It Is Easier To Be A Racist Than An Anti-Racist!
"He's a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot" "He doesn't represent my party..."
Lindsey Graham, 2015
“Black Lives Matter states, “If U.S. doesn’t give us what we want, then we will burn down this system and replace it”. This is Treason, Sedition, Insurrection”
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump June 25, 2020
I think that in order to construct an anti-racist dialogue, you have to decide what constitutes racism and what forms of racism are you trying to combat. In elementary education, we often present a universal racism that is really a more advanced form of discrimination and prejudice. Students learn that this "racism" is slowly disappearing or has been defeated through legislation and behavioral changes. In higher education, we broaden our understanding of racism to include systemic, structural, institutional, environmental and personal forms of racism. It is critical to acknowledge that since more than half of all Americans do not go to college and do not experience such enlightened and complex viewpoints, that the nuanced perspectives of racism are not shared nor understood by the general American public. (less than 40% of all Americans have a college degree) Hence, I would like to suggest that we can never fully teach anti-racism because most Americans use their personal history and schooling to deny the existence of a national racist construction.
Racism in America is a game. A struggle without a victor. Anti-racists may win battles but they will never win the war. There is no reason for racism to end, because both sides see reasons for its continuation. For racism to end, white Americans believe they must suffer. They fear the concessions needed to make amends. Conversely, people of color can never agree on the price for the centuries of atrocities committed by whites. So they will play the game with token solutions and prizes with the hope that all sides will remain content until the end of time. Racists look for the ultimate victory, but racism as a concept looks for a stalemate. It is the Matrix-like conclusion where the Architect and the Oracle decide to co-exist. In contrast, anti-racists look forward to a day of reckoning and a day of peace. It means accepting who you are and trying to improve. In essence they are repeating Langston Hughes' statement to "Make America America again!"
Most white Americans don't believe that they are racist or that America is a racist nation. They see racism in the guise of an old man, the crazy grandfather, uncle or neighbor, who shouts bigoted comments from a porch or doesn't like people of color. White Americans try to tell us that such people are rare and are a dying breed who don't represent the larger nation. Textbook racism of this sort is typically characterized as a contrast between whites and blacks. It is an outgrowth of the Civil War prejudices and Civil Rights struggles. This is a universe that ignores Native Americans, Asian Americans, Latino Americans and other non-whites.
If we stick with that construct of duality, the contemporary issues of race and racism focus on slights or micro-aggressions. These are differences between rights and wrongs. Whites can claim apathy or ignorance because they are immigrants or the children of immigrants or they can state that such actions happened long ago and that they do not benefit from ancient actions. White privilege, they argue, is an idea of radical white apologists. However, the more complex truth is that racism is dynamic, and evolutionary. America's racism historically pits whites against non-whites and non-whites against each other. This American legacy is over 500 years old.
While white Americans prefer the two-step, people of color do the cha-cha. Racism, to people of color, is not the two-dimensional portrait but a multi-dimensional one. Most non-whites are forced to see America as a racist nation. Micro-aggressions, for them, are often daily events with grave consequences. America's racism in their eyes is a matter of life and death. And, the number of white allies agreeing with this viewpoint is increasing. However, it is not possible to fully teach American racism in schools largely because the nation's children are attending segregated facilities.
One might ask, how can students believe in structural, systemic or political racism if it is not taught? The problem is that they are learning about racism, but not through lectures. They are witnessing it and rationalizing what they see. Poor schools inhabited by students of color are breeding grounds for societal inequalities which are the result of racist polices. As educators, we promote justice and democracy while simultaneously denouncing these concepts in forcing conformity. In predominately black schools, we push students to overcome the notions of inferiority while explaining equality. In predominately white schools, we teach exceptionalism and the myth of hard work producing financial rewards. We confuse our students into thinking that their "racialized" behavior is acceptable until it isn't or until they grow old. Thus, it is questionable if real change can occur because we are challenging long existing concepts or beliefs.
