Lieutenant governor Micah Beckwith is no stranger to public scrutiny for his controversial remarks. But at a town hall in Ellettsville Monday night, Beckwith went face-to-face with some of his most dissatisfied constituents.
For the self-described Christian nationalist, a town hall in blue-leaning Monroe County sets him apart from many other elected Republicans, who have been advised by the party to avoid open meetings with the public.
Contradicting mainstream historians, he argued that the 18th century agreement to count enslaved Black people as three-fifths of a person when determining the number of seats in congress was intended to limit the power of slaveholding states.
President of the Monroe County NAACP Jim Sims wasn’t buying Beckwith’s explanation but said it’s not from the lieutenant governor that he’s asking accountability.
“I think Beckwith has shown his true character. Now just as importantly, I wonder as I'm sure you do too, why hasn't Governor Braun denounced his lieutenant governor's attempt to distort this historical narrative?”
NAACP of Monroe County president Jim Sims condemned Beckwith's comments on the three-fifths compromise and asked Governor Mike Braun for a stronger rebuke. (Joe Hren, WTIU News)
Reverand Minnassa Gabon of Unity Church in Bloomington accused Beckwith of revising history.
“Let us ask what kind of consciousness is being revealed when a leader defends the dehumanization of others as a historical win for equity,” she said. “Now we're not here to shame, but we're here to shine the light. To say, you cannot uplift a state by suppressing history.”
But inside the Ellettsville Town Hall, the lieutenant governor maintained his cool as he fielded questions from a mostly hostile audience.
As constituents grilled him and occasionally lobbed accusations, Beckwith revisited some of his more polarizing assertions, comparing transgenderism to blackface and denying the existence of systemic racism. He also criticized Indiana University, accusing the state’s flagship institution of pushing “wokeness”, particularly in its journalism curriculum.
“The left likes to push that systemic racism still exists,” he said. “Show me in our system where a Black person can’t do what a white person can.”
Still, Beckwith answered each person who approached the microphone. When police began to remove one disruptive protester, Beckwith asked them to let her stay.
Democratic Bloomington City Councilmember Isak Asare acknowledged that despite their differences, they shared a common responsibility.
“We can do politics later, but the reality is we have to work together for the next three years,” he said. “So the question is, with your expansive portfolio, how do we work with you?”
“The first thing is show up, right? Do this dialogue,” Beckwith said. “The Bible says, ‘Come, let us reason together.’ I believe that’s a good thing.”
Despite the tension, Beckwith did manage to coax one approving response from the crowd.
“I like it when people throw the tough questions at me, I get really tired of being in an echo chamber,” he said. “I'm gonna tell you right now, you guys are not that. So, thank you.”
Beckwith is continuing to hold mobile office hours across the state, with dates and locations listed on his website.
