Yesterday, my countrymen and -women showed once again why they are a great people. We don't always make the right decisions, but our democracy works. We may not always agree, but we can accept either victory or defeat with grace, dignity, optimism, and the will to work together for our common good. And though as individuals we are no wiser or better than our fellows in other nations, as a people we have an ability to recognize our mistakes and to move forcefully to correct them that is the envy of the world. So when I see the good will and determination that last night carried a historical candidate to victory by the widest margin in a generation, I have hope for the future. When I see states that once blocked the votes of African Americans giving their own votes to an African American, I have hope for the future.
But there is a new Jim Crow program in this country. It seems almost certain that Proposition 8, which abolishes the right of gays to marry in state of California, has passed. The Proposition, which looked poised to go down to defeat several months ago, has since then been the benefactor of large out-of-state donations, many from conservative religious groups. Much of this money has been spent on television advertisements that many have called misleading. They have nevertheless been effective.
Similar anti-gay marriage measures have passed in other states, although California is alone in dismantling an institution that was previously legal.
But I must remind myself that in this case justice denied is justice deferred. Not far in the future, gay marriage will be the law of every land, and no one will take much notice of it. Not long ago, many states forbade interracial marriage. Supporters of those bans called such marriages unnatural and quoted scripture to support their views. Today, they and their views have been repudiated everywhere. Parents who yesterday voted to "protect their children" by denying marriage to gays will one day face the prospect of defending that choice to those children, by then grown, and of facing their outrage, bewilderment, and humiliation.
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