This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I find it inexplicable — and disturbing — that not one elected Republican official accepted the offer to speak at the event commemorating the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963.
That historic gathering, highlighted by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s moving and oft-quoted "I Have a Dream" speech, was a watershed moment in American history, marking the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Now, 150 years later, that seminal moment should have brought the entire country together, including (in the words of MLK himself) "black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestant and Catholic." And, considering the current antagonistic political climate, he could have added, "Democrats and Republicans."
But no. Instead, the Republicans were noticeably absent, probably fearing that their participation in anything implying collegiality with Democrats — especially if Barack Obama were involved — would offend their ultraconservative base. Shameful.
Linda Marion
Salt Lake City