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By Sabrina Eaton, Plain Dealer Washington Reporter The Plain Dealer
on July 30, 2013 at 6:25 PM, updated July 30, 2013 at 7:12 PM
Even though they don't control the House of Representatives this term, Democrats can still make points by booking meeting rooms and inviting witnesses to testify at unofficial hearings on Capitol Hill.
On Tuesday, the Congressional Black Caucus led by Marcia Fudge of Warrensville Heights, used that prerogative to convene a "conversation on race and justice in America" where they expressed displeasure with events like the Supreme Court's decision to strike down portions of the federal Voting Rights Act and the acquittal of Florida neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who fatally shot unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin last year.
Calling race "a topic that has too long been a thorn in the side of this nation," Fudge said she expected to include Republicans in the discussion, as well, "once we can figure out how we want to talk about it ourselves."
She said members of her group are working on legislation to address racial profiling, overturn "stand your ground" laws, and restore parts of the Voting Rights Act that the U.S. Supreme Court overturned.
"We must get serious about acknowledging the impact racial profiling, violence and inequitable treatment under the law is having on our communities, and of particular concern to me, on our young people," Fudge said. "We must be vocal and honest about the impact of attacks on our civil, constitutional and economic rights that thousands of people of all races fought and died to protect."
Speakers at the gathering, including Maya Wiley of the Center for Social Inclusion, said racism has been on the rise since President Barack Obama was elected president in 2008. She cited a 2012 poll by the Associated Press that found 51 percent of Americans expressing "explicit anti-black" views, compared with 48 percent in a similar 2008 survey.
Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson said he believes economic uncertainty is behind a "rise in a vicious tone of racism" that he has perceived, as people who feel anxious express "animus towards anyone who is different or seems to be a threat."
"The inauguration of the first black president, I think, brought this whole thing to a head for a lot of people," Robinson said. Read more at Sabrina Eaton, Plain Dealer Washington Reporter
