President George Bush paid tribute to the 75th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 's birth by laying a wreath on his grave in Atlanta, GA on Thursday, January 15th. The President was met by hundreds of protesters, many of whom saw of his visit as only political. A Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) spokesperson recalled Bush's stance against affirmative action in the Michigan University School Admissions Supreme Court Case this time last year. And, while Congress was out of session in January; Bush made a recessed appointment of a judge that had been considered racist and his appointment had been blocked by the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Democrats. King's famous words, "Judge a man, not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character," apply to the President also.

As the Iowa Democratic Caucuses were held on January 19, 2004, the polls showed four candidates in a dead heat - Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt and North Carolina Sen. John Edwards. African Americans don't seem to be I excited about any of them because no African American agenda is apparent!

Howard Dean appears to be the most liberal, but in his 12 years as Governor of Vermont, he never appointed one African American to a State Cabinet post.

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry came to San Francisco a few months back. Having moved to San Francisco from Boston myself some years ago, I reviewed his political statement from his
office and found little of a civil rights record (two voting occasions). Therefore, I refused requests to be a sponsor of his luncheon. I have heard nothing progressive of the civil rights record of North Carolina Senator John Edwards. However, a couple of years ago, former House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt did invite the National Black Chamber President and me, as a Board Member, to his office for a discussion on how he could assist the Black community. Unfortunately, Gephardt has dropped out. "Most meaningful to Black people is the content of a candidate's character as it relates to civil rights, affirmative action and access to economic opportunity," states Black Oakland City Council Candidate, Melanie Shelby.

"Judge a man, not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character," brings to mind a personal story from a book I'm writing. During the Viet Nam War, I was traveling with 3 newly commissioned white fellow officers when we had a flat tire on a highway outside Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Seeking help, white drivers tried twice to run us over. Later, a Black woman had a flat tire on the same highway outside of Tuscaloosa, in the rain. Passed by both Black and white drivers, a white driver stopped, took her to the nearest gas station to dry, returned to fix the tire and then brought her back to her car. A few days later, the white driver received a bouquet of flowers from the Black lady who was on her way to bury her husband……signed, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

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