Day One of Trump’s America
24 Hours.
It took less than 24 hours after Donald Trump becoming the president-elect for violence and xenophobia to spill out into American streets. Marginalized groups like Black people, Latinos, Muslims (or for that matter, anyone who looks like a Muslim to a bigot), people from the LBGTQIA+ community, and many more have valid anxieties about going outside in a nation where Trump is the next leader. The venomous supporters following Trump expressed their joyous victory the only way they knew how: By spewing hatred and committing violence.
In similar fashion to the initial fallout from England’s withdraw from the European Union, referred to by some as “Brexit”, day one of the Dear Orange Leader’s regime began in a wave of Trump supporters telling people to get out of their country. Hijabs were snatched or taken off for fear of assaults. Black people were accosted with racial slurs and told to sit at the back of the bus. Latino people were asked for Green Cards or told they were being deported. This is day one after the election. We still have an entire 4 years to go.
More than blaming 3rd party voters, abstainers, or Bernie holdouts, the blame can be squarely put on the hatred Trump tapped into to ultimately win the election. At this point, we can honestly and unequivocally say America is not a “post-racial” society. The mentality behind voting for Trump- from his policies on border walls to the deportation of practitioners of the Islamic faith- is inherently racist. Former KKK leader and politician David Duke championed the Trump victory, while Rudy Giuliani called it “the greatest victory since Andrew Jackson”. Jackson is the president getting removed from the United States 20 dollar bill for being a particularly violent slave owner.
This is far different than electing a C-average trust fund baby or a former actor-turned-political puppet into the White House. Whether or not Trump believes in his own hype, his followers adhere to it like religious edicts. By tapping directly into that White Nationalist hatred, he legitimized and justified their actions and words. In the minds of these rage-driven individuals, they are paving the way for America to be great again by making it white (or as they would say “pure”). These racists have never faded with the passage of time, but only spoke about it behind closed doors or through the anonymity of the internet. When Black Lives Matter began protests across the country, they were there supporting police officers and plowing through people in the streets. Now, they are comfortable enough to freely walk around and accost people they hate, confident that no one will stop them. Their leader Donald Trump has made White Nationalism and open racism the status quo once again.
Now is the time for America to end its problem with race and racists. In fact, it has been past time Americans deal with this issue. While Black people have been extremely vocal about the racial issue that plague our country, the complacency of White people as a whole has allowed it to fester even more. All the marginalized groups in the nation do not have time to wait for white people to finally confront their racist relatives. How long before a Trump supporter ends up killing someone because they aren’t part of the “Make America Great Again” plan? How many will have to harassed, assaulted, or worse before action is taken?
To my fellow black brothers and sisters, stay safe and watch your back. If you see one of us getting harassed by a Trump supporter, step in and let them know it won’t be tolerated. Now is the time to show these cowards we are not afraid of them, and that they will not intimidate us. The best way to do this is to form a unified front against racists that target specific individuals. I urge minorities of all creeds, orientations, and nationalities to do the same. If you’re not a fighter, use numbers. Whenever possible, stay with friends because these cowards like to intimidate people when they are alone and vulnerable. On the path we’re headed towards the uncertain future, we have to stop being strangers to each other and be willing to help each other out.
