Dec. 14, 2016
And the Struggle Continues!
By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.
(TriceEdneyWire.com) – As millions of other Americans, I was disappointed watching the gradual dissolution of a Hillary Clinton Presidency. Although hopeful, I wasn't completely surprised by the election's outcome. History – both past and recent – gives me little reason for total optimism.
Pundits suggest that America can survive any turmoil of a Trump presidency. I am struck by the tepid, measured analysis they present. Their election post-mortems steer clear of racial implications. Some offer that Trump will now govern from a more centrist position. I disagree and believe Trump will live up to as many of his promises as possible. His professed views come from the core of his guiding value system.
In Trump's campaign, immigrants, refugees, women, Muslims, the disabled, and ethnic minorities have been victimized by the vitriol and demonization of the candidate. Criticism or opposition to his positions drew psychotic responses and open calls for violence against adversaries. Not surprisingly, his open hostility to criticism is teamed with an apparent obsessive compulsion for revenge and retaliation. We, who are Trump outsiders, clearly recognize racism when we see it and realize that, left to his own devices, we have little hope for an optimistic future.
On day one, Trump promises the start of his wall. If not successful with that, I expect the enactment of some type of draconian immigration policy that gives latitude to ban the immigration of Muslims and Hispanics into this country. Although antithetical to the Constitution, I can see the concoction of a 'cover' rationale to ban the immigration of Muslims based on religion. I can envision the round-up and deportation of many undocumented immigrants, and the break-up and destruction of their families justified as "the will of the American people."
I fully expect that Trump and his congressional allies will begin to dismantle every accomplishment of President Obama and effectively strip his historical legacy. They've stolen a Supreme Court appointment that, rightfully, belongs to President Obama and will, in future appointments, stack the court with conservative appointments that will alter the country's direction for generations. We can expect Republican repeal of Obamacare and, that done, millions of uninsured again at the mercy of the insurance industry.
Trump promises to appoint Supreme Court Justices who will reverse Roe v. Wade making abortion illegal. That single act will eliminate the right of women’s reproductive autonomy and suggests a return to a time of back-alley abortions.
Like many, I have long understood the euphemism "Making America Great Again." It reassures white racists and whites who disavow racism, but are 'insecure' with the "browning" of America, that their racial superiority will be reestablished. It's the foundation of a campaign that believed American racism - overt and covert - was sