He's not everybody's hero.

You should read this Gadflyer post about black America and Ronald Reagan.

In its eagerness to characterize Ronald Reagan as an American icon based upon the "outpouring" of grief at his passing, the media are ignoring an important yet unavoidable fact: there are hardly any people of color singing Reagan's praises. For days, we've watched eager commentators tell us ad nauseam that the mourners waiting to view Reagan's casket represent a "cross-section of America." But if they just turned around, they'd see what we see – a virtually all white tableau snaking behind them. This backdrop sure doesn't look like the America I know.

How hard is it to notice that, in a city that's more than 60% black, so few people of color have bothered to wander over to the Capitol to bid farewell to President Reagan? Yes, a few were spotted here and there and, of course, dark faces abounded among the military personnel participating in the solemnities (thanks to our integrated armed forces, there was more color in the Color Guard than in the crowd). Otherwise, it seemed that most of the handful of black folk not decked out in full ceremonial dress were there not to see Reagan but to sell water, snacks and souvenirs to the white folks who were there to see Reagan.

If they bothered to leave their cozy perches on the Capitol lawn and venture a few blocks in any direction, the network reporters might actually pick up a different perspective, a perspective they aren't getting from the self-selected masses gathered to honor the former president.