Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on
January 1, 1863. In that moment, he granted freedom to 50,000 slaves. As Union troops spread word of the Proclamation (carrying
“miniature copies”), tens of thousands more slaves gained freedom (Holzer).
But, as American history has proven since then, words and mindsets are just as
binding as physical shackles. So it was with unintended irony that, 150 years
to the day, prospective Detroit
mayoral candidate, Benny Napoleon played the race card.
At a celebration marking the anniversary of the Emancipation
Proclamation held at Detroit’s New Bethel Baptist Church, Benny Napoleon
commented to reporters that, “’It’s our Detroit, and we’re going to keep it for
Detroiters’” (Wilkinson). Asked if his competitor, Mike Duggan (former CEO of
Detroit Medical Center), could effectively represent Detroit
residents while living in the affluent Detroit
neighborhood of Palmer Woods, Napoleon replied, “’Hell, no. Palmer Woods is not
Detroit ’”
(Wilkinson).
Despite how often the race card is played in politics, I’m
astounded every time. But the icing on the cake is always when the politicians
attempt to walk the proverbial horse—no matter how large—back into the barn. Within
24 hours, Napoleon was on Twitter, Facebook, and WDET’s Craig Fahle Show
attempting to do just that: What he really meant was that all people who
support Detroit —whether they live in Detroit or not—are
Detroiters. As for Palmer Woods, of course it is part of Detroit . In fact, all of Detroit should aspire to be like Palmer
Woods. That’s all he was trying to say….Uh, what?
Napoleon, like every other politician to ever pull the race
card, just needed a bogeyman. He tried to show his audience that he was like
them by showing how his opponent is supposedly not like them. The bogeyman,
Mike Duggan, is white, lived in Livonia , and
then moved to a rich neighborhood in Detroit .
Whereas Napoleon, “lived next to abandoned homes, dealt with high car insurance
rates and felt the fear…stemming from the city’s high crime rate” (Wilkinson).
Duggan is an outsider, and outsiders haven’t lived Detroit ,
so they can’t lead Detroit .
The beauty of this tactic is that Napoleon never has to discuss the issues or
his record or that of his opponent.
Despite the many critical issues facing Detroiters (lighting,
security, economic vitality, and education), on the 150th
anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, Benny Napoleon suggested that Detroiters
should be primarily concerned with whether or not their mayoral candidate is
street-enough. Napoleon’s words are not merely a gaffe; they are symbolic of
the kind of leadership that has so often kept Detroit shackled to decay and stagnation.
Sources:
“Benny Napoleon Clarifies Palmer Woods Remarks.” The Detroit
“Benny Napoleon Explains Comments about Palmer Woods.” Craig Fahle Show. WDET, 3 Jan. 2013.
Radio. 7 Jan. 2013. http://www.wdet.org/shows/craig-fahle-show/episode/benny-napoleon-palmer-park/
Holzer, Harold. “A Mighty Act: The 150th Anniversary
of the Emancipation Proclamation.” The
Daily Beast. The Newsweek/Daily Beast Company, 1 Jan. 2013. Web. 6 Jan.
2013. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/01/01/a-mighty-act-the-150th-anniversary-of-the-emancipation-proclamation.html
“Update: Benny
Napoleon Clarifies ‘Palmer Woods is not Detroit ’
Remark.” Deadline Detroit
Wattrick, Jeff. “The Mike Duggan Interview: ‘I expect to
raise expectations.” Deadline Detroit
Wilkinson, Mike. “Napoleon Takes Verbal Swipe at Duggan: ‘It’s
our Detroit .’” The Detroit
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