Kids learn racism as they watch television, listen to the radio and go to the movies. They see it watching sporting events and games shows. It is all around them. They may not define it as racism, but they are learning none the less. Walking down the street is a great example of racism. Can a child walk down the street in perfect safety? While the majority of white children can, many children of color do not know this pleasure. Their neighborhoods are poor and often violent. Even the description of the violence indicates a tremendous sense of difference. If an African American or Latinx child fears violence walking down the street from gangs and those who are sworn to protect her or him, how do they not know racism? And if the white child never experiences this quandary, how are they going to respond it when it is portrayed on the evening news? What will the children say about such things years later in their adulthoods?
For simplicity sake, let's return to the dual model of white and black racial distinctions. Politically, less than ten percent of all blacks are Republicans, so when reading political polls the racial divide is clear. White views dominate the national Republic perspective. Throughout the first six months of 2020, Pew Research noted that while a majority of Republicans approved of President Trump's political agenda, only 31% approved of his conduct. Democrats, roughly 85% of those surveyed, disapproved of his conduct and his policies. Another Pew Research poll, conducted in 2019, revealed only 37% of whites, but 78% of blacks feel that the United States has not gone far enough towards equal rights. In January 2020, a Washington Post investigation pointed out that 8 in 10 blacks believe that President Trump is a racist. A more recent poll, conducted in May, indicated that 63% of whites and 91% of blacks believe that the police treat blacks differently than whites. (yougov 2020). Statistically, these findings strongly advocate that whites tend to downplay what blacks consider to be racism or racist actions. In black minds, it is easy for whites to be racist or sympathetic to racist actors.
When you add other races to the mix, the data reveals other divisions. Wiki-pedia, for example, lists 30 incidents where the president used racial slurs or insults against Asians, Asian Americans, Native Americans, Mexicans, Hispanics, African Americans, Muslim Americans and other people of color. The failure to apologize for any of his comments or actions fuels perceptions of his "racialized" conduct. Statistically, a majority of Americans feel that the president's agenda has hurt Muslims, Hispanics and African Americans. Ironically, Native Americans who have endured numerous Trump comments and Asian Americans, who now feel targeted after the president started calling COVID-19 the "China flu" and "Kung Flu", were not individually polled. However, in the final analysis, white perspectives do not match those of people of color. Roughly half of all whites, in comparison to 75% of Latinos and 82% of blacks, believe the president is racist. (AP 2020) Only 21% of all Republicans and just 57% of all American adults reach that conclusion. This strongly reveals that Americans do not share the same definitions of racism, or that white Americans choose not to acknowledge a problem.
Racism in America is a game. A struggle without a victor. Anti-racists may win battles but they will never win the war. There is no reason for racism to end, because both sides see reasons for its continuation. For racism to end, white Americans believe they must suffer. They fear the concessions needed to make amends. Conversely, people of color can never agree on the price for the centuries of atrocities committed by whites. So they will play the game with token solutions and prizes with the hope that all sides will remain content until the end of time. Racists look for the ultimate victory, but racism as a concept looks for a stalemate. It is the Matrix-like conclusion where the Architect and the Oracle decide to co-exist. In contrast, anti-racists look forward to a day of reckoning and a day of peace. It means accepting who you are and trying to improve. In essence they are repeating Langston Hughes' statement to "Make America America again!"
Most white Americans don't believe that they are racist or that America is a racist nation. They see racism in the guise of an old man, the crazy grandfather, uncle or neighbor, who shouts bigoted comments from a porch or doesn't like people of color. White Americans try to tell us that such people are rare and are a dying breed who don't represent the larger nation. Textbook racism of this sort is typically characterized as a contrast between whites and blacks. It is an outgrowth of the Civil War prejudices and Civil Rights struggles. This is a universe that ignores Native Americans, Asian Americans, Latino Americans and other non-whites.
