Monday, January 25, 2010
Ware stands for civil rights
From the RoundTable blog
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Raheem L. Muhammad
Muhammad, of Roanoke, works in the human services field as a support counselor in work force development for a local nonprofit agency.
On Jan. 18, our nation recognized and celebrated the birth of one of its greatest leaders: the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
For many Americans, particularly African Americans, this annual observance serves as a time to reflect on and express our appreciation to King and those leaders like him who contributed to and sacrificed much for the cause of civil rights.
This year, I was privileged to spend the King holiday in Richmond doing what King lived and died for: advocating for civil rights, along with a group of organizers and supporters who gathered in Capital Square. I wanted to encourage legislators to fight for thousands of disenfranchised citizens. Our cause on this day was the restoration of rights to ex-offenders who have paid their debt to society.
One of the guest speakers at this rally was the Del. Onzlee Ware. Ware has long been a voice for this cause. As he spoke, I thought of the challenges black leaders face on so many fronts. Often African-American leaders are criticized the most by those in their own racial group. For instance, many African Americans have accused President Obama of having not given enough attention to promoting the issues of "Black America." Unfortunately, many seem to think that black leaders, particularly those in some political office can change the world in some miraculous way. They fail to realize or refuse to recognize that our leaders can't fight every battle at once. Intelligent and effective leadership requires that they choose their battles wisely.
This realization brings to mind a recent commentary, "Ware isn't worthy of role," in The Roanoke Times on Jan. 1, in which Ware was criticized for not being "an advocate for inclusive civil rights." The author, a close and valued friend of mine, Shaheed Omar, predicated his opinion on his disappointment with Ware's lack of attention to complaints of mistreatment and rights violations of Muslim prisoners in two Virginia prisons.
As a Muslim, I am especially sensitive to this issue. I certainly understand and in fact appreciate Omar's concerns and his efforts to bring attention to the mistreatment of Muslims. Nevertheless, with all due respect to the author, I disagree with the opinion that Ware is some imposter or has no concern for the advancement of civil rights. An objective look would conclude that Ware is indeed an "advocate for full constitutional protections for dispossessed American citizens on the margins of society."
Ware explained on Jan. 18 that for ex-offenders who have served their sentences, have reintegrated into society and are paying taxes, to be denied the right to participate in the political process amounts to taxation without representation. His constant and committed advocacy on behalf of such citizens alone makes him a voice for the voiceless and is indication of his concerns for inclusive civil rights. Furthermore, Ware was instrumental in making this event happen. He not only talks the talk, he walks the walk. I for one feel fortunate to have such a representative champion this important cause.
As Americans in general and African Americans in particular, we must realize the need to be patient with our elected officials and considerate of the challenges they face in addressing the concerns of all constituents. Remember: The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.
