Taking pride in Cape’s native son

Since long before the Civil War was fought - largely over the moral question of slavery - key individuals have stood up against the inherent injustice and wrongheadedness of that institution and its racist roots. Their courage and bravery forced the nation to confront slavery and move toward its abolition.

And while the Union’s victory ensured the long-lasting legality and effect of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, all those right-minded efforts only began the process of removing the racist stain left on the fabric of our national culture by nearly a century of legalized slavery.

Delaware’s Cape Region can take pride in knowing that one of its native sons, Bryan Stevenson, has joined the ranks of those key individuals who have dedicated their lives to battling for justice and against the sinister influences of racism. Cape Henlopen High School’s most illustrious graduate now resides in Montgomery, Alabama, headquarters for his Equal Justice Initiative.

Cape Gazette Reporter Chris Flood traveled there recently for dedication of the organization’s Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice.

The museum and memorial’s stark portrayal of lynchings and other atrocities born of slavery and racism will provoke discussion and questions that will lay the foundation for necessary conversations about race and justice.

They will inform those conversations for decades to come, and ensure they are grounded in truth and honesty.

It may take a century or more before racism begins to disappear from this planet. Gradually, if our species lasts that long, we will become one race through natural processes. In the meantime, the enlightenment required to melt the ignorance that allows the deep negativity of racism and its associated injustice to persist will be slow in spreading. But it will do so because of the commitment and courage of people like Bryan Stevenson.