PARKER: Senator sends message about land of opportunity

Article content

South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott hosted an event in Washington, D.C., on the Juneteenth holiday that showed why he was included among the candidates Donald Trump considers his running mate.

Article content

Juneteenth, now a national holiday, commemorates June 19, 1865, the date the Emancipation Proclamation was finally enacted in the state of Texas. This is considered the official end of slavery in the United States.
Scott’s event, which was attended by a list of major Republican donors and which I also had the privilege of attending, was called the Great Opportunity Policy Summit.

This follows Scott’s Great Opportunity PAC announcing plans to spend $14 million to raise awareness among black and Hispanic Americans ahead of the presidential election.

Scott’s person has always been at the heart of his message about the opportunities in America. His birth into a poor Southern home, to a single mother. That is, a birth into circumstances that so many believe make success impossible.

Article content

Article content

Black, poor, no father. In a supposedly racist country.

But Scott’s critical message is that America is not about racism but about opportunity.
Does this mean there are no racists in America? Of course not. But there are sinners of all kinds in our country.

Scott tells Black Americans, and all Americans, that you are not defined by others. Others do not define your destiny. You make.

And he’s running to show that being black, much less being born black and poor to a single mother, is not a recipe for failure. Despite being born into difficult circumstances, he’s now a United States senator and running for the highest office in the land.

It is also important to note that Scott is a humble man. He doesn’t say he’s successful because he’s so special. What he says is special is our country and its values ​​that allow even an ordinary man to succeed in the worst circumstances.

Article content

The essence of Scott’s message was conveyed by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, which was later used by President John F. Kennedy in a speech to the Irish parliament, and then by Robert F. Kennedy during his presidential campaign in 1968.

“You see things as they are and you ask yourself, ‘Why?’ » I dream of things that never existed and I ask myself, “Why not?” » »

A more prosaic version says that some people see the glass as half full and others as half empty.

Of course, it is in the nature of things that we always have to work to improve things.

So even though America is a free country and anyone with character, determination, and good values ​​can make it, things can always be improved.

Thus, Scott’s Opportunity Policy program targets institutional improvements that can be made in the country to make the path to success even smoother and more accessible.

Article content

He supports giving parents choice and control over which school to send their child to.

He supports the Opportunity Zone program, which provides tax incentives for business investments in our nation’s most problematic ZIP codes.

There is no freedom without law, which is why Scott supports strong law enforcement, both in our cities and at our border.

Black Americans are succeeding in America. Twenty-two percent of blacks earn more than $100,000 a year, and 33 percent earn more than $75,000.

Scott’s vitally important message to all Americans, of all backgrounds, is that our country is a land of opportunity.

Taking advantage of it means taking responsibility for your life.

The more individuals take control of their destiny, the less they believe that others control their lives, the greater our country will become.

Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education

Article content