Academic

In Front of the SC State House Dome, Underneath the Confederate Flag, Attending a Martin Luther King Day Rally, Noticing That the Only Woman Who Got To Speak Was Hillary Clinton

By Ann Bartow

2008 King Day At The Dome. That’s where and how I spent the morning. Video excerpts here. Billed as “A Statewide March and Rally for Justice and Equity,” the substantive speaker program was as follows:

“Welcome and Opening Remarks” by Dr. Lonnie Randolph, President of the S.C. State Conference of the NAACP. “Greetings” by Quentin T. James, President of the SC NAACP Youth & College Division. “Remarks” by The Honorable Roy Romer, Former Governor of Colorado, representing Strong American Schools. “Presentation of the NAACP National President” by Reverend Nelson B. Rivers, III, NAACP Chief of Field Operations. “Remarks” by NAACP National President & CEO Dennis C. Hayes, Esquire. “Remarks” by Floyd A. Keith, Executive Director, Black Coaches and Administrators. “Greetings” by The Honorable Leon Howard, Chairman, S.C. House of Representatives District 76.

NOT ONE WOMAN SPEAKER…

.. until the Candidates for U.S. President spoke. First went Barak Obama, and he gave a great, inspiring speech about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, and about hope, and unity, and working togther to solve the nation’s problems. And then John Edwards spoke, and he too gave a great speech about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, and about helping poor people, and about making sure that every American had access to healthcare. And then Hillary Clinton spoke. And she also began by invoking the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, AND THEN SHE GAVE TRIBUTE TO CORETTA SCOTT KING, AND HER LEGACY, something no one else had yet done, and something that would have gone undone had Hillary Clinton not been on the program. And she too gave a great speech about improving this country.

–Ann Bartow

Barack Obama, John Edwards, and Hillary Clinton address the King Day at the Dome rally on January 21, 2008.

UPDATE: Photos of the rally in this post are from here. At the bottom is a picture of the protesting pro-flag asshole contingent nearby, of which there were only about ten people, thankfully.

Full post as published by Feminist Law Professors on January 21, 2008 (boomark / email).