Letters: Don’t diminish work of civil rights activists

I recently saw a Democratic woman rant about Bernie Sanders being a liar about his civil rights activism as a young man. Her reasoning was that she was at the March on Washington and never saw him. This reminded me of the similar comments from U.S. Rep. John Lewis, one of the most recognized faces in the Congressional Black Caucus.

It is beyond shameful to minimalize or deny the efforts of anyone who has fought to promote civil rights — especially when those efforts are well-documented, as in the case of Bernie Sanders.

Every civil rights movement has names associated with it. But the reality is that every movement owes its success to countless nameless supporters who struggled, fought and sacrificed to promote equality.

Few civil rights movements fully succeed. African-Americans generally do not receive the same opportunities as other citizens. Women generally receive lower wages than their male counterparts. Gay and lesbian employees do not always receive the same workplace protections as their heterosexual peers. Demeaning the activism of an individual does nothing but discourage others from picking up the cause.

For the sake of future civil rights battles, let’s encourage people to take up the cause, not sit in the shadows.

This story was originally published February 25, 2016 at 1:49 PM.