages to back up the idea that he wants to help all people in the country with his actions in the future, then I would be happy that he decided to start at the museum to prove himself. But if not, then he will still be opposed by many, including me, no matter how much he tries to gain popularity.
It's a lose-lose situation for President Trump. If he shows up for the speech, his presence is absolutely negative. If he doesn't show up for the speech, he's neglecting to acknowledge the importance of the history of civil rights.
Having said that, I do think that it is a good thing for President Trump to be appearing in a speech at the museum. He is showing respect for everything the museum represents. Many people will say that his presence is negative because they perceive him as a racist, but this doesn't make sense. He is making a good speech for an important museum. How can you fault him for doing that?
Of course President Trump has the right to give a speech about civil rights, but one should always consider his incentive for making such a speech. As has been stated numerous times already, Trump hasn't had the best things to say in terms of race, and so far his actions have reinforced this idea. Perhaps Trump is making this speech to better himself in the eye of the public, although I'm not sure this would do much good; public view of Trump is very divided between liberals and conservatives, so I doubt his speech would make a very large difference. There have been comments about giving him a chance to pivot himself on the subject of race, but I don't believe that his actual stance has changed; rather, he is trying to make up for previous comments he made and, again, better himself in the eye of the public.
Trump's visit to the museum could be seen as a step in the right direction towards making up for his past actions that can be seen as racist; however, he is not the person to speak at an event that honors people such as Martin Luther King Jr. since his goals have never been aligned with those of these Civil Rights leaders. While some claim that this trip was an attempt at reconciliation, Trump has never shown any signs of remorse regarding his comments that sometimes lead to violence and further discrimination towards racial minorities. Without remorse, there is no chance at a reconciliation, even if that is what Trump intended. In this case, with all the protests and boycotts, Trump's presence has created an even further division.
While Trump’s visit to the civil rights museum can be seen as beneficial and a positive attempt towards amend some of the past controversial remarks he has made, I don’t think this one action is sufficient compared to what he’s said in the past. I see this as more of a way of aiming to cover some of the past damage he’s made, but visiting the museum alone is enough. His many instances of supporting white supremacists and remarks against minorities still outweigh and seem to represent his true thoughts and opinions more than just visiting the museum.
I personally think that Trump did the right thing by speaking at the museum. It seems a little ridiculous to criticize someone for giving a speech in honor of a civil rights museum. Though he has had troubles with race relations in he past, and he may be giving the speech for his own gain, at least he is showing respect to the civil right movement. I think that even though he may be doing the right thing for the wrong reasons, it seems like he is trying to change his past.
I think that as a President, Trump has the right to speak at the museum and there's nothing wrong with the situation. I agree with Aech above who said that no matter which choice he made he'd still receive criticism. Personally, I think it's better that he showed up rather than decline to. Although he has been horrible with speaking about race relations in the past, I don't think him steering clear of events like this will do anyone good. To validate his visit however, he needs to start actually taking actions to progress race relations in the US
I think that his visit was important, but I believe that it was more for publicity than anything else. It shows some effort on his side of the equation, but paired with his weak stance on civil rights, Trump has not proven to me, or anyone else, really, that he cares about civil rights as much as he should. I'm glad he made the speech, but I would like to see him actually enact the sentiments he portrayed in the address. It is one thing to speak about protecting civil rights and the minority population, but it is another to actually act upon the ideas. It is his duty to ensure the safety of all those in the country, and while he makes a speech about it, he has done nothing but indirectly support white supremacists and ignore the needs of many Americans. I commend him for making the speech, it's a step forward for him, but he will not gain my respect until he actually does something to address the issues of race in the Unite States.
He had good intentions and I think it all depends on what he said during his speech. Trump hasn't had great relations with minorities but if his intentions were to have a change of heart then I would see this as a huge act. While he may also be doing this in an attempt to gain even more attention. Its hard to tell what his intentions were and therefore he cant be judged for simply making an effort to reach out at this museum.
I completely agree with you. Trump has said hurtful racial slurs and everything he stands for directly contradicts that of the Civil Rights Movement. Those who protested and were upset at Trump for showing up when he was clearly unwanted have every right to feel that way. To have someone who has belittled minorities value in this country then just intrude a museum purposed to honor the African American community is incredibly disrespectful and invasive. Although, while I don't believe Trump's presence was necessary at the Civil Rights Museum, if he had not gone, he would've also received severe criticism. I honestly believe Trump only showed up to "look good" to the public but nevertheless, it's a lose-lose situation for Donald Trump.
It is always good publicity to show up and give a speech at a location like this civil rights movement. Many will believe that Trump is making a change or trying to shine a light on the issue of race in America, but as Sahith said Trump has made no actions to back up his empty publicity stunt. Most likely Trump was told to go there to try to look good, but this does not reverse the racist statements—both in tweets and speeches—that he has made. Trump can go where he wants and take the photoshoots that look good, but this means nothing to him or the racist agenda that he is following.
I think this was a good move on Trump's part. Although he has said many negative things, especially in relation to minority groups, this is a step in the right direction to reconcile. Proceeding with his speech even though he was told not to come shows him as adamant and determined. He is serious about fixing the issue of race in America, otherwise he wouldn't have bothered offering to come in the first place. I'd like to think Trump made this move not only for publicity, but is sincerely in support of the civil rights movement.
I think it was a good move for Trump to give a speech at the civil rights museum. It shows that Trump is making good strides in showing his care for race in America and that he respects it. I feel like that the president may be doing these things to help change the way people view him based off of things he has said in the past.
I believe Trump was correct to attend the museum opening in Mississippi as it would have done more harm than good if he ignored a monumental event such as this. While he has not given much support to minorities in today's political climate, due to the media's lambasting of Trump, I feel Trump heeding the calls of his critics and missing the event would have been spun into a bigger controversy had he ignored the event. I believe 100% in what the civil rights members have said about reconciliation as it is the best thing Trump can do at this point to stop his approval rating from hitting the floor. I assume the civil rights members in question refer to the surviving members of the 60s movements, leading me to believe they are far more experienced in working with political opposition with differing racial beliefs than us. Because of this, I respect their views and judgement enough to feel reconciliation is the right thing to do.
I agree with the comments above that Trump made the right decision because it brings good publicity for him to show up at civil rights movement museum and give a speech. However, his good intentions can be misled because there is no context in what he said at the speech and given his questioned attitude towards minorities, we don't know if he was trying to make an effort to change or just get more attention. This is why it is difficult to tell what his priorities were by reaching our to the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. With that being said, it's good to see Trump trying to show good qualities as a president despite all he has said about minorities in the past.
I believe that Trump going to speak at the museum is a step in the right direction. However, I can understand how some people can be angry at the fact he gave a speech there after his actions or lack thereof regarding police brutality, protests, and equality. While this is true I think that his speech was a good redirect that will hopefully spark more actions like this to make a change.
From Trump's perspective, it was was a good decision to go to the museum and make his speech. As we all know, he feeds off of publicity, both good and bad. By denying the critics and going to the museum, he received a lot of negative attention, which to him seems to be motivation to act even more ignorantly and irrationally. However, do I think that it was morally right for him to go and give the speech? Absolutely not. Trump has done nothing to improve race relations in this country, and over the course of his presidency has probably done and said more to widen the divide between races instead of uniting them. Although he has claimed that he is against racism and for improving race relations, he has not had the brains or balls to denounce the KKK or white supremacy in general, which does not take a lot of brains or balls to do. He clearly does not care about equality or civil rights, and because of this, he in no way deserves to give a speech at a civil rights museum in front of civil rights activists.
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