In December 2007, Mitt Romney was asked by “Meet The Press” host Tim Russert about the history of racism in the Mormon church, which excluded African Americans from participation until 1978. Romney claimed that his father marched with Martin Luther King. Romney would also claim that he “saw his father march with Martin Luther King” in a speech about his Mormon faith earlier that month. In 1978, Mitt Romney would tell the Boston Globe that he and his father both marched with Martin Luther King.
The problem is, Mitt Romney’s father, George Romney, the former governor of Michigan, never marched with Martin Luther King. Mitt Romney would concede that fact to the Boston Globe in 2007. The Boston Phoenix could find no record of Mitt’s father, George marching with Martin Luther King at all.
Still Politfact reports that while George Romney never marched with Martin Luther King, he was supportive of King’s goals and of the Civil Rights movement,
But it’s also clear that George Romney, who served as governor from 1963 to 1969 and died in 1995, supported King’s goals at a time when few politicians did. When King visited Detroit and led a rally of 125,000 people in 1963, Romney issued a proclamation and sent personal representatives. (The Times report noted that Romney was Mormon and did not make public appearances on Sundays.) Two years later, Romney led a march of 10,000 people in Detroit to protest events in Selma, Ala. (King wasn’t there.) When King died in 1968, George Romney attended the funeral.
George Romney’s support of the civil rights movement put him at odds with the Mormon Church, whose Apostle, Delpert Stabley wrote him a letter criticizing him for helping “the negro cause” which went against the Prophet, Joseph Smith and God, who had cursed the Negro. So while Mitt Romney’s father was not a racist, Mitt Romney’s “prophet” Joseph Smith, who believed that the Black people were cursed, was.
One company that always does an amazing job at remembering Black History Month is NIKE, who collaborated with Serena Williams on a capsule collection in honor of the 36th anniversary of BHM.
Serena isn't the only athlete getting a few special edition products to celebrate Black History Month, but hers is the first collection previewed by Nike.
PHOTOS: Serena Williams Shows Off A Blue Nike Dress At The Australian Open
Here's how it all came about: NIKE designers selected signature apparel and footwear silhouettes from Nike’s Design heritage and developed a unique pattern reflective of the vibrant colors and spirit of their distinct cultures.
This year's NIKE Black History Month 2012 Collection will feature this pattern throughout a collection of NIKE products that will be worn by various NIKE athletes during the month of February.
This NIKE Black History Month 2012 pattern will first come to life at the kick-start of the tennis season in Melbourne, Australia with tennis luminary Serena.
The NIKE Black History Month 2012 Collection for Serena includes The Nike Sportswear BHM Destroyer Jacket, the Nike BHM Seasonal Knit jacket, the Nike BHM C72 Bag, and the Nike BHM Air Max Mirabella 3, all bearing the BHM mark to signify this special collection.
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Close-up of the items in the Serena Williams Black History Month collection can be seen in the gallery above.
SOURCE: NIKE
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