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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Lied at Southwest Conference and Festivals this weekend when she hinted that former President Reagan was a racist. His assertion that Reagan "oppose" the whites of the white working class to minorities in order to taunt all Americans of the working class, "particularly African Americans and Hispanics, is both false and malevolent. Did not do anything of the sort.
If Ocasio-Cortez had bothered to do her homework, she would have found the opposite.
As governor of California, Reagan has appointed more African Americans to the government than any former state director general. In the 1980 presidential campaign, Reagan was approved by civil rights leaders Ralph Abernathy, Charles Evers and Hosea Williams.
It is Reagan who signed the bill that made the birthday of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr a national holiday. Here is what he said at the signing ceremony:
In America, in the 1950s and 1960s, one of the major crises we faced was racial discrimination. The man whose words and deeds in this crisis pushed our country to the bottom of his soul was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. … Our country has now decided to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by reserving one day each year remember him and the just cause that he was defending. We have made historic steps since Rosa Parks refused to go to the back of the bus. As a democratic people, we can be proud to know that we Americans have recognized a serious injustice and taken steps to correct it. And we must remember that in far too many countries, people like Mr. King never have the opportunity to speak. … But traces of fanaticism are still present in America. So, every year, on Martin Luther King Day, we remember not only Dr. King, but we dedicate ourselves again to the commandments He believed in and sought to live every day.
President Reagan has appointed the first African-American, Colin Powell, National Security Advisor and the first Hispanic, Lauro Cavazos, to the position of Secretary of Education for his cabinet.
In 1980, the then candidate, Reagan, received over 43% of the Hispanic vote.
Reagan supported the creation of a state for Puerto Rico.
As for one of the most common stories that Reagan was racist, the corruption of Linda Taylor – the "queen of assistance" in Chicago to which Reagan was referring in speeches – was documented both in the Washington Post and the New York Times. He did not invent that.
The Reagan administration has created more than 18 million jobs and launched a series of 26 years of economic growth. Far from being a divisive force, Reagan left office with the support of 70 percent of Americans and 41 percent of African Americans. Its president was the most unifying since John F. Kennedy.
Reagan supported corporate zones in an effort to increase downtown prosperity, but was stuck for eight years by speakers Tip O'Neill, D-Mass. And Jim Wright, D-Texas.
Reagan was accused of many things, but no one who knew him or studied him has ever claimed that he was racist. He never judged anyone based on the color of his skin because he had been raised to treat everyone the same way. His father, Jack, refused to allow his son to see "The Birth of a Nation" because of its racist content, while it was one of Woodrow Wilson's favorite films. Reagan has brought that feeling of equality into his heart all his life.
It is well known that when he was at university, on a football team trip in 1931, the Reagan team had stayed at a hotel where African Americans were not allowed. Reagan took two of his African-American teammates to his next house, where they spent the night with his family.
Ocasio-Cortez has the right to defend the positions of its choice, as opposed to American values and our way of life. That's the beauty of our system. But she does not have the right to lie; nobody in the public service is. She owes Ronald Reagan and the public apologies.
Craig Shirley is the author of four best-selling books by former President Reagan and is Reagan Visiting Researcher at Eureka College. Mark Weinberg, President Reagan's longtime assistant during and after his presidency, is the author of Movie nights with reagans .
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