Here’s the thing: I had no intentions of protesting at Donald Trump's rally in West Chester, Ohio. My dad came to visit yesterday, and we both decided it might be interesting to go and be a part of the rally. Not as supporters, but as American citizens. When he first presented the idea, I thought he was kidding. Moments later, I realized he was serious as he explained his thoughts. No matter how much we don’t support Donald Trump being the next leader of our nation, this could be historic. If Trump wins presidency, I want to be able to say I went to one of his rallies. If he wins, 50 years from now, I’ll be able to say I was present when America made a huge mistake.
I’ve never been a political thinker, and I’ve never really desired to be; however, I’m realizing how important it is for me to be educated on all the political issues. Not just so I can vote wisely, but so I can be confident in what I am supporting and what I believe is right. At the same time, I’m realizing how important it is to love. Yes, love. Love strangers, love Muslims, love black people, love white people, love gay people, love immigrants, love police, love hippies and love humanity. We’ve been focusing on all of the hate and differences rather than focusing on the beauty of our individuality.
Here is a list of the things I heard standing outside this rally with the protestors.
“Immigrants are people, too.”
“Hey hey ho ho Trump has got to g.o”
“Black lives matter.”
“No more hate in my state.”
“Build bridges, not walls.”
“Immigrants make America great.”
“We choose love.”
“United we stand, divided we fall.”
There were some less uplifting things I heard coming from the Trump supporters passing by and I’d like to break down this particular conversation for you all. There was a Native American woman wearing a hijab and waving a Cherokee Nation flag with a big smile on her face. A Trump supporter walks by her and screams “Go Home” in her face. The Cherokee woman calmly replies, “This is my home.” Then, the Trump supporter yells back at her saying, “Go home! Go home and burn!”
Now, I don’t know about you all, but I’ve never heard another person tell someone to go and “burn.” I had several mixed emotions when I heard this woman say that to the Cherokee woman. Part of me wanted to tackle the Trump supporter, part of me wanted to go hug the Cherokee woman and part of me wanted to leave. I’ve never been to a political rally, a protest or anything of the sorts, and I honestly had no idea what to do or how to handle myself. I felt ashamed to call myself an American. I felt ashamed to call myself white, and all I wanted to do was stop everything that was happening. I’ve known for years that racism is still alive, and I’ve heard about it from all angles, but never had I seen it up close, 10 feet away from me.
A couple minutes later, my dad and I started talking to this guy named Sammy. Sammy is Muslim and Arabic, but he was born in the U.S. and has lived his entire life here. We talked and stood with one another for about two hours in the rain. We talked about the protest, our lives and the effects that would take place if Trump were elected president. Basically, Sammy was telling us if Trump becomes president, he’s going to make it that if any Muslim leaves the country, it’ll be very difficult for them to come back home. Sammy wants to travel and visit other countries, but his dream would be ruined if Trump becomes president.
Another thing I have to say about Sammy is how well he handles people rejecting him for his beliefs and his ability to stay calm when people are racist. This woman handing out fliers to for a local church bypassed my white dad and me to hand Sammy a flier. Sammy took the flier with a smile and put it in his pocket. The woman proceeded down the line of people standing there, skipping the white people and handing the flier to people of color only. She told the black man next to us she would pray for him. I was amazed at this. Was I offended I didn’t get a flier? No, I don’t want the evangelical flier. I was offended for Sammy and everyone who got a flier from this woman. She was only giving to people she thought “needed” it, and evidentially, the people who need it are the minorities. I asked Sammy how he felt about that and he replied with, “I mean, I know they mean well, but I just wish they would stop trying to get people to convert.”
By the end of our time at the rally, I took one thing away: The only thing that will save this country is love. Love for humanity, love for differences and love for betterment are what this country needs. We need to start working together as a nation, and it is as simple as that. The base of our country is what we need to focus on, not the election, not the laws, not the money, but the freedom and the unity. We are called the United States, but our country has become everything but united. Do I think we should “make America great again?” Yes, I do. But, Donald Trump is not going to change America nor is he going to make it great. We, the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, must respect and accept people who have different ideas, skin colors, sexualities, cultures, and we must promote the love of others.
