A view from South Carolina
by Jordon Cooper
It felt like South Carolina hit rock bottom after the Civil War in the 19th century. Still, we bounced back like a yoyo when we took heed that we were not where we needed to be. The execution-style gunfire in downtown Charleston where my late mother was raised, went to high school, and college is a reminder that hate is still festering in some people.
Still, we must not falter in our cultural defects and must remember how far we have come to get to a radiant future. Then, continue on that path to better days. The first Asian-American female governor in the Americas signed the first fully slated bill in the U.S. to equip all police officers in a state with body cameras. This is a major step toward more probity in our government and transparency for our citizens. That will significantly lessen the chance of another Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Walter Scott, and other highly controversial shootings that happened in the past.
So, South Carolina has been branded as being a secessionist state even though we have many states that choose to split off from federal laws to choose their own. Our past’s disaffiliation with the union is seen as a disdain and not a constitutional right like it is sacredly regarded today. Therefore, we need to reevaluate our interpretation of what has happened, what needs to be done, and where we need to go forward. Becoming more long-thought winded will aid us in the times to come to be more competent to self-correct our society.
The atrocious acts committed by a young, callow, and irrational individual this past week should be a sign that we need to rectify our past wrecks with guiding this state. We need a fresh mental outlook for our state. Iniquities have been committed for as long as we and our ancestors can remember.
We cannot remove our heritage and history. As a matter of fact, the Confederate Battle flag is part of both of those categories, and it has been recognized as such by all levels of government with people from every way of life. Governor Haley took a very brave stance in her opinion on the Confederate Battle Flag, but the flag is part of an historical time in our state’s total history that is agreed upon by a voluminous amount of academics. We can intercede, forgive, and praise but never completely forget. If we do our lessons from failures, teachings from achievements, and perspectives for the times in-between will be adrift.
I am a member of an AME Church, a South Carolinian, and a black man. I do not remove any of this even with the civil freedom to do so and cannot remove any of this sociologically. It is the watermark of my originality.
The same way we cannot move this repugnant happening by one of our own South Carolinians from the court records and our opinions. It is here to stay and we are too. So, we must live with it.
We are a land of immigrants — not intolerants.
The AME church has been a spiritual haven for blacks and others who associate since the inception of slavery in the modern day United States. There is nothing that could have been done to prevent this incident from occurring. The police and media do not have a public legal obligation to cover, protect, or observe any situation in America unless it is written on the code of laws. Truthfully, the media determines how long they present a story, too.
In short: this shooting is a test of the moral values, ethical values, natural law, and positive legal values that are instilled in us since we were born. That is to be Americans. So we must ask ourselves: how are we living? It should be to be here to enjoy the interactions we have with one another — and to learn from one another to better mankind.
Jordan Cooper is a USC graduate who played football under Coach Steve Spurrier. He was the youngest African American to serve on a gubernatorial campaign staff at the age of 13 under then Congressman Bobby Jindal as his Co-Chair for Blacks for Jindal. He was the first African American to serve in the Gov. and Lt. Gov’s offices in S.C. as a Constituent Correspondent and Special Assistant respectively (Haley/Bauer). He was also the youngest to serve in on a GOP presidential campaign staff in America and youngest black Co-Chair of a Congressional campaign (Bauer for Congress 2012).