Newsweek reports that the Colorado Democratic Party has renamed its Jefferson-Jackson dinner as the Obama Dinner.
“The Colorado Democratic Party said the new name honors the ‘historic contributions’ of President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama.”
I just couldn’t be happier about this. Centuries from now, people will still rate Obama as one of the great Democratic presidents. This is the first of many such honors. I wager someday, Americans will spend coins bearing Obama’s likeness.
Also, in my view, the rename wisely orients the party in the direction of its most crucial constituency. Jefferson’s slaveholding mars his greatness, and it is fitting now to honor the first African-American president in his place.
This connects broadly to an interesting post at LGM entitled “Let’s Put Up New Monuments,” a celebration of the removal of the Jefferson Davis and Nathan Bedford Forrest statues in Memphis, which argues for honoring true heroes of the social justice movements in their place.