Since the arrival of the first Africans to the New World in Virginia in 1619 it seems that there has always been something for African-Americans to fight for. Although, the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil Rights Act have granted certain civil liberties to African-Americans, racial equality and justice have always felt like an unobtainable goal to many in the African-American community. This seems to be the case even more so now, in the wake of newly elected President, Donald Trump.
President Trump has accordingly shown behavioral tendencies that exemplify racism. While many would say, this is just the fabricated argument of the African-American community, many credible mainstream media outlets have labeled our President as such.
Dana Millbank of the Washington Post has called Donald Trump a “bigot and a racist”[1]
New York Times editor Jill Abramson states there is “plenty of evidence” to show that Trump is both a “Demagogue and a Racist.”[2]
Lydia O’Connor and Daniel Marans of the Huffington Post cited 13 examples of Donald Trump being a racist. [3]
Fortune 500’s Michael D’Antonio cited several cases of racial tendencies and quotes of Donald Trump dating back close to thirty years[4]
In contrast, President Trump has of late has gone out of his way to meet with popular African-Americans celebrities like Steve Harvey, Kanye West, Jim Brown and Ray Lewis. Not to mention several African American clergymen prior to the U.S. Election. According to Harper Poling, Donald Trump received 18 percent of the African American popular vote, which is more than Mitt Romney in the prior election.[5]
So, the question needs to asked, what is the African American fight for at this present time? Should African-Americans trust Donald Trump?
Has any other President since the Post-segregation era displayed such racist tendencies as our current President?
Should African Americans begin to look in the mirror and start to evaluate their citizenship? Is there enough data to show that any elected official white or black has the best interest of the African-American community in mind? Should African-Americans feel threatened by police officers or by their own neighbors? Should we vote, and if so Democratic or Republican or Independent.
One could make the argument, that the current climate in the United States has the feel of an imminent social attack on the African-American Identity and Culture. When viewing the statistical data that reflects the enormous amount of crime, imprisonment, police brutality and poverty in various urban African-American communities, Africa-Americans cannot afford to take their rights for granted. Every African-American citizen must consider every aspect of their existence in this country. Not only, should African-Americans evaluate their politics but also assess their faith, family values, finances and future.
[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/donald-trump-is-a-bigot-and-a-racist/2015/12/01/a2a47b96-9872-11e5-8917-653b65c809eb_story.html?utm_term=.1587c6982b5a
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/feb/29/donald-trump-us-election-2016-demagogue?CMP=share_btn_tw
[3] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-racist-examples_us_56d47177e4b03260bf777e83
[4] http://fortune.com/2016/06/07/donald-trump-racism-quotes/
[5] http://harperpolling.com/docs/default-source/default-document-library/16-10-pa-statewide-poll-crosstabs.pdf?sfvrsn=0
Life has Purpose 