Soter: Mike Lee Is a Profile in Shame
Senator Mike Lee (Courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
December 21, 2020
Last Thursday night, two bills were singularly delayed by Utah Senator Mike Lee — despite passing overwhelmingly in the House and being set to earn unanimous consent in the Senate. The first bill advocated for the establishment of a national Smithsonian museum dedicated to the contributions of women in America and the second was dedicated to a Smithsonian museum on the contributions of Latino Americans. The history of these two identities is critical to the history of our nation. And yet, both narratives are utterly underrepresented in comparison to the disproportionately praised history of Americans who just so happen to look like Mike Lee: white men. Fortunately, both bills passed Monday night as a part of the $1.4 trillion-dollar omnibus bill congress settled on. But the omnibus bill doesn’t diminish the fact that Lee’s initial stance was one of shame, not courage, and needs to be treated as such.
As the 116th Congress comes to an end, Thursday night was one of the last times for both Republicans and Democrats to decide what their final imprint on the nation would be. It was decided that both bills would go through the unanimous consent process, meaning that the bills would be expedited, or a single objection would prevent their passing because of their general acceptance. Sadly, Lee’s lone vote prevented a divided Senate to agree on something important and join together in celebration of Americans who align with both political parties and who add great value to the fabric of our nation.
Despite women making up more than 50% of America’s population, there is not a single Smithsonian national museum that recognizes their vast contributions or their ongoing struggle for equality. The GOP Senator from Maine, Susan Collins, has aimed to change that throughout her decades in office. Along with many other congresswomen, and some congressmen, she has written plenty of legislation to create a museum honoring a predominant yet overlooked gender. Collins was the primary sponsor of S.959, the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum Act, which Lee disappointingly opposed.
The second bill that Lee hindered was one having to do with ethnic identities specifically, the Latino identity, and was sponsored by Bob Menendez of New Jersey. Menendez set out to create the National Museum of the American Latino nearly two decades ago and felt confident this would be the year that his vision would turn into reality. And similar to a museum honoring women, recognizing the contributions of Latino Americans who make up 18% of our current population would tell a more truthful and beautiful version of America’s history.
But Lee disagrees, and his argument needs redressing. The Senator said that his objection to the founding of these two transformative museums would further divide an already divided country. Even so, the Smithsonian Institute is composed of 14 smaller museums, two of which are already centered around systematically excluded identities — The National Museum of African American History and Culture and The National Museum of the American Indian. Lee recognizes this inconsistency that his stance presented and said that those groups were, “uniquely, deliberately, and systemically” left out of our nation’s history.
Apparently, not allowing women to vote until 1920 is not unique, deliberate, and systemically exclusionary enough for our Senator. Nor is the fact that 4 in 10 Latinos say they have been discriminated against by a fellow American in the last year. Senator Lee mentioned something else on Thursday night that grasped my attention, “there is no us and them. There’s only us.” But, I must respectfully disagree. There is an “us” and there is a “them” because people like Mike Lee have perpetuated the concept that difference equates to inferiority — whether that difference is race, sex, or ethnicity.
The Smithsonian Institution exists to comprehensively and accurately tell the story of all Americans. Selective history isn’t their goal, nor should it be the misguided aim of one ignorant senator from Utah. It is not courageous to deny our complex story, rather; it is cowardly and shameful. So, shame on Lee and shame on us for electing him as one of our two national state-wide representatives.
Jeff Brenizer • Mar 8, 2022 at 9:12 am
I agree with Senator Mike Lee… it is a vote against “pork” in a bill unrelated to what the content needs to be. This wasteful spending needs to end, and if this ruffles some feathers, so be it. Theadora, please see beyond the politics and hold our legislators to the task at hand… keep focused on real needs. If private money wants to do this, more power to them.
Susan Marcos-Chavela • Oct 10, 2021 at 6:36 pm
Howdy.. well in regarding ethnic groups of “equity ” where does it start and where does it end.. I believe in a Social History Museum.. where all us “common folk” and all their/ours ethnic nationalist immigration patterns of country entry.. movements are in representation in chronological order via the history of the American Peoples…..seperate groups always give rise to preferential treatments and of mention..this is not good for Washington D.C.. Military History former or old school memorization of facts Wars-Battles should be of seperate note..and structure maybe Maryland.. other side of river and away from Pentagon..Presidential libraries et all museums scams of lies and terror and a hoax to employ family members in violation of transferral of power U.S. Constitution ..now located in seperate and away from alternate control of information.. false stories and myths of glory form outside the center .. D.C should be abolished and replaced by contritution of experts and with family input..with some resemblance of truths knowing your history leaves future generations prepared not to duplicate in error same mistakes of forebarers ..Judge Rheinsquist hesitated to give oath of office both to Bush and Clinton knowing of their NOT legitmate win to
the White House.this matter of relevant history would be replicated in both the Judicial History and Presidential History Museums . both needed to engage citizens in full amplatude of information of relevecany.. inclusive museums of our private Commerce History and Congressional history The Balance of Power.. in format…. women would be of IMPORT in Social History unless specifically represented in other mentions.. museums The rise of power does not always give rise to moral convictions…. corruption lives in minds hearts and genitalia of both genders ..
Critical Thinker • Mar 20, 2021 at 8:34 am
Perhaps the opposition was based on the fact that these museums share zero nexus with the goals of the bill. It may be difficult for small minds to understand, but many people believe that bills should not be filled with pork spending, no matter how worthy the cause.