Norman C. Francis – a name the left loves to parade around when talking about civil rights and education. Now he’s gone, passing away at 94. But let’s cut through the media spin and remember what’s really at play when liberals line up to cheer their “heroes.” Francis made his name in the civil rights movement and was handed the nation’s highest civilian honor by a Democrat president. But these days, all the high-flying awards and glowing headlines can’t mask the chronic failures of progressive leadership.
After Hurricane Katrina, liberals in charge bungled New Orleans recovery at every step. While Francis worked on rebuilding, bureaucrats doled out feel-good speeches, all while thousands suffered in squalor. The federal government took their sweet time, and local blue-state politics turned the rescue into a circus. Francis was a leading man on the ground, but does one inspiring individual fix the rot? Of course not. An army of Francis-types couldn’t clean up the mess created by a system addicted to big government and red tape.
The left likes to dress up history, telling kids that civil rights victories just “happened” because of good intentions and peaceful protests. They rarely admit it took real backbone and sometimes ugly fights. Francis certainly worked hard for equal rights, but where are those same liberal voices when today’s black Americans ask for school choice, safe neighborhoods, and honest jobs? Instead, progressives give us more government dependency and broken promises.
You’ll hear the mainstream media gush over the Presidential Medal of Freedom Francis received. But these same outlets ignore everyday Americans who quietly build up their towns, serve their churches, or run small businesses in the face of government overreach. Elite awards won’t change the fact that the progressive machine uses people like Francis as props – as long as they fit the right narrative.
There’s no denying Francis showed grit in tough times. But if the so-called champions of “progress” in Washington really cared about rebuilding cities and uplifting minorities, why does nothing ever change except the size of failed government programs? Maybe it’s time liberals asked themselves why, for all their talk of “justice,” so many Americans still feel left behind.
Source: Washington Times
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