Injustice anywhere offends all of us

Letter Published in Baltimore Sun--

Dec. 26, 2006

Leonard Pitts' column condemning all forms of discrimination is right on the mark ("Black or white, gay or straight, discrimination is still discrimination," Opinion • Commentary, Dec. 17).
Mr. Pitts accurately drew a correlation with the struggle for equal rights for gays and lesbians and the black civil rights movement of the 1960s.

During that era, many gays and lesbians joined arm-in-arm with their black brothers and sisters in taking part in marches in the South.

They also pushed for black voter registration in Selma, Montgomery and other campaigns in the civil rights movement in an effort to expand democracy to all of America's citizens and foster social justice. And often they risked their lives in the effort.

While there are African-Americans who are loath to equate the two movements, a significant number of black civil rights leaders, elected officials, prominent clergy and others recognize the contributions of gays and lesbians in the black civil rights movement and see gay rights as part of the broader quest for human rights.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Kweisi Mfume, Julian Bond, Rep. John Lewis and the late Coretta Scott King come to mind.

Mrs. King, who knew a thing or two about civil rights, once said, "I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people and I should stick to the issue of racial justice. ... But I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King Jr. said, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'"

Mr. Pitts echoes Dr. King's view that discrimination of any kind is unjust, and I applaud him for that.

Steve Charing

Clarksville