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Ronald Reagan dead at 93

By Roland S. Martin, founder, BlackAmericaToday.com
June 5, 2004

Ronald Wilson Reagan, whose life journey took him from Hollywood movie studios to the California governor’s mansion and eventually the White House, died today at his home in Los Angeles. He was 93.

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Reagan’s death was expected throughout the day after White House officials were notified overnight that his health had declined dramatically in recent days. Since 1994, Reagan has suffered from Alzheimer’s, a debilitating and incurable disease that left what used to be the most powerful man in the world unable to even recognize his family or remember his eight years as president of the United States.

.A staunch conservative who trumpeted strong defense, lower taxes and small government - the mantra of any conservative Republican - Reagan’s victory over President Jimmy Carter in 1980 ushered in the “Reagan Revolution,” which set the stage for today’s dominance of the GOP. It was his devastating victory over Walter Mondale in 1984 – he won 49 states, only losing in Mondale’s home state of Minnesota – that solidified his brand of leadership in the party and led to their hold today on the White House, U.S. House and Senate.

Click here for books on Ronald Reagan and his poilcies specific to African Americans

Over the next several days, BlackAmericaToday.com will provide a variety of commentaries and analyses of Reagan’s tenure as president, and especially the impact his administration and policies had on African Americans.

Reaction thus far to Reagan's death from prominent African Americans:

Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. told BlackAmericaToday.com: "I don’t know what quite to say about him. His greatest strength was tearing down the (Soviet Union). He was a huge factor in the Berlin Wall coming down. While there were tensions around matters of civil rights, we got the (Martin Luther) King (federal) holiday while he was president. When I brought (Navy Lieutenant Robert ) Goodman back from Syria (in 1984), he received us at the White House. I knew him before he was president. And today I join the nation in this hour of grief and reflection.”

Michael L. Williams, former federal prosecutor (1984-1988) and special assistant to attorney general Richard Thornburgh at the U.S. Department of Justice, told BlackAmericaToday.com: “He ended the Cold War. He taught us how to have victory through strength. The Reagan legacy will be one that will be remembered for having dramatically changed the domestic landscape in terms of how to drive an economy through lower taxes, less regulation and litigation reform. And on the foreign policy front, he ended the Cold War. There is greater peace in the world and greater stability in the world because of Ronald Reagan.”

Rep. Harold Ford Jr., D-Mich., told BlackAmericaToday.com: “I, like many Americans was saddened to learn of the passing of President Reagan. Over a quarter century of service to his country, the president led with resolve and courage, and showed those same qualities in his personal life, as he battled Alzheimer’s. He will be remembered for many things: a great communicator, devoted husband and an unflinching patriot. But although I didn’t agree with him on every issue, I will remember him most for reminding America that when we are at our best, very little can deter or defeat us. Thank you , Mr. President, and God bless you.”

As for Reagan's record specific to African Americans, Ford said: "It will be checkered. I’ve been on record over the years expressing my differences with the president - on soaring deficits and disregard about the nation’s safety net. There will be time to analyze that. On the day we grieve his passing, I would want people to focus (on other things). Just like I pass, I would hope people would focus on the things that I did to make the public space better. He will have a legacy with the conservative movement that differs slightly or in a big ways with others in the country, including most Democrats and African Americans. There are things that he did well and there are thing he should be applauded for doing. His legacy as it is scrutinized and probed for years to come, we will be able to pull from the good and reveal things that are not so good.”

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (courtesy of the Detroit Free Press ): "He'll have two different legacies. He'll be cemented as the symbolic political leader of conservatives forever. It's no secret that African Americans didn't have a strong affinity for his policies, like trickle down economics. That decimated urban areas. But he also was a president of the greatest country in the world and I send my condolences to his family."

Former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer (courtesy of the Detroit Free Press ): "It's tragic that he was not able to enjoy his last years fully cognizant."

Secretary of State Colin Powell (courtesy of the Associated Press via the Chicago Sun-Times ): "President Reagan fueled the spirit of America. His smile, his optimism, his total belief in the ultimate triumph of democracy and freedom, and his willingness to act on that belief, helped end the Cold War and usher in a new and brighter phase of history."

Actor Danny Glover at an anti-war rally in Los Angeles (courtesy of the Associated Press via the Chicago Sun-Times ): "We all know Reagan's legacy, from the Iran-Contra affair to the funding of the Nicaraguan military in which over 200,000 people died. The groundwork for the move steadily to the right happened with the Reagan administration. People want to elevate him to some mythic level; they have their own reason for doing that."

Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, D-Md., chairman, Congressional Black Caucus: "We are all saddened by the death of former President Ronald Wilson Reagan. President Reagan will always be remembered as a great communicator and the longest living President in United States history. While the members of the Congressional Black Caucus did not always agree with President Reagan on issues of public policy, he was an honorable and decent man. We applauded his signing into law the legislation the Congressional Black Caucus had long pushed for making Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a federal holiday. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, former First Lady Nancy Reagan, his children Michael, Patti and Ron, and his family. And, as scripture tells us, 'weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.' May joy come to all who grieve today on the death of former President Reagan."