February. The truth no longer marches on.

February 1, 1862. “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,” the Atlantic Monthly published Julia Ward Howe’s “ Battle Hymn of the Republic” harkening the righteous cause of freedom during the early days of the Civil War. “His truth is marching on.”

February 1, 1865. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Joint Resolution by which Congress sent the Thirteenth Amendment to the states for ratification. The Amendment abolished slavery. The hopes and dreams of equality expressed that day were crushed in the coming years by segregation, lynchings, and Jim Crow laws.

February 1, 1960. Students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University sat down at the lunch counter at F. W. Woolworths in Greensboro, North Carolina. They ordered donuts and coffee but were refused service. They were joined by more protesters in the next couple days and protests spread across the South over the following months. In July, after losing profits, Woolworths served four Blacks (actually employees of the store in street clothes) and the death of Jim Crow was beginning.

February 1, 1976. President Gerald Ford designates February as Black History Month to honor the neglected accomplishments of Black Americans.

February 1, 2025. President Donald Trump has revoked a decades old executive order that protected equal opportunity. His administration has ended diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the federal government and is bullying states, localities, and private industry to end them also. The State Department and the Defense Department no longer recognize Black History Month.The president falsely blames the tragic accident over the Potomac on DEI.

The lies are marching on. The Lord weeps.

Chaos. Confusion. Division.

Just over a week into the second Trump administration and it feels like a year… or more. His buyout “offer” is sowing chaos and confusion across the Commonwealth’s 145,000 federal employees. Have a couple of those employees in my family! Governor Youngkin, an erstwhile Trump lackey, says this it what voters wanted in the last election. Meanwhile Senator Tim Kaine in a fiery senate speech (reported in the Richmond Times-Dispatch) told federal workers the President has absolutely no authority to offer the buyout and the budget has no money for people who don’t show up to work. “ Don’t be fooled… If you accept that offer and resign, he’ll stiff you just like he stiffed those contractors… He doesn’t have any authority to do this.”

In another story, Costco is standing up to the administration’s demand to end DEI policies and initiatives. So, of course another Trump boot licker, Attorney General Jason Miyares (along with GOP peers in other states) is pressuring Costco “to end all unlawful discrimination imposed” by the retailer’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies. I’m heading to Costco this morning and I just  contacted their customer service to state my support for the policies and urging them to stand up to bullies. Many other retailers caved without a whimper. 

GOP… Grand Old Party. Not so grand anymore. Pitiful. Hateful. Divisive. Deceptive. Appeasing an authoritarian. Nope, not very grand!