Indiana clergy continue to denounce Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s statements about the Three-Fifths Compromise and call on the governor to take a stronger stand. They say Gov. Mike Braun’s response so far has been “woefully inadequate.”
Beckwith has faced significant pushback in recent days for his comments about the language in the U.S. Constitution that counts slaves as three-fifths of a person for purposes of representation in Congress.
Rev. Clyde Posley is the president of the Union District Baptist Association and a senior pastor at an Indianapolis church. He said Beckwith’s “revision” of history is something Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. warned about as the “thingification” of Black Americans. It was a dehumanizing tactic which went back to the history of lynching.
“If we allow statements, such as lieutenant governor of Indiana’s Beckwith to rise without calling it what it is, we allow ourselves to continue to be merchandise,” Posley said.
Sen. Andrea Hunley (D-Indianapolis) said Beckwith’s remarks are largely a distraction following a legislative session and series of executive orders that dismantled commissions and programs for Black Hoosiers.
“So, Governor Braun, listen up. I’ve got to make sure that you know that you’ve got to say it loud, you’ve got to be clear that the lieutenant governor’s remarks are dangerous and they’re revisionist,” Hunley said. “We want to hear you say it.”
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Hunley also called on Beckwith to apologize and issue a full retraction.
Lasana Kazembe is an associate professor of education and Africana studies at Indiana University Indianapolis. He said Beckwith’s comments and the reaction of the governor was “a test.”
“The function of racism is distraction,” Kazembe said. “It doesn’t matter whether or not what he said was true. Who is it for? What is it intended to create?”
He said Beckwith’s remarks are part of a larger movement of anti-Black sentiment in the U.S.
“We’re in a time right now, unfortunately, where it is a very lucrative time to be a racist,” Kazembe said. “You receive rewards for, essentially, going along with the program of white nationalism and the anti-intellectualism that’s going on.”
The group is currently gathering signatures for a petition to demand an apology from Beckwith. They intend to submit the petition next week.
Lauren is our digital editor. Contact her at lauren@ipbnews.org or follow her on Bluesky at @laurenechapman.bsky.social.