Friday, September 26, 2014

why we fight.

a moment of clarity.

words. 

"Early in his term, Holder got a lot of flak for saying, in a speech on black history, that we were “a nation of cowards” for not confronting our racist legacy. Perhaps he could have chosen better words, but I suspect the sharp reactions were more a response to the truth he had articulated. We have a long way to go if we are ever to bring the criminal-justice system into line with its promise of equality before the law. Many will remember Holder for his about-face on trying Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in criminal court in Manhattan, or his run-ins with Congress over a gun-running investigation. But those were blips on the horizon. Holder’s real legacy lies in his refusal to be a coward on matters of race, and his courage in using the power and influence of his office to press the arc of our criminal law a little closer toward justice."

THE NEW YORKER: No Coward on Race 

SEE ALSO:

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Eric Holder's Legacy

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