"People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for. And they have the right to make whatever decisions they consider best for their children. You may feel there’s something here to be learned. Or you may decide you do not wish to face this problem. It’s up to you to make the decision."
- Judge Taylor, stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird

There's a phrase in the stage adaptation of Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird that has stuck with me ever since the first time I read it. It's from Judge Taylor, who presides over Tom Robinson's trial. I know a thing or two about Judge Taylor, because in 2013 I played him at the Virginia Samford Theatre in Birmingham:

That was six years ago, but the words words have never left me. That's why yesterday, when the President decided to invoke the word "lynching" I spoke out.

"People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for."

We need to be honest about why the President is calling this a lynching. It's calculated. It's a dog whistle that invokes a weapon of terror used to murder African Americans. It's speech designed to pit right against left and white against black. It's speech designed to keep us divided. When I see language like that, how could I not respond?

Confronting the history of lynchings is a very hard thing to do. That's why what the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery is doing is so important. This is a photo from the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery. There are more than 800 of these steel plates, each representing a county in our country where lynchings took place. Over 300 lynchings happened in Alabama.

The President knows that calling something a lynching, forcing us to confront the racist past, is going to drive people to their separate corners. He's counting on it.

And yes, Judge Taylor is right that people will hear what they want to hear. That's why it's even more important to stand together as one.

You have likely heard by now that I have spent the past few weeks talking about "One Alabama." What this means in practice is that we must make the conscious decision every day to stand up for unity and against division. It means that we all want the same things, no matter who we are. Justice, respect, equality, a safe place to raise our kids.

As Judge Taylor puts it, "It’s up to you to make the decision."

Make the decision for unity. Go to Birmingham. Go to Montgomery and see for yourself how important it is.

Doug Jones
U.S. Senator
(Once played a judge on stage)


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Photo Credit: Virginia Samford Theatre
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