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Southern Christian Leadership Conference: Some people are more equal than others
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The Rev. Eric P. Lee, president of the Los Angeles chapter of the seminal civil rights organization the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, is facing removal from his post because he supports civil rights. Lee came out vociferously against California's Proposition 8 banning gay marriage, which apparently did not please the folks at SCLC headquarters. They have commanded to him to appear in Atlanta to make a personal account of himself, and he has refused to do so.
Obviously, there is so much irony here that you could build a giant robot.
Before one begins throwing stones, of course, it's prudent to see if the SCLC had been officially opposed to gay marriage all along, likely on religious grounds. If so, one might plausibly argue that Lee should not have joined a group that held such a position.
Not so much. Per the New York Times:
[Lee] was told, he said, by the group’s interim president, Byron Clay, that the organization publicly had a neutral position on the issue.
Oh. So does that mean if the SCLC is also neutral on ice cream flavors, and Lee writes an op-ed in the Sacramento Bee arguing for Chubby Hubby's superiority, that he ought to be fired? Bad example. Probably a poor use of the SCLC's time. A better question is why would an organization dedicated to equal rights be neutral on such an issue? Perhaps the first C in SCLC has something to do with it. Whatever the reason, I would assume they were not neutral on the issue of biracial marriage.
So let's see if their official mission statement can help us sort this out.
In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) is renewing its commitment to bring about the promise of “one nation, under God, indivisible” together with the commitment to activate the “strength to love” within the community of humankind.
Well, the "under God" part at least implies subscription to some kind of religious doctrine, and we know they are Christian, but lots of Christians support marriage equality. So far, the mission statement only supports the reasoning that they should be in favor of marriage equality, particularly since it believes that we must find the "strength to love." That does take strength, particularly when it comes to people different from you, as they well know.
Under the heading "The Organization," the website tells us:
The SCLC is a nonprofit, non-sectarian, inter-faith, advocacy organization that is committed to non-violent action to achieve social, economic, and political justice.
Wow, this is not getting any better. "Social, economic and political justice"? "Committed"? Sounds more and more like they're in violation of their own position.
This goes on. Under "Organization Focus," the SCLC states:
To promote spiritual principles within our membership and local communities; to educate youth and adults in the areas of personal responsibility, leadership potential, and community service; to ensure economic justice and civil rights in the areas of discrimination and affirmative action; and to eradicate environmental classism and racism wherever it exists.
Again, justice and civil rights. It does not say "but not so much for the gays" or "only for conservative Christians." Indeed, the organization description in the previous clipping makes a point of noting that it is "non-sectarian" and "inter-faith." Perhaps they are concerned that gay believers will marry gay atheists. Now that would be trouble.
It is understandable when nonprofits and advocacy organizations refrain from taking stances on issues that either aren't part of their focus or are in conflict with it. But the SCLC's own words, its own mission statement, says that it is committed to action for the cause of civil rights and social justice, period. It does not qualify, it does not exclude. And to threaten termination of one of its leaders because he holds a principled, positive position on this issue that is fully consistent with the mission statement of the group at least implies organizational opposition.
As the Rev. Lee told the LA Times, "Any time one group of people are denied the same rights as other people, it is unequivocally a denial of civil rights." Here's hoping that he keeps fighting for this extremely just cause, despite the anachronistic position of his national organization. But unfortunately, it seems that to the Southern Christian Leadership Council (many decades now removed from the days of Dr. King), all people are equal, but some people are more equal than others.
I hate it that Orwell keeps turning out to be right.
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