Mark Meadows' birther history puts the lie to his thoughts on race | By Issac Bailey for CNNOpinion
Issac Bailey was the 2016 James K. Batten Professor of Public Policy at Davidson College. He was a 2014 Harvard University Nieman fellow and is the author of"My Brother Moochie: Regaining Dignity in the Midst of Crime, Poverty, and Racism in the American South" . Follow him on Twitter: @ijbailey. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author; view more opinion articles on CNN.
A white man who helped spread the racist conspiracy that Barack Obama wasn't really American put a black woman on display, as though at a slave auction, to defend the white man who did more than anyone else to take birtherism national against legitimate charges of racism. Then, that white man reacted with outrage and hurt when a woman of color called him out for what he had done.
Issac BaileyThough North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows said Thursday he does not support his 2012 comments about sending then-President Obama"back to Kenya," his stunt during Wednesday's public hearing with Michael Cohen wasn't the most revealing moment of the ugliness and complexity of American racial politics that unfolded before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Wednesday.
Panelist scorches Meadows for 'laughable' display 02:12Literal slavery wasn't at stake Wednesday, of course. But the exchange, in which Meadows loudly cried foul, said he had black family members and that Cummings was a good friend even after Meadows had -- as Tlaib rightly pointed out -- just committed an ugly, racist act in the committee room, is the latest example of the racial divide that remains in effect in the United States more than a century and a half after the Civil War.
Baldwin: This is not just about hearing, but listening 05:01And I used to let them, even after I knew they had crossed into racism or defended a church structure that all but ensured white church members would be the leaders and black ones relegated to following. It felt necessary in order to maintain relationships I knew would mean daily interactions I couldn't avoid -- and in some ways still cherished.
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