Some people can never escape their past. What you say in the past, no matter how distant or how much you’ve changed since, comes back to haunt you.
This is a lesson that Muhammed Akil learned this week when a speech he gave in college two decades ago resurfaced to haunt him. Twenty-five at the time, Akil – currently Mayor Steven Fulop’s chief of staff – apparently did not know it is politically incorrect to use certain terms in referring to gay people, and especially when attributing that slur to “white people’s” images of Jesus Christ. He also allegedly referred to the pope as the “anti-Christ” and said white people have a little Hitler in them.
Spoken apparently at an African Mind Liberation Conference held at Northwestern University the time, the speech has the typical tone of a college radical.
While a lot has changed over the last 20 years since the speech was given, the alleged use of homophobic rhetoric was clearly out of step even with the radical left. The gay rights movement that began largely with the Stonewall riot in 1969 had clearly changed the climate by 1994 so that homophobic language was unacceptable, no matter whom the target was.
Attacking the pope is never a good idea. Needless to say, targeting whites as having “a little Hitler” in them is open racial warfare.
Akil apologized for the comments last week.
The radical right and left have always used extremist language to vilify their perceived enemies, especially when speaking among themselves. The problem for Akil was that he is no longer speaking to the choir, and no longer a radical, but rather a responsible, mainstream public official who represents a community that includes African Americans, whites, Latinos, other races and gay people. To hear about this speech – regardless of how long ago – may make some people uncomfortable and question whether or not the man closest to the mayor can represent all the people of the city fairly.
Mayor Fulop, of course, took the long view.
“Obviously, I don’t agree with the comments made 20 years ago, and personally as the grandson of Holocaust survivors myself, they are offensive. However, I also know people change and grow over time and the comments made 20 years ago are not consistent nor reflective of the person I have known for the last 10 years who has never hesitated to help people in need whether white, black, Jewish, catholic, gay or straight,” he said.
Akil issued his own statement.
“In response to comments I made 20 years ago, I wish to offer my sincerest apologies to the community,” he said. “These words in no way reflect my current mindset. Over the last two decades, I have matured into a person who knows every human being should be shown the utmost respect. I have learned that words have the power to cause pain and also to heal. As I reflect on the young man who delivered those comments 20 years ago, I am greatly disappointed and realize that, fortunately, that is not who I am today.”
But some things are never forgotten or forgiven, as the picture of Jane Fonda at the bottom of a VFW hall urinal in Bayonne proves. Fonda’s visit to North Vietnam and her statements made there in the 1970s were seen by many as traitorous.
Many radicals from that same period – including many outspoken Black Panthers – could not transcend their public rhetoric when they tried to become main stream. Amiri Baraka, poet laureate of the state of New Jersey for a brief time under Gov. Jim McGreevey, ran into similar issues – although Baraka to his credit had warned McGreevey that he would not tone down his statements, resulting in a conflict between the two men.
Even President Barack Obama has had to distance himself from his radical preacher, Jeremiah Wright, in order to remain acceptable to the greater number of people.
Sometimes, even possible truths should remain unsaid, a lesson Vice President Joe Biden failed to learn recently when he made some questionable statements about Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
So happy it hurts
Forget ebola. Hudson County has something even more devastating going around, something that is turning our politicians into happy people.
At least two mayors have caught this and it is threatening to bring down the political social order if it continues.
Who on earth wants a cheerful mayor anyway?
Although some people claim Union City Mayor Brian Stack suffers from this “I’m so glad to be mayor” syndrome, at least he’s always willing to carry on a political fight outside the borders of Union City.
The condition most recently showed up in Secaucus, where Mayor Mike Gonnelli appears to be more popular than The Beatles, and goes from function to function with the cheerfulness of a Boy Scout. But the syndrome is spreading. James Davis, mayor of Bayonne, is its latest victim.
“I love what I do,” Davis admitted after having posed for pictures with the Pulaski Day Parade people – something his predecessor never did despite six years in office.
Davis goes from function to function with a smile on his face, and is slowly convincing many of his detractors (almost half of Bayonne voters voted against him earlier this year) that he is for real.
You have to understand, Davis spent a good portion of his life as a cop, dealing either with bad people or people in extreme need. It must be refreshing for him to go to event that did not require a call to 9-1-1.
But there are a number of people who realize Davis has always had this tendency. A few years ago, while still on routine patrol, Davis showed up at a house where a young kid was suffering from cancer. All the kid wanted was to ride around in a police motorcycle. So Davis and his buddies in the Bayonne Police Department found a motorcycle with a side car, put the kid in it, and drove him around town.
The kid died a short time later, but he had his wish granted.
“I never expected to like being mayor as much as I do,” Davis said. “But I’m having the time of my life.”
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.