If we stick with that construct of duality, the contemporary issues of race and racism focus on slights or micro-aggressions. These are differences between rights and wrongs. Whites can claim apathy or ignorance because they are immigrants or the children of immigrants or they can state that such actions happened long ago and that they do not benefit from ancient actions. White privilege, they argue, is an idea of radical white apologists. However, the more complex truth is that racism is dynamic, and evolutionary. America's racism historically pits whites against non-whites and non-whites against each other. This American legacy is over 500 years old.
While white Americans prefer the two-step, people of color do the cha-cha. Racism, to people of color, is not the two-dimensional portrait but a multi-dimensional one. Most non-whites are forced to see America as a racist nation. Micro-aggressions, for them, are often daily events with grave consequences. America's racism in their eyes is a matter of life and death. And, the number of white allies agreeing with this viewpoint is increasing. However, it is not possible to fully teach American racism in schools largely because the nation's children are attending segregated facilities.
One might ask, how can students believe in structural, systemic or political racism if it is not taught? The problem is that they are learning about racism, but not through lectures. They are witnessing it and rationalizing what they see. Poor schools inhabited by students of color are breeding grounds for societal inequalities which are the result of racist polices. As educators, we promote justice and democracy while simultaneously denouncing these concepts in forcing conformity. In predominately black schools, we push students to overcome the notions of inferiority while explaining equality. In predominately white schools, we teach exceptionalism and the myth of hard work producing financial rewards. We confuse our students into thinking that their "racialized" behavior is acceptable until it isn't or until they grow old. Thus, it is questionable if real change can occur because we are challenging long existing concepts or beliefs.
Kids learn racism as they watch television, listen to the radio and go to the movies. They see it watching sporting events and games shows. It is all around them. They may not define it as racism, but they are learning none the less. Walking down the street is a great example of racism. Can a child walk down the street in perfect safety? While the majority of white children can, many children of color do not know this pleasure. Their neighborhoods are poor and often violent. Even the description of the violence indicates a tremendous sense of difference. If an African American or Latinx child fears violence walking down the street from gangs and those who are sworn to protect her or him, how do they not know racism? And if the white child never experiences this quandary, how are they going to respond it when it is portrayed on the evening news? What will the children say about such things years later in their adulthoods?
For simplicity sake, let's return to the dual model of white and black racial distinctions. Politically, less than ten percent of all blacks are Republicans, so when reading political polls the racial divide is clear. White views dominate the national Republic perspective. Throughout the first six months of 2020, Pew Research noted that while a majority of Republicans approved of President Trump's political agenda, only 31% approved of his conduct. Democrats, roughly 85% of those surveyed, disapproved of his conduct and his policies. Another Pew Research poll, conducted in 2019, revealed only 37% of whites, but 78% of blacks feel that the United States has not gone far enough towards equal rights. In January 2020, a Washington Post investigation pointed out that 8 in 10 blacks believe that President Trump is a racist. A more recent poll, conducted in May, indicated that 63% of whites and 91% of blacks believe that the police treat blacks differently than whites. (yougov 2020). Statistically, these findings strongly advocate that whites tend to downplay what blacks consider to be racism or racist actions. In black minds, it is easy for whites to be racist or sympathetic to racist actors.
When you add other races to the mix, the data reveals other divisions. Wiki-pedia, for example, lists 30 incidents where the president used racial slurs or insults against Asians, Asian Americans, Native Americans, Mexicans, Hispanics, African Americans, Muslim Americans and other people of color. The failure to apologize for any of his comments or actions fuels perceptions of his "racialized" conduct. Statistically, a majority of Americans feel that the president's agenda has hurt Muslims, Hispanics and African Americans. Ironically, Native Americans who have endured numerous Trump comments and Asian Americans, who now feel targeted after the president started calling COVID-19 the "China flu" and "Kung Flu", were not individually polled. However, in the final analysis, white perspectives do not match those of people of color. Roughly half of all whites, in comparison to 75% of Latinos and 82% of blacks, believe the president is racist. (AP 2020) Only 21% of all Republicans and just 57% of all American adults reach that conclusion. This strongly reveals that Americans do not share the same definitions of racism, or that white Americans choose not to acknowledge a problem.
