Notes From D.R. | Random Thoughts on the Passing Scene

Will we ever see someone with the courage of Rosa Parks again in our lifetime?

I’m sure that question was on the minds of the millions of Americans who paid tribute to the civil rights icon, who passed away last week. As people from all walks of life–all races, all religions, and all political affiliations–remembered the woman who refused to bow down when ordered to obey the deranged directives of Jim Crow, they undoubtedly paused for just a moment to ponder whether they would ever see a modern-day example of the civility and moral courage that Parks demonstrated when she said no to segregation fifty years ago.

Those who wonder need not wonder any longer. There is a current example of someone refusing to submit to the current political order, someone who is willing to stand for principle in the face of bitter condemnation. This time, however, it’s not a woman in Alabama making the stand–instead, it’s a man in Maryland.

As radical as it may sound to some ears, Michael Steele may very well be the Rosa Parks of our era. Just as fifty years ago, Parks fought valiantly against the notion of racial supremacy, so too does Steele now fight against the notion of political supremacy. Parks challenged the belief that blacks ought not to do as they wish. Today, Steele challenges the belief that blacks ought not to think as they wish.

Just as Parks threatened the political order of the time by asserting black personal freedom, Steele today threatens the current politically correct order by asserting black ideological freedom. And for this, Steele, like Parks, has been subjected to personal recrimination–in this case, left-wing websites subjecting him to brutal racial caricature and a political party openly declaring that they will make his color an issue when launching campaign attacks. So far, however, all indications are that Steele, like Parks, will not give in to these cowardly assaults against his character.

Blacks have gained tremendous personal freedoms in the five decades since Parks made her stand by sitting down. However, if there is one freedom that blacks still do not have, it is the freedom to choose party affiliation as one wishes without being subjected to scurrilous, unsubstantiated charges of self-hatred and bitter attempts at character assassination. Just this week, a Milwaukee newspaper suggested that Clarence Thomas, because of his political affiliation, should not really be considered black. Since when is one’s political alliance a qualification for being considered an actual member of one’s race?

Steele is waging war against all this, and that is why the far left is hellbent on breaking him down, just as segregationists tried to destroy Parks’ will. Then as now, it’s all about power. The Jim Crow cronies of the ’50s couldn’t tolerate Parks because, if her vision of colorblind law was achieved, they’d lose power. Similarly, the far left of today can’t tolerate Steele because he has the potential to make black voters in Maryland (and, perhaps, elsewhere?) reconsider their allegiance to the Democratic Party–and as James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal notes today, if black voters ever started to turn away from the Democratic Party in noticeable numbers, the Democrats would end up at the back of the political bus.

Like Parks fifty years ago, Steele is a target of those desperate to maintain the racial and political status quo. However, like Parks, Steele will not be moved, and he will see things through to victory. Who knows…a few decades from now, we might be showering Steele with the same richly-deserved accolades that Parks received this week. True leaders deserve that.

UPDATE: More from Michelle Malkin and the Washington Times.

SECOND UPDATE: Steele fights back.