Alabama Republican State Legislators' Bill to Remove Racist Language from 1901 Constitution Win Final Approval from Legislature

Alabama state Sen. Arthur Orr & Rep. Phil Williams' co-sponsored bill to strip racist and offensive language from 1901 Constitution calling for "separate schools for white and colored children" and reference to "poll tax," wins final passage from legislature.

Alabama state Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) and Rep. Phil Williams (R-Huntsville) have co-sponsored a bill that would strip racist and offensive language from the 1901 Alabama Constitution. The bill won final passage from the legislature and will have to be ratified by voters in a statewide referendum, most likely in November 2012, the Birmingham News said.

The offensive language that would be removed includes a provision that says separate schools shall be provided for "white and colored children," and that no child of either race shall attend the same school.

It would also remove references to Alabama's "poll tax," which was used to keep blacks from voting until passage of the 1965 federal Voting Rights Act. Williams said the references hurt the state's image and can be used against Alabama when it's recruiting against other states for economic development projects.

Black lawmakers opposed the bill, saying it didn't go far enough because it failed to include language that constitutionally guaranteed a public education. Rep. Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery, called the legislation a "feel good" bill for white lawmakers. "It was a con game on the black people of Alabama," he added. Rep. Dario Melton, D-Selma, called it a "sin problem." "If you're going to be serious about dealing with racist history in Alabama, we ought be dealing with it in education," he said. Source

Before throwing cold water on the faces of these two white state legislators, why not thank them for sponsoring the bill that is a tremendous step in the right direction of ridding the state of racist vestiges? We can't ignore the fact that parents must take a role in the education system and not just leaving the fate of their children's education in the hands of a few, particularly when it comes to voting in local elections.