Within the United States, anti-racism means understanding the nature of a society and trying to demonstrate compassion and empathy for all. It requires degrees of humanity and sympathy and a willingness to work for social justice. American concepts of anti-racism are derived from the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Emancipation Proclamation, documents that acknowledge liberty, freedom, democracy and justice for all. In contrast, racists lack empathy for all and attempt to oppress others that they frame as different from themselves. For instance, we argue that a racist uses power (economic, political, social and pseudo-intellectual power) over others.
I used the statistics regarding President Trump and his leadership to highlight a point. In America, in contrast to other nations, we believe that the president sets the tone for the nation. The president is supposed to represent all people. Therefore, a modern president should be an anti-racist. Of course this has not always been the case. Historically, presidents have owned slaves, supported segregation and used the N-word. They have supported the expulsion of Native Americans, Mexican Americans, African Americans, and Japanese and Chinese Americans. They have reportedly been members of the KKK. Yet, some have overcome heinous acts and changed for the betterment of society. Examples of anti-racist presidents include Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Examples of racist presidents include Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, and Woodrow Wilson. Teddy Roosevelt was uniquely a paternalistic president, while Abraham Lincoln, George H. W. Bush, and Lyndon Johnson are often used as models who overcame racist ideas to address the needs of blacks and other minorities.
This framework places Donald Trump on the wrong side of the equation. He has too many statements that deny empathy or sympathy. Too often Mr. Trump has used the "black card" to suggest that he associates with blacks, or has done more for blacks than anyone besides Abraham Lincoln. He has made gaffs illustrating severe degrees of insensitivity by attacking and name calling Omarosa Manigault, Maxine Waters, Carmen Yulin Cruz, and other females of color, suggesting that Aretha Franklin worked for him, calling Elizabeth Warren "Pocahontas", and tossing paper towels to hurricane victims in Puerto Rico.
"African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and women have experienced an economic winning streak on President @realDonaldTrump"s watch.
We're committed to making sure that the American Dream is within everyone's reach."
retweet Donald J. Trump June 26, 2020
President Trump has nearly 83 million Twitter followers. Nearly a third of the country read his daily comments. His words and views expressed through Twitter reverberate around the world. These tweets try to project the president on the right side of various struggles. However, when read in sequence over a period of time, particular patterns emerge. There are countless mistruths, insults, and frequently a racial slur. The president pits groups and viewpoints against each other. Trump world is engaged in a daily contest against his "forces of evil". Such battles are ones that the president desperately needs to win.
"A @FoxNews
commentator just ripped me with lies, with nobody defending. They talked about the “friendly” protesters (they set the Church on fire the day before. They were anything but friendly), and how I stood and held the Bible upside down - it wasn’t upside down. @edhenry"
Donald J. Trump June 25, 2020
"I will Veto the Defense Authorization Bill if the Elizabeth “Pocahontas” Warren (of all people!) Amendment, which will lead to the renaming (plus other bad things!) of Fort Bragg, Fort Robert E. Lee, and many other Military Bases from which we won Two World Wars, is in the Bill!"
Donald J. Trump June 30, 2020
Since taking office, President Trump has rapidly transformed his public views on race. His comments are more bitting and his actions are more defined. He has become the nation's foremost racist solely because 1) he is the most powerful person in the nation, 2) he is an elitist who believes that he is smarter than others, and 3) that he chooses sides. His arguments, however, are not guided by intellectual principles but by strategic alliances. His arguments vary depending on who he chooses to support and subsequently this is how he frames his notions of justice and right and wrong. Sadly, this also makes him a bigot.
One cannot come to these conclusions lightly. I've been a hopeful Trump apologist for a long time, but his border policies of separating families and placing children in cages was my clarifying moment. (Privately, I keep waiting for a Trump epiphany, but he continually fails. ) The retweet of the Trump supporters at the Villages in Florida was, in my mind, the last chance. There was no apology when the tweet was removed. The White House at first offered no comment and then later stated that the president did not hear the negative comments. Senator Tim Scott, the sole black Republican senator, had to rebuke him on national television.
