Earlier this month, a young black man on the streets of Sherman Park decried the destruction that followed the shooting death of a criminal by a Milwaukee Police officer. Standing before a smoldering gas station, Quinlan Bishop described the path of destruction.
Later, in an appearance on my show, Quinlan said of the rioters, “If there was an agenda, it wasn’t a positive one, because nothing positive can come from destruction.”
As a father and former teacher I have spent too many hours reading Dr. Seuss, and as Quinlan spoke, I could not get the image of Horton and the Whos out of my mind.
In his story, Horton Hears a Who, Theodor Seuss Geisel (otherwise known as Dr. Seuss) tells the tale of Horton, the elephant, and a community of microscopic people… the Whos. Horton must convince the occupants of his world that the Whos exist.
After stumbling across the Whos, Horton is subjected to ridicule and threats by those who can’t hear the Whos. Only after the Whos rise up to have their voices heard, do Horton’s friends join him in serving the Whos. And what do the Whos want? What do the Whos need?
Equality.
In Obama’s world, the Americans of African descent who accept personal responsibility and embrace traditional values – and there are millions of them – are the unheard Whos. They are crying out for safe neighborhoods. They are critical of a welfare system that destroyed their families. They say things like Quinlan did on my show: “We have to choose between right and wrong. I can understand that things will happen to us every day of our lives…but we do have a choice if we’re going to react right or if we’re going to react wrong.”
Horton must be a metaphor for conservatives. After all, the elephant is the symbol of the Republican Party; the same party that freed the slaves and the party to which Martin Luther King, Jr. belonged; the same party that through mainstream media manipulation morphed into the perceived party of wealthy racist white men.
If we do not return to our roots, the roots that Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington, Dr. King, and others planted, we can’t help the Whos.
We must help the Whos.
While Obama holds the megaphone for the angry voices of Black Lives Matter, we must do the same for the Quinlans of this world. We must ensure that their voices are heard far and wide.
If we are to survive as a Republic, we must hear the Whos. They are in every community waiting to be heard.
Listen to Quinlan here.
James T. Harris is a conservative radio show host and social media sensei. You can find him on KQTH, 104.1 FM on your radio dial or live streaming.