You ask a Trump supporter why they voted for Trump, and they will say, "He's not a politician, he's honest, he's successful, he's not as bad as Crooked Hillary, he doesn't take shit from anyone." I am sure you and him take pride in that. But there is one question that many of us that who either love or hate President-Elect Trump probably ask ourselves at least once a week because of the uncanny attention it has received. People scream it at the top of their lungs followed by a quick, "Build a Wall!" chant. People wear hats and shirts with this trademark slogan on it across the world. It is one of the only phrases I have seen instill hope and pride, while also generating hatred and fear in the eyes and hearts of many. Yes, you guessed it, Make America Great Again. Mr. Trump has taken the nation by storm with the slogan's simplicity, vision, and hope to make this country great, again. But did you catch that? Again? Great, again? The question I ask, Mr. Trump and everyone else reading is, "When exactly was America ever great? What are the good ole days Trump is referring to in his speeches?"

Seriously, think about this. Has there ever been a time when America was great for all people, and we wanted to reciprocate the same feeling of that particular time period into today? Well if you cannot right off the top of the head think of a time period, let's see if we can look down the line of our history to see where Mr. Trump and other supporters of this fiery movement could possibly be referring to!I will start from the year 1865 when slavery was abolished. If you think America was great at that time or before, I am guessing you are still coping with the fact that you lost the war and the south is not rising again, or coping with the fact that Christopher Columbus is not as heroic and pleasant as you thought he was. But let's look back at history and see if we can find which time period was GREAT. Could it be the Reconstruction period? Immediately following the Civil War and ratification of the 13th amendment that ended legal slavery, America immersed itself into a period known as Reconstruction. During this period, we have the birth of the KKK in Pulaski, TN in 1865, and also the birth of the Jim Crow system, which was full of segregation, discrimination, inequality, institutionalized racism, and an evolved form of slavery called hyperincarceration where blacks were thrown in jail for the smallest offenses, essentially putting them back into the chains that they had thought were broken for good. Reconstruction ended in 1877, but Jim Crow and mass incarceration still lives today!

Following this we transcend to the early 1900s, where we have 2 world wars, the women’s suffrage movement where women (white & black) try to attain the right to vote, the birth of the NAACP, the civil rights movement, where blacks fight for their inalienable rights as citizens of the United States. Moving forward into the late 60s and 70s we have the immersion of drugs into black communities. This destroyed communities and put blacks in a bondage we still see today. And no do not say it was black people’s fault for putting drugs in their community because we all know the drugs came from overseas, and blacks surely did not have any planes to fly and get drugs. We also have the black power movement, where blacks resist the oppression of whites in a more militant way. The list goes on. In essence, America has never been great for people of color. That may be what Trump is talking about! He does not mean making America great again for all people, but for people who look and act like him, because he obviously cannot talk about making America great again for blacks. Is he referring to the time when we were in chains, when we were hanging from trees like strange fruit, when we were hosed down on the streets and attacked by dogs, when we are shot down in the streets for appearing to be a threat? I do not know a time it was great in America. Do you?

So, people who love Trump up and down and think I'm some fiery vegan liberal who can't stand to see a republican in the White House, you are wrong. It is not just the bigotry, misogyny, disrespect, ignorance, or narcissism of President-Elect Trump that has put anger in the hearts of many around America. But Trump lost my vote when he said he was going to make America great again!! Whenever I hear that I think of when America's economy was booming. If you are wondering when that was, it was slavery ladies and gentleman. Do you think that is a time I want to go back to?

President-Elect Trump, as much as I did not want you to win the election, I wish you the best in terms of making America great. I would never wish any malice or wrongdoing on any individual, although you have kindled anger and pain in myself and others that I have never felt or seen before. But we are unfortunately stuck with you. If your plan is to make America great again like you and your brilliant supporters have screamed and shouted at the top of your lungs, it would only make sense for a brother like me to wonder what the hell you are referring to? Stay woke people. Your life depends on it.