There is no way that President Trump did not hear the man in the golf cart say "white power". In fact he said it twice. For an elected official, especially the President of the United States, to post that material to his Tweeter feed goes far beyond an insensitive "dog whistle." For anyone to post that type of video to their social media, tells the world who they are. Donald J. Trump is not as he claims the "least racist person", he is an affirmed racist. The only question that I would ask is why is he a racist? Sadly, I think we know the answer to that question as well.
Daily at presidential press conferences his words and tweets have to be explained. At rallies, a supportive audience cheers him on in denouncing and attacking his "enemies of the state". Here is where the president is completely liberated and free to say whatever he wants. The crowds support him in a call and response process where they often chant the racist remark or slur. Subsequently, in days following the rallies, the press asks the White House for clarification of these remarks. Answers are never satisfactory and the result is the same. The prevailing thought is that the president is a bigot, white supremacist sympathizer, or a racist.
The dance continues with the liberal press being accusatory and the conservative press being defensive. The public takes sides and debates the issues. However, this is the way of racism and blatant racists. A racist will say horrible things in public with an audience that is supportive. No one is confused by the message. However, it takes courage to personally admit you are a racist.
A prominent historian recently described race in America as a caste system. Perhaps you might want to believe that the president is not a racist as he is simply reinforcing boundaries of America's caste. But if you had doubts about the president and his unfolding legacy, the continual support for Confederate monuments and the Confederate flag, the attacks on NASCAR and Bubba Wallace, and denouncing knelling NFL players and those supporting changing the names of the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians should give you moments to pause. It's hard to be the President of the United States and openly support the Confederate States of America. Certainly, in doing so, one's motives have to be questioned.
"Has @BubbaWallace
apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, &; were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX? That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!"
Donald J. Trump July 6, 2020
"They name teams out of STRENGTH, not weakness, but now the Washington Redskins & Cleveland Indians, two fabled sports franchises, look like they are going to be changing their names in order to be politically correct. Indians, like Elizabeth Warren, must be very angry right now!"
Donald J. Trump July 6, 2020
Let's equally consider the protests that started after the death of George Floyd. One can still be an anti-racist and not support this form of protest. However, it does suggest that the anti-racist has an understanding of the legitimacy of protesting for rights. A bigot chooses to see the protesting as wrong regardless of the circumstances. The protesters are complaining about police brutality and police corruption. They are asking for legislation with teeth to punish police that kill people of color. And, it is in the resolution of this crisis where battle-lines are drawn.
Being Anti-Racist: Barack Obama was first drawn into this situation, when he framed the Trayvon Martin murder as president and then as a black man and father of black children. Similarly when Bill de Blasio confronted this scenario, he framed the issue as the mayor of the nation's largest city, and the father of two bi-racial, but black facing children. As a white man, de Blasio could have avoided the racial issue, but it would have been dishonest.
Being Racist: Donald Trump, as president and father, chose to overlook the humanity of Obama and de Blasio in denouncing their past and present statements. He had already been outspoken about the Harlem Five case and consequently remained critical of black victims of police brutality and pro-police. These were the first steps in labeling him a racist. He even overlooked the humanity of George Floyd in consoling his family, in his comments to the nation, and by equating his death to the improvement of the stock market. The second step, which furthers this label, is the bigoted reaction to attack the protesters for using their right to free speech. The third is when he called them criminals.
I am suggesting that the president consciously decided to take this path to appease a particular white audience. He placed his authority behind this group to attack another group. In doing so he became the oppressors of black (multi-racial and white) demands for police accountability and justice under the law. And, that was the beginning of his racist solution to the problem. He did this knowing that an audience would strongly support his attempts to suppress the protesters. These "dog whistles" are a constant part of his social agenda.
