Since the election results publicized Donald Trump’s nomination as President-elect, there seems to be a general theme of people feeling they personally can justify committing a racist act by pointing at one of Trump’s policy proposals (i.e. the wall) or inappropriate statements (i.e. groping women), similarly to how in the 1930’s people continued to think that because our country had hardly dealt with institutionalized racism, it was an unshameful act of justice and purification to lynch a “dangerous” black man in a city square.
I found an article titled Day 1 in Trump's America' Highlights Racist Acts, Violent Threats which discusses instances of racism witnessed post election. A particular individual named Insanul Ahmed, the senior editor for Genius, collected posts from social media occurring after the election results, which constitute mainly as a collection of racist acts perpetrated against black people, Muslims, the LGBT community, and women. Instances include burkas being pulled off, pejorative, derogatory phrases or words being used boldly and confrontationally, graffiti of swastikas, and much more.
One stellar point Ahmed made is this: “People want to think racists are only uneducated, old white men living in the South. They're not. They are your neighbors." I would like to add they are also you and me, at least to some extent.
After the article, a 50 second video follows, displaying anti-Trump protesters across the US yelling, burning things, and mentioning things Trump has said. I’m sure most of us are aware of these protests. Our country is in a state of unrest. Many people voted for Trump, and he won, yet many understandably continue to vocally express dissent against him and his statements.
In order for national unity and progress to occur—which some may not even want during the next four years, but I want in the next four years—we need to come together, recognizing our disgraceful history of oppressing minorities, not allowing true equality, not respecting others different beliefs or ideas, fighting for slavery and white supremacy on many occasions—and how we continued that publicly through more than half way into the 20th century!
Once we've begun to truly recognize how deeply rooted our present is in our unaddressed history, and begin to work for equity across the board, across The Land of the Free, recognizing that everyone has biases and blind spots due to our partial understandings and profoundly inadequate dealings with the past, believing that none are depraved to the core, even those we disagree with most. They too, are humans just like us, with families, feelings, hopes and dreams. Only by understanding this, can we make our country a better place for our children.
I hope we can do this, for my sake, for every person’s sake, and our posterity’s sake.
