The author is a political commentator and host of the podcast, "Detroit in Black and White."
By Adolph Mongo
John James
While I disagree with the politics of Republican congressman, John James, Macomb County 10th Congressional District, I thought he was an intelligent and smart young man. But, evidently he is not.
Even though, I know he’s a well-read scholar of history, a well-educated graduate of West Point, and an army veteran who served his country with honor. But somehow he has gotten lost along the way.
James has no excuse or excuses for why he was standing with former President Donald Trump, and several law enforcement officers in Howell, Michigan, a city known in the Black community as a sundown town. A city that Black people feared driving through, getting stranded in, and terrified of getting caught there at night.
As a kid growing up in the 1960’s, the headquarters of the Michigan Klu Klux Klan was located in Howell. And the Grand Dragon of the state organization, was an army veteran named Robert Miles. Miles, a prominent land owner in the city, was an avowed racist and anti-Semitic. He advocated that the city resists any attempt to integrate by any means necessary.
Most sundown towns sprung up in the south during Reconstruction. But many northern cities such as Detroit and Howell, had covenants that restricted white homeowners from selling their homes to black families, thus alleviating the need to be labeled sundown areas.
Trump and his advisors should have been aware of Howell’s reputation and if they were not, James should have made them aware of it. To use the city as the back drop of his press conference was a slap in the face to Black voters he claims to want to attract.
Clearly, the press conference was another sign from the Trump campaign that they are reaching out to hate groups and individuals that hate people of color, for their support. James, a son of a successful Black businessman, should have known that.
But obviously, James didn’t care. He stood tall with Trump. Not a good sign from a representative that claims to represent everyone in his district.
It is unbelievable that Black Republicans, and especially Black Republican elected officials, have allowed themselves to be denigrated by Trump and other GOP leaders, just to be accepted in the party’s old boys’ club.
James stood with a man who has called Black women, “stupid, ugly, and promiscuous.” He stood with a man that called for the execution of five innocent young men of color.
James is completely silent when Trump and other GOP leaders give false narratives that Black people are not smart enough to be leaders. That Black students shouldn’t be admitted into top tier universities or appointed to our service academies.
Shame on you John James. What have you done since you got elected almost two years ago to support the voters of your district?
It seems that the Trump campaign is making it a point to hold rallies and press conferences in towns and cities that have long histories of lynching’s and discrimination. After Charlottesville, Trump said there were good Nazis and good white nationalists.
So, standing with Trump in Howell sent a bad message to those voters in your district, especially Black voters.
Being in Howell is a dog whistle to those people who advocate for a race war.
Ronald Reagan did the same thing in 1979, when he made his announcement in Philadelphia, Mississippi, that he was running for president in the very city where three civil rights workers, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner were brutally murdered in 1963. They had been working with the Freedom Summer campaign by attempting to register African Americans in Mississippi to vote.
Congressman James, do you think Jewish leaders would give you and Trump a pass if your campaign held a press conference and political rally were held at the Auschwitz concentration camp?
Congressman James has shown he does not deserve to be reelected in Macomb County 10th district.
