“Character is the tree, reputation is the shadow.” —Abraham Lincoln,16th US President, 1809-1865
“Good wombs have borne bad sons.” —William Shakespeare,The Tempest, 1610-11, (Act I, Scene 12)
On February 15th we celebrated President’s Day. Originally established in 1885 to recognize George Washington’s birthday (February 22). In 1968 the Uniform Monday Holiday Act added Lincoln’s birthday (February 12) and permanently moved the holiday to a Monday so we could have a three-day weekend honoring all US presidents.
With the departure of arguably the worst president in US history and the inauguration of Joseph R. Biden as the 46th US president, it’s a good time to pause and look at the office of the president and the standards we hold for the occupant of the White House.
In the wake of the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor America’s history of racism, injustice, and persecution against people of color came to the forefront of our consciousness and made us reconsider our honored heroes and how they conducted their lives.
Were our revered presidents model citizens, or did they harbor traits that in today’s world would be considered not only contemptible—but criminal?
A number of US presidents were slave owners. Some harbored racist attitudes and made racist comments. Presidents have also been accused of corruption, while others were known to have engaged in sexual misconduct.
Their names now grace monuments, buildings, airports, schools, streets, and US currency. Should their character flaws be enough for us to delete their namesake?
We need to teach our children that our presidents and leaders did great things, but like most mortals, they also had character flaws?
Having taken the day off to honor our presidents and the role of leadership, consider the words of former First Lady, Michelle Obama, “I’ve seen firsthand that being president doesn’t change who you are. It reveals who you are.”
To see more of Jeff Key's artwork:
Sculpturesite Gallery: https://sculpturesite.com/
Website: www.jeffmkey.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffmkey/
No comments:
Post a Comment