Racism: We NEED to Talk about the ‘White Elephant’ in the Country
I have a rare ability to recognize racism better than most white people. But today, it's obvious enough for all to see.
“Racism must be opposed by all means that humanity has at its disposal.” - Nelson Mandela
First things first: My ability to see racism better than other white people is not a flex. I'm not bragging. It's important you know that, and I hope you’ll believe me. This ability makes me better than nobody. It was a circumstance of my life.
I think of it like this: If you grow up on a farm, you’ll know a whole lot more about hay and bales and crops than most other people would come to know. Or say, if your Mom or Dad was in the military… guaranteed you'll have more knowledge about soldiers’ ranks, uniform rules and names of military bases than civilian kids. It's not unique, you don't get a prize for it, it just… is. You know?
Well, I have a certified boatload of black and brown friends... I've had lots of them since childhood, some of them since college, and many were roommates over the years. Since I was 10 years old, I don't remember a time where my daily life did not involve some level of regular contact with at least one person of color. I've been the only white person (or one of a few) in a house-full of black or brown people more times than I could possibly count, and I always make damn sure that my algorithms are full of diverse views, because I want it this way. I genuinely like, enjoy, cherish, and love people who don't look like me. I always have, and always will.
But I am white. It’s a simple fact. I'm a born-n-bred, blonde haired, blue-eyed, blue-collar American woman who comes from generations of poor to lower-middle class white Americans. I can name 10 country artists off the top of my head. I have seen a turkey deep fried, I LOVE pretzel salad, and Taylor Swift and I have the same birthday… need I say less?
Being a millennial, a 90’s baby that was allowed to grow up watching Kenan N' Kel and All That right alongside Rocket Power, idolizing Destiny's Child right alongside Paramore… I confess, I thought my whole generation was poised to be the one who stamped out racism for good. I genuinely thought we were getting less racist. As we know now, that was a pipe dream; a folly. The naivety of a young white girl who did not realize the extent to which it was thriving. It turns out, my ability to recognize racism was NOT such a common thing, as I assumed it to be.
It was not, as I had thought, the widespread integration of black people into pop culture; it was the formative experiences I had in childhood with people who did not look like me.
There's a line of thinking in MAGA’s politics that white liberal women, like me, got radicalized by critical race theory and social justice professors in college. I can't speak to others’ experience, but it certainly wasn't mine. All I got from the professors was vocabulary. White privilege, microaggressions, implicit bias… Those weren't new ideas to me. I had seen them for YEARS, in my own friends, family, teachers, acquaintances… It was just nice to learn they had names.
Unfortunately, almost none of the white people in my life were interested in learning about this stuff, and (if anything) would even become offended by my bringing it up. I've been struggling for years, feeling angry with myself for not trying harder, not insisting upon the conversation… but also wondering constantly if it's my place at all. Some of these people helped raise me, helped me become who I am. Others, I've looked up to over the years, and their presence has truly added value to my life. My experience tells me that speaking up about racism is a lonely road, especially when speaking to people who look like you.
Of course I’m worried I’ll offend someone. I probably will say it wrong.
I have to say it anyway.
THIS. IS. RACISM.
I tend to freeze when someone asks me directly, “What makes Donald Trump racist?” because there is such a barrage of examples to choose from, my brain seems to short-circuit trying to land on just one. The question itself, additionally, is kind of patronizing; at this point, I think you’d be more hard-pressed to show he’s not racist… that said, many of his voters have had their definition of racism stretched and bent very slowly over the years, so below, the fact-based portion of the article starts with definitions. You could probably make some type of argument going one by one, picking apart the particulars of each example I provide for his racism; this tends to be the strategy of MAGA supporters. By all means, go ahead… I simply invite you to also take a step back and ask yourself what the sum of all these facts looks like. I assure you, they are facts; my sources are provided.
Definitions
a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
a place where large numbers of people, especially political prisoners or members of persecuted minorities, are deliberately imprisoned in a relatively small area with inadequate facilities, sometimes to provide forced labor or to await mass execution.
An internment camp is a place where people are confined, often in large groups, usually without trial or due process, during a time of war or other conflict. These camps are often established for "enemy aliens" or individuals suspected of disloyalty to the government. The term can also refer to camps where people are held as a result of their ethnicity, religion, or other group affiliation.
Racist Actions
Left hundreds of deported migrants trapped in a Panama hotel after they were flown out by the U.S. military
Offered South African farmers expedited U.S. citizenship
Announced that the administration has sent hundreds of people accused of being Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador
Sent questions to 20 law firms on their D.E.I.-related employment practices
Removed between 350 and 400 books from the Naval Academy library to comply with a verbal order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Revoked the visa of a Nobel Prize laureate and former Costa Rican president
Agreed to hand over sensitive taxpayer information to immigration enforcement authorities
Restored a National Park Service web page that features Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman
Stopped taking into consideration the race, gender, or ethnicity of applicants to the Air Force Academy
Racist Policies
Halted civil rights work.
Blocked enforcement of environmental justice laws
Dropped a policy that prohibited contractors from having segregated facilities
Closed the Social Security Administration’s civil rights office
Said all E.P.A. environmental justice offices would be eliminated
Began an investigation of 45 schools participating in a diversity project that helps students seeking business school degrees
Directed the Foreign Service to remove all D.E.I. policies
Walked back letters to foreign contractors that instructed them to comply with executive orders aimed at dismantling diversity programs
Moved to dismantle AmeriCorps, an independent federal agency that organizes community service programs
Sought to enforce existing rules requiring professional truck drivers to be proficient in English
Eliminating publicly available data related to race and gender
Racist Rhetoric
Blamed D.E.I. for deadly midair collision over the Potomac
Halted financial aid to South Africa and called for the resettling of white ‘Afrikaner refugees’ into the U.S.
“DEI WAS A HOAX THAT HAS BEEN VERY BAD FOR OUR COUNTRY. DEI IS GONE!!!” President Trump added.
Directed Vice President JD Vance "to eliminate improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology from the Smithsonian and its museums"
Said it was important for the public to see harsh treatment of deportees in El Salvador
Accused South Africa, again, of discriminating against and killing white people in the country
Met at the White House with the president of El Salvador, where the administration has wrongfully deported a Maryland man whom it has not brought back
Said undocumented immigrants should not get trials
Placed posters on the White House lawn that appeared to show illegal migrants arrested in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown
"They're eating the dogs."
Accused Kamala Harris of "turning black"
We Wouldn’t Allow This to Happen to White People
Moved to deport a permanent legal U.S. resident who was a public face of protest against Israel
Arrested a second person who took part in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University
Halted funding for legal representation of migrant children
Moved to detain an international student at Cornell University who has led pro-Palestinian protests
Deported 17 alleged gang members to El Salvador
Revoked the visas held by South Sudanese passport holders
Pressured migrants to 'self-deport' by effectively canceling lawfully obtained Social Security numbers
Announced the end of temporary protections for more than 10,000 people from Afghanistan and Cameroon
Arrested a legal permanent resident when he arrived at a federal court for what he thought was an appointment to become a U.S. citizen
Deported a 2-year-old U.S. citizen
Note: The bulletpoints above were gathered from a New York Times article called “All of the Trump Administration’s Major Moves in the First 100 Days.” The decision to label the moves as racist is, of course, my decision only. I have no affiliation with the Times.
Racist Personnel
Stephen Miller
Through the conscious use of fearmongering and xenophobia, Miller implements policies which demonize immigrants, regardless of their immigration status, in an apparent effort to halt all forms of immigration to the United States.
Miller influenced the editorial direction of the highly trafficked conservative website Breitbart.com, sharing white nationalist and anti-immigrant propaganda with their editors in an effort to buoy Trump’s run, according to leaked emails reviewed by Hatewatch.
Stephen Miller is credited with shaping the racist and draconian immigration policies of President Trump, which include the zero-tolerance policy, also known as family separation, the Muslim ban and ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
He has gained so much authority over such a broad spectrum of policies that Trump told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker in an interview that it would be a “downgrade” if he appointed Miller as national security adviser, usually a high-profile and highly coveted role in any West Wing. “Stephen is much higher on the totem pole than that,” Trump said.
Paul Ingrassia
He is Andrew Tate's lawyer and has called Tate "the embodiment of the ancient ideal of excellence."
Called for Donald Trump to declare martial law after the 2020 election.
Wants reparations for the families of J6 defendants.
Alligator Alcatraz
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described it this way: “The facility is in the heart of the Everglades and will be informally known as ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’ There is only one road leading in and the only way out is a one-way flight. It is isolated and surrounded by dangerous wildlife in unforgiving terrain. The facility will have up to 5,000 beds to house, process and deport criminal illegal aliens. This is an efficient and low-cost way to help carry out the largest mass deportation campaign in American history.”
With that being the administration’s introduction to the place, I shouldn’t have been so shocked by the visit. And yet, I was.
During one of the pressers, he talked about a solution for the migrant farmworkers and hotel staff that sounded really fucking familiar, in my opinion.
This is the direct link to the video, and here’s the quote below:
Reporter: “Mr. President, you talked recently about the idea of finding some way to get farm workforce and service sector workforce and I think you've discussed somehow a program of people leaving on a sponsorship and coming right back. Can you give us a little more detail about that and why in the view of some hardliners it's not taking care of our farmers and hotel workers”
President Trump: “We're working on it right now and Ron's going to be involved and you're involved already. So we have a case where a lot of cases where ice will go into a farm and these are guys working there for 10-15 years. No problem. The farmers know them. We're going to put, it's called farmer responsibility or owner responsibility where they're going to be largely responsible for these people and they know these people. They've worked on the farms for 15 years and all of a sudden they… So I have a great uh Ron does, Christy does. We have a great feeling for the farmer and for others in the same position. And we're going to give them responsibility for people. And we're going to have a system of signing them up so they don't have to go. They can be here legally. They can pay taxes and everything. They're not getting citizenship, but they get other things. And the farmers need them to do the work. Without those people, you're not going to be able to run your farm.”
THAT SOUNDS A LOT LIKE SLAVERY TO ME.
To me, it’s as simple as this; if you are truly not racist, now’s the time to be HORRIFIED.
If you are truly not racist, now’s the time to be FURIOUS.
If you are truly not racist, now’s the time to STAND UP.
I should have been screaming this from the rooftops from day one: most working-class white people had a lil bit of racism in them. They always did. We live where we live. But they weren’t RACIST. They did not inherently believe black and brown people were less than them. They wouldn’t abide such racism in the White House.
They certainly didn’t celebrate the idea of brown people being eaten by alligators.
The reason I can’t let this go is because so many of the Trump voters I know would have NEVER stood for this a decade ago. Are you kidding me? Y’all wanted to end political correctness so badly that EVIL is cool now?
Here’s what kills me, the part that pisses me off the most; MAGA started off with some good ideas. It is, at heart, at the working-class level, an anti-elite, anti-billionaire agenda. It’s almost funny how progressive some of MAGA’s ideas really are… but you fell for the liar. You did not deal with your racism, and so he manipulated you with it.
We’re six months in, and it’s obvious he just betrayed all of his non-millionaire voters, on top of crossing every line that even MAGA voters, polls show, did not want to happen. He’s kidnapping people off the street. He’s deporting people here legally. He sent innocent people to a concentration camp in El Salvador, and they’ve just built one in Florida. Sure, you can call it an internment camp… that is the accurate term at this time. I’d simply prefer we had none on U.S. soil.
We’ve reached a level of racism where ALL AMERICANS should be standing up; even MAGA voters.