I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality . . . I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.
—Martin Luther King Jr.
Take a stand against racism.
Be a force for equality.
Racism is alive and well in America. There is a sickening, growing fire of hatred and intolerance that should sound the alarm bell for all good people of all races. We must heal ourselves of this cancer before it kills us.
Racism is an excuse for angry, weak people to try to make themselves feel strong. Racism is a pathetic costume to dress up the cruelty of bullies. The best way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them. It is time for us to talk about racism more openly.
How sad it is that in 2017 we have to redouble our efforts as a nation to fight against racism. And how disgusting that the catalyst for this repulsive slide backward is spearheaded by the president!
Growing up in America as a member of a minority I could look at history and know that while things had been much worse, in the dark mirror of history, it felt like we as a species were moving toward a brighter future. There was a hope that the future might redeem the past.
We should be the country with the greatest racial diversity and equality in the world. That should be our greatest strength, and that would be a nation worthy of our patriotism.
We have now witnessed the surreal reality of a clearly bigoted president who loudly defends white supremacists and neo-Nazis. It is fucking insane. Although it can be hard to pick which of Trump’s crimes against the American people is the most damaging, I think it is his racism. It undoes so much.
Trump encourages his base to be racist. He said that a judge was not fit to be an honest judge because he was Mexican. He chose the CEO of a racist alt-right website, Breitbart, to be his right-hand man. He attacked the parents of a Muslim US Army officer, with racist and sexist insinuation. He nominated as attorney general a guy, Jeff Sessions, who couldn’t get nominated as a judge because he was too racist! Trump said a black protestor was “so obnoxious and so loud” that “maybe he should be roughed up.” His first action as president was the Muslim ban. Trump thinks he can be as racist as he wants to be as long as he says he isn’t being racist.
This is the battle that will ultimately determine whether the soul of this nation is permanently disfigured by this president, or whether we can rise above and grow as a nation by overcoming this man’s racist propaganda.
We are being called to heal our culture. We are being called to shut down racist bullies. The place where you live is the place to make a stand. The people that you talk to in your daily life, your coworkers, your family, your friends, are the circle of people your words and actions can influence. Take a conscious stand for racial equality, it begins with setting that intention.
If you are white, take a stand for minorities, not out of guilt but out of pride in the oneness and beauty of the human race. Set an example for other white people. Take action. Speak out for equality not from some sense of white shame for the past but out of the goodness of your heart as a human being. If you are of mixed race, be an ambassador, be a bridge. If you are a minority, be proud of your race and stand up for your rights but also for the rights of others. Speak up for your brothers and sisters of different races. This is so crucial. When Hispanics march for Black Lives Matter, when whites refuse to put up with hearing a racist joke about Asians, when the Asian storefront has a sign in the window that reads “Se Habla Español,” when African Americans, Native Americans, Jews, Asian Americans, and transgender people march together in solidarity, that is when we will be too strong to ever be divided and too powerful to be oppressed.