When he tweeted and says Senator Tim Scott's bill will be "great for people of color and the police", that expands the racial divide. Legislation serves all people regardless of race. But by drawing attention to the senator also escalates issues of race. It highlights that Senator Scott is black, and therefore is "acting in the best interests of black people". It equally forces attention on what are the other black members of the Senate (Democrats) suggesting in their proposed legislation? How does the black community feel about Senator Scott's bill? Interestingly, we don't have the whole truth because there were no polls. Instead, the Republicans put its only black member in a terrible situation in which he could not win. His bill was criticized by the left, and the Democrats chose not vote for it favoring their bill that was in the House.
"Tomorrow
and the Senate Republicans have a Great Bill, the #JUSTICEAct, up for a vote. Will be great for both people of color and police - in fact, has major police support. Rebuilding trust and keeping communities safe! Hope to sign it into law ASAP!"
and the Senate Republicans have a Great Bill, the #JUSTICEAct, up for a vote. Will be great for both people of color and police - in fact, has major police support. Rebuilding trust and keeping communities safe! Hope to sign it into law ASAP!"
Donald J. Trump June 24, 2020
This is the perfect storm to highlight racism. It pitted the two black Democrats against the one black Republican and the bill was doomed for failure. Mitch McConnell knew Mr. Scott was going to fail when he gave him this assignment. Blacks were not going to get their crime bill and the President and Senate Leader could blame it on the Democrats. Leader McConnell already stated that many of the Democrats demands were non-starters. These actions insured that protesters would remain in the streets for another few days, if not for weeks. Once again, President Trump made a critical decision to heighten tensions. He wants the issues to be "racialized" in the press. He is using race to his advantage by telling his base that he is protecting them ("the President of law and order") and suggesting to blacks that Democrats are not working in their best interests.
What is largely overlooked in the tweet is the president's claim. President Trump's tweet favors the police by saying it has "major police support". No mention is made about the support of the people of color. If you follow the line of reasoning, the next tweet supports the idea that some police are corrupt. This is the exact point that the protestors are making. However, the police are only corrupt when they don't favor the president, not the people of color. So, the president is then justified in stating that the protestors are anti-police and chant anti-police slogans.
What is largely overlooked in the tweet is the president's claim. President Trump's tweet favors the police by saying it has "major police support". No mention is made about the support of the people of color. If you follow the line of reasoning, the next tweet supports the idea that some police are corrupt. This is the exact point that the protestors are making. However, the police are only corrupt when they don't favor the president, not the people of color. So, the president is then justified in stating that the protestors are anti-police and chant anti-police slogans.
"Is James Comey and his band of Dirty Cops going to apologize to General Michael Flynn (and many others) for what they have done to ruin his life? What about Robert Mueller and his Angry Democrat Cronies - Are they going to say, SO SORRY? And what about Obama & Biden?"
Donald J. Trump June 24, 2020
"Told that
Bill de Blasio wants to paint the fabled & beautiful Fifth Avenue, right in front of Trump Tower/Tiffany, with a big yellow Black Lives Matter sign. “Pigs in a Blanket, Fry ‘Em Like Bacon”, referring to killing Police, is their chant. NYC Police are furious!"
Bill de Blasio wants to paint the fabled & beautiful Fifth Avenue, right in front of Trump Tower/Tiffany, with a big yellow Black Lives Matter sign. “Pigs in a Blanket, Fry ‘Em Like Bacon”, referring to killing Police, is their chant. NYC Police are furious!"
Donald J. Trump June 25, 2020
The alleged enemy is Black Lives Matter. They are projected as a radical fringe group out to destroy the United States and its institutions. They are also described as cop killers. Yet, has any member of BLM killed police officers? They certainly have had many chances since 2015! However, neither the President, the Attorney General nor most members of Congress can name a leader of the organization or name the persons stating this chant. They have no understanding of the organization. It is just labeling, calling people BLM or Antifa. In fact, when looking at the protestors, the President cannot distinguish who is a member of BLM and who is not. A day earlier and latter he called protestors anarchists, looters and thugs. In what category are the members of BLM?
"I just had the privilege of signing a very strong Executive Order protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues - and combatting recent Criminal Violence. Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country!"
Donald J. Trump June 26, 2020
The expansion of the protest from police brutality to symbols of oppression is the natural way that American anti-racist logic flows. It draws its strength from the failed legacy of Reconstruction. However, American racism after the Civil War increases due to the rise of the Jim Crow South. It should be easy to see that the protestors were easily moving into a dangerous arena. They chose sides which fed into the enemy's camp. Last year President Trump took a lap at Daytona and previously supported white supremacists in Virginia. He went to the site of a Jewish pogrom in Pittsburgh but offered no statement for slain black victims in Louisville. He planned a speech on Juneteenth in Tulsa and a nomination speech on Ax Handle day in Jacksonville. He has already supported Confederate flags, statues and other symbols. It was inevitable as soon as protesters attacked the statues of General Lee, General Pike, and President Jackson that he would decry the protesters as traitors.
In reality, these protests have only proven one fact. America is one of the most racist nations in the world. And this is not because Americans are evil or vile people. Rather, because we, Americans, are open deniers of the truth. The course of American history is filled with degrees of racist behavior. But if we continue to teach the same way that we have for the past 140 years, we will continue to see the same results. When we teach, the tendency is to stick to one aspect of racism or to shift around to various isolated topics. However, that is not how racism works. It is always interconnected to other groups and never isolated to one group for the course of time.
In reality, these protests have only proven one fact. America is one of the most racist nations in the world. And this is not because Americans are evil or vile people. Rather, because we, Americans, are open deniers of the truth. The course of American history is filled with degrees of racist behavior. But if we continue to teach the same way that we have for the past 140 years, we will continue to see the same results. When we teach, the tendency is to stick to one aspect of racism or to shift around to various isolated topics. However, that is not how racism works. It is always interconnected to other groups and never isolated to one group for the course of time.
To present life in this manner is problematic. To encourage this methodology ensures that children will remain confused. But poor teaching without context not only confuses students, it equally confuses teachers and parents. It makes it nearly impossible to teach children of color and white students the same way, because it produces degrees of inferiority for students of color and degrees of anger among white parents. Now, in a national public school system that is increasingly non-white, this form of educational structure needs to be outlawed.
Similarly, it will allow Americans of all backgrounds to question whether or not their president is a racist, or a racist sympathizer? Such debates will further tear the nation apart and force us to continue to struggle to understand the full meaning of America's origins. Were the founders also racists or were they visionaries? What did they mean when Jefferson wrote that all men are created equal?
Perhaps such questions are complicated and need time for greater reflection. Unfortunately we, as a nation, don't have the luxury of time. Instead forces, the same ones that encourage what I have defined as the president's racist actions, are working harder to insure that the status quo remains. The old order fears change. Hence, the work of anti-racists needs to start with the destruction of the old order. We have to build a "new" United States of America by honestly exploring our past and focusing on a near future when the majority of American citizens are people of color.
Similarly, it will allow Americans of all backgrounds to question whether or not their president is a racist, or a racist sympathizer? Such debates will further tear the nation apart and force us to continue to struggle to understand the full meaning of America's origins. Were the founders also racists or were they visionaries? What did they mean when Jefferson wrote that all men are created equal?
Perhaps such questions are complicated and need time for greater reflection. Unfortunately we, as a nation, don't have the luxury of time. Instead forces, the same ones that encourage what I have defined as the president's racist actions, are working harder to insure that the status quo remains. The old order fears change. Hence, the work of anti-racists needs to start with the destruction of the old order. We have to build a "new" United States of America by honestly exploring our past and focusing on a near future when the majority of American citizens are people of color.
“How Trump Is Making Black America Great Again, The Untold Story Of Black Advancement in the Era of Trump.” By Horace Cooper A great new book!"
Donald J. Trump June 25, 2020
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