A number of members of the Congressional Black Caucus appear to be judging one of their colleagues on the color of his skin, rather than the content of his character (or the quality of his representation):
Cohen was blocked from joining the Congressional Black Caucus because he is white. According to Jonathan Martin, he’s also the first Jewish representative of a majority black district. As the district’s representative, he’s introduced legislation calling on the U.S. government to apologize for slavery and Jim Crow. He held town hall events with Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte. He’s been invited by Barack Obama to campaign for him–presumably to help in outreach to the Jewish community. But apparently he’s still not a fitting representative for a majority black district. Not all members of the Congressional Black Caucus are lining up against Cohen; Charlie Rangel and John Conyers support him. But his opponents make no claim that he has failed in his duty to represent his constituents; they simply believe that black voters must be represented by an African-American in Congress. What does this say about our attempts to reach a ‘color blind society?’ What message does it send to Jewish voters in the Democratic party? And lastly, will Obama stick his neck out to support Cohen–whom he has asked to help his campaign for president?
