Weighed down by a presidency tarnished by stagflation, the Iran Hostage Crisis and a smattering of different political misadventures, Jimmy Carter persevered beyond American's dissatisfaction, and crafted an enduring legacy for himself as a human rights advocate. Since the Carter Center announced this week that cancer has spread in the former president’s body, news sources and blogs across the internet have honored him by exploring his post-presidential involvement in philanthropic causes worldwide.
Bearing the best of intentions and respect for Carter, writers have rallied together in an attempt to highlight his varied missions for peace since the presidency. The narrative this creates, however, almost paints him as a man who sought to narrowly avoid being defined by his political mistakes, rather than a lifelong humanitarian. The truth of who Carter is cannot be understood merely by looking to his most recent accomplishments; to fully acknowledge his lifelong dedication to service, it is important to consider his earliest contributions.
Before developing his political aspirations, Carter demonstrated his support for the civil rights movement at the risk of his peanut farming business. When the Jim Crow era segregationist organization called the "White Citizens Council" attempted to dominate his town of Plains, Georgia, members heavily pressured Carter to join in 1958; in the end, he was the only white male in Plains to decline. The belligerent organization boycotted Carter’s peanut warehouse in an attempt to persuade him, but he proved himself incorruptible and eventually their efforts against him disappeared into the books of history.
During his position as state senator in Georgia, his principles endured. To further civil rights causes, he helped repeal laws created to discourage black Americans from voting, and advocated in his community in favor of integration. For perhaps a significant portion of politicians, integrity is lost in the pursuit of power. Carter, on the other hand, lost his Congressional bid in the 1966 Democrat primary to a proud segregationist on the basis of his support of black Americans.
Upon realizing that he could never facilitate change in Georgia without appeasing white conservatives, he minimized appearances before black communities as he prepared his gubernatorial campaign, only to state to shocked audiences in his 1971 governor inaugural address that "the time of racial segregation was over. No poor, rural, weak, or black person should ever again have to bear the additional burden of being deprived of the opportunity for an education, a job, or simple justice.” He leveraged his connections and resources as a talented politician to pull himself into a high level of office, only to endorse the very ethics that turned so many against him.
While governor, he fomented environmental protection laws by vetoing a plan to construct a harmful dam in Georgia’s Flint River, bettered funding for underprivileged public schools and expanded the number of black state employees and board members. He oversaw the creation of community centers for disabled children, placed portraits of significant black figures (including Martin Luther King, Jr.) in the Georgia capitol building and improved rehabilitative education services for convicts.
Within the international image that is Carter is a deeply clever and authentic soul who lived to improve the world through policymaking and advocacy. In a sea of serpents who endorse human right in political ploys, Carter continues to swim against the tide even in his old and ailing age. As he battles cancer, let us remember not only the president and nobel laureate, but also the simple man from Plains who believed in goodness, peace and equality.
