The Consequences of Hate and the Ability for Empathy
Is race an issue in the United States of America? Yes. Does this mean that there cannot be any forgiveness? No. On Thursday's night Lawrence O'Donnell's show The Last Word, despite his often perceived preachy demeanor, illustrated that forgiveness is possible. In an O'Donnell segment, known as the Rewrite, he refers to a hate crime case, where an African American male, named James Craig Anderson, was ran over with a truck outside of motel in Mississippi.
Barbra Anderson, the sister of James Anderson, displayed the ultimate act of the family's compassion by illustrating that deep within their hearts that understanding and empathy could be found. She conveyed in a heartfelt that they were praying for Darrell Deadmen and his family members and wanted to have "racial reconciliation for not only Mississippi but all across the nation."
The video from outside the motel shows a black truck running over Mr. Anderson. The case was prosecuted by the Federal government under the hate crime act, Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and came to a conclusion on Wednesday with three defendants pleading guilty. Darrell Deadman, one of the defendants who pleaded guilty and the person who drove the truck that ran over Mr. Anderson, was sentenced with two concurrent life terms.
The family of the victim asked Federal and State officials not to seek the death penalty. Lawrence O'Donnell points out how the family has demonstrated the need for compassion through his implicated talking points on the death penalty. The family stated in a letter to the prosecutors that,
Our opposition to the death penalty is deeply rooted in our religious faith. A faith that was central in James's life as well. But we also oppose the death penalty because its historically has been used in Mississippi and the South primarily against people of color for killing whites. Executing James's killers will not help to balance the scales, but sparing them may help to spark a dialogue that one day may lead to the elimination of capital punishment.
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Video from MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell show The Last Word
May her words find the mark in all our hearts.
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