Jackson Free Press

"If thou desire the love of God and man, be humble, for the proud heart, as it loves none but itself, is beloved of none but itself. Humility enforces where neither virtue, nor strength, nor reason can prevail."
— Francis Quarles

What has happened over the last month is the result of a lot of arrogance. Let us start with the big story over the last two weeks: the conviction of Edgar Ray Killen. Regardless of what you may feel about the verdict, it is no doubt that arrogance played a major role in this case starting 41 years ago.

Killen and a number of his friends, in their arrogance, thought that Mississippi was a state that belonged to white citizens. They did not respect the rights of blacks, despite what the U.S. Constitution and the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments said. That led them to commit the heinous act of taking the lives of Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner and James Chaney in June 1964.

After Killen avoided prosecution in 1967, his arrogance never subsided. Let us fast forward to September 2004, when Richard Barrett wanted to invite Killen to sign autographs on postcards, depicting lynchings no less, at the Mississippi State Fair. Up to that point, Killen had boasted to several folks about his involvement with the 1964 murders. To those who share his arrogance, Killen was considered a hero, but that arrogance proved to be his undoing.

Seeing that Killen was healthy enough and bold enough to appear at a public event, Attorney General Jim Hood pushed to put Killen on trial. The rest we can now say is history. However, that was not the only example of arrogance this June 2005.

Right after the guilty verdict in the Killen trial, Ben Chaney, the brother of James Chaney, expressed his disgust over the governor of our state, Haley Barbour, wearing the state flag of Mississippi on his lapel, which has a symbol that, fair or not, elicits negative connotations of our state, especially to those who lost loved ones to violent acts based on racist hate that the symbol represents to so many.

In all fairness to the governor, it is the state flag. If he doesn't wear the flag on his lapel, what message would that send, especially since 65 percent of the citizens who voted in the 2001 special election chose that flag?

The governor's act of arrogance is not about what he is wearing, but how he responded. Barbour said if Chaney doesn't like it, "tough." Tough? Governor, with all due respect, did they find your brother buried in an earthen dam, beaten and shot, in the state where that flag flies? Did you attend the funeral of your murdered brother at the age of 10 years old, in the state where that flag flies? Could you have waited 41 years for the state that flies that flag to bring the young Mississippian's killer to justice?

Motivational speaker and entrepreneur Jim Rohn once said, "The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly." It would seem that Gov. Barbour failed these criteria with his insensitive, arrogant response.

Speaking of failing, the ultimate act of arrogance has to be the fact that both of Mississippi's U.S. senators refused to sign a non-binding resolution that apologized for the institution's opposition to anti-lynching legislation. Sen. Thad Cochran was further arrogant in saying that he would not apologize for something he did not do. Sen. Lott was further arrogant in not responding at all as to why he did not sign. In a state where more than 500 people were killed by mobs seeking their own warped form of justice, what luxury, other than arrogance, could these distinguished gentlemen have in not signing?

There are those who said the apology was just symbolic and should be held in no importance. Tell that to the survivors of those who were lynched, who came to the nation's Capitol to witness the apology. Besides, all of the events mentioned were about symbolism. In a society where the symbol of Jesus' crucifixion is revered, despite how the KKK abused it, we have to be sensitive to symbolism, especially to the black citizens of this state who have historically endured hardship. In other words, we have to act with humility, not arrogance, when it comes to these matters.

By this article, I could be accused of being arrogant enough to be judgmental about the aforementioned individuals. I am humble enough to accept that criticism. Considering what I have recently observed, I would not be alone in my arrogance.