Davis: Juneteenth should be elevated

Posted on June 20, 2020
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis was in Springfield on Friday. (Dave Dahl/WJBC)

 

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – A Downstate Republican says if he gets the opportunity, he will support making Juneteenth a national holiday.

The June 19 celebration of the anniversary of the end of slavery has a high profile following weeks of rallies against police brutality of blacks. U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Taylorville), at an event along Martin Luther King, Jr., Drive in Springfield Friday, voiced his support.

“What we do in the future will never go fast enough to take hate out of the hearts of those who think someone should be treated differently because of the way they look,” said Davis, who noted in Springfield Friday it’s the territory of the Great Emancipator, former President Abraham Lincoln.

“We need to do more. We will do more at the federal level.”

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…