Ronald Reagan (40th president of the United States from 1981–1989) received mixed reviews throughout his tenure as president, but one thing is for sure, blacks weren’t too pleased with the job he did. His brand of economic management, better known as reaganomics, seemed to only serve to cut blacks off at the knees and inflate U.S. debt.
Included in his approach to the economy were cutting the budgets of Medicaid, food stamps, and federal education programs, while also attempting to purge many people from Social Security disability rolls. As unfortunate as it was and really still is, blacks were largely associated with such programs, which led to the perception that he was out to set us back with his elitist policies.
With that said, the state of California is working on a bill to establish an annual day honoring Reagan for his presidential legacy, his governorship and his acting career. The state Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a bill designating Feb. 6 as Ronald Reagan Day, which would be a day that schools would set aside to spend commemorating Reagan’s life and accomplishments.
Should blacks embrace the move? Did Reagan do enough cross-culturally to warrant universal acceptance and commemoration, or will it feel like a slap in the face to those who were struggling and impacted by his seeming disregard for their plight? Sound off with your opinions. –gerald radford
