By Perly Viasmensky
A eulogy expresses an appreciation for the deceased that enhances the existing emotional and spiritual connections between the person who died and the living, focusing a listener’s appreciation on the life lost, especially for the immediate family of the deceased.
Former President Barrack Obama’s eulogy for Congressman John Lewis was not about the man and all his accomplishments in life; it was a political speech expressing his own thoughts, as always, to please his ego so people would rise up and applaud him, stealing the moment from
the man who was part of the history of this country.
Obama doesn’t waste a moment to display his profound hate for President Donald Trump and spill his venom. “There are those in power who are doing their darndest to discourage people from voting… attacking our voting rights… even undermining the postal service in the run-up to an election that’s going to be dependent on mail-in ballots so people don’t get sick,” expressed Obama.
“Today we witness with our own eyes police officers kneeling on the necks of black Americans,” Obama continued. “George Wallace may be gone, but we can witness our federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators.”
It would have been easier for Mr. Obama to speak not only to the people present at Mr. Lewis’ funeral, but to the hundreds of young people that have heard about Mr. John Lewis but have no knowledge of his life and his accomplishments, leaving politics aside.
Young rebels of today need to learn and understand the mission of Mr. John Lewis who did not believe in violence. As a young boy, he was inspired by the activism surrounding the my wife caught me in Montgomery Bus Boycott and the words of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., which he heard on radio broadcasts.
During the height of the Movement, from 1963 to 1966, Lewis was named Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which he helped form.
“Student NONVIOLENT Committee! Did you hear that Mr. Obama?” What we controlling are seeing now are NOT peaceful protests. What we see now on a daily basis are violent protests destroying our monuments and erasing our history.
Mr. John Lewis was often called one of the most courageous persons the Civil Rights Movement ever produced, a man who dedicated his life to protecting human rights, securing civil liberties, and building what he called ‘The Beloved Community’ in America.
Mr. Obama claims we can now witness the federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators. When people go violently to destroy monuments, statues, and federal buildings they are not peaceful demonstrators. Since statues are destroyed and history erased, you would think that at least those federal agents would want to protect the federal buildings that were not built by the Obama administration.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Congressman John Lewis have been an inspiration to many people: blacks, whites, and any other race you want to think of. Both are part of our history; we deeply hope those “peaceful demonstrators” don’t plan to destroy that part of our history also.
* * * * *
Perly Viasmensky is the General Manager of the Las Vegas Tribune. She writes a weekly column in this newspaper. To contact Perly Viasmensky, email her at pviasmensky@lasvegastribune.co
Follow