The Fever Returns: Confronting Modern Racism in Indiana's Government
In the strongest possible terms, I denounce the Lt. Governor's multiple racist statements demeaning our Black neighbors.
Once again, we find ourselves facing a fever in the heartland. Despite our progress as a society, racism continues to emerge from the very offices meant to represent all Hoosiers.
On April 24th, Indiana's Lieutenant Governor posted on X that the Three-Fifths Compromise was "a great move." This constitutional provision, which counted enslaved Black Americans as less than whole persons, remains one of the most shameful chapters in our nation's history. Yet the post remains online, unretracted and unapologized.
Worse still, on May 1st, he claimed without evidence that Democrats are paying Black voters to go to the polls. The implication is clear: he views Black Hoosiers not only as less than whole persons but also those votes as inherently illegitimate.
As Timothy Egan's "A Fever in the Heartland" and James H. Madison's "A Lynching in the Heartland" remind us, Indiana has confronted racist ideologies. The Lieutenant Governor is merely the latest in a long line of powerful figures "othering" minority communities. But in our time, we refuse to accept it.
Along with the Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis, the Baptist Ministers' Alliance, the Indiana Chapter of the National Action Network, and all who find these statements abhorrent, I urge the Governor and state leaders to denounce these racist, ignorant remarks unequivocally.
In Monroe County and indeed throughout Indiana, we value the votes and voices of ALL Hoosiers. We refuse to shy away from our past because confronting it is the only path to an equitable future for everyone in our state.
When elected officials express views that undermine the humanity of any citizen, they betray their oath to serve all Hoosiers. We must demand better. Indiana deserves leadership that unites rather than divides, that uplifts rather than diminishes, and that serves all citizens equally.
