Re: 'Reparations, systemic racism and the Democratic Party' [Village News, Letter, 9/10/20]

Trying to politicize racism is a cheap-shot and trying to rewrite history to support that position is uncalled for. That said, there’s way more than enough racism to go round. Maynard manages to go off the rails fairly quickly, invalidating his position entirely. For example, he mentions the Northern Democrats in passing, not noting how significant their influence was on the Party.

The slavery issue divided the Democrats: the North Democrats stood fast – and so did the Southern Democrats, precipitating the Civil War. Eleven states formed the Confederacy: Alabama, Arkansas, (North and South) Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

Later, subsequent to the passage of civil rights legislation, many white southerners switched to the Republican Party at the national level. Many scholars argue that Southern whites shifted to the Republican Party due to racial conservatism. In particular, look at the “Republicans’ Southern Strategy to increase political support among white voters in the South by appealing to racism against African Americans, according to Wikipedia. In those former Confederate states, nostalgia still runs high for the “good old days.” For many, the Civil War wasn’t and isn’t over; they have fought tooth and nail every step of the way against equality for Blacks. Is it any wonder Blacks prefer the Democratic Party?

Those former Confederate states are red, not blue, so it’s no coincidence that 10 of those 11 states voted for Trump.

John H. Terrell