Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell received some push back for attempting to declare April Confederate History Month recently. The action was disturbing to many African Americans, because celebrating the confederacy is tantamount to celebrating a government that clearly argued that black people were inferior and needed to be slaves.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour actually backed McDonnell by saying that slavery was "just a nit" and that the conversation about slavery "doesn't amount to diddly."

I am not sure how any elected official can presume that slavery, a holocaust as bad or worse than the one that occurred in Nazi Germany, was just a tiny little inconvenience in our nation's past. For Barbour to say that the conversation on slavery "doesn't amount to diddly," shows his ignorance and is a healthy reminder that the demons of racism still exist in America.
Let's be clear: The Confederacy lasted only four years, and one of its fundamental reasons for existing was to maintain the institution of slavery. There is no other way to slice it, dice it or spin it. Barbour and McDonnell are the perfect leaders for our generation, since they are the most glaring reminders of exactly what kind of racism is lined up to attack President Barack Obama in the White House. Without men like this in office, we would have a much harder time pointing out just how bad racism is in America today.

What's also interesting is that the actions of these two governors (who should have been born 200 years ago) are a clear response to the racist anger that has erupted since Obama took over as President. I've never seen Americans get so riled up over health care or similar political issues. Obama has been called "the most radical president in history," by Newt Gingrich, which is incorrect. Barack Obama is not radical, he is simply black. The supportive response by many Republicans to the idea of a Confederate History Month probably means that they are not celebrating the confederacy IN SPITE of slavery, but that they are celebrating it BECAUSE OF slavery. In other words, if slavery had never ended, they wouldn't have their problems with the "uppity negro" in the White House.

The behavior of many Americans today would make Adolf Hitler proud. Barbour and McDonell are simply doing what many Americans would like to see, especially in the South. The Republican party's lack of response to this kind of racism is a clear reminder of what they stand for and the fact that they haven't yet learned to respect African Americans. This is clearly a shame.



Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the author of the new book, 'Black American Money.' To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here.