The opening last week of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and the Museum of Mississippi History in Jackson, Miss., was not about President Trump. It was about a tribute to the initial starting blocks toward the struggle for identity, freedom and equality of a impassioned people. This struggle continues even today.

The absence of some of our noted African-American sisters and brothers at this event was sad because it tarnished the celebration. In their absence, they allowed this president to present — in his junior high school black history book report fashion — a very superficial slice of centuries of achievement by simply sampling some of the icing.

It further illustrated in that absence the reason why we feel impotence at the ballot box. If you are not there in the game, then winning is never an option. In instances like this, it will always leave people grappling for the scraps thrown out the back door.

Was this not an opportune time to ask President Trump about civil rights, voter registration, education improvement and job opportunities?

We needed a vociferous audience and some real politicians to show up at such events because, like absence, complacency is failure’s accomplice not progress’ companion.

GREGORY DOUGLAS

Sacramento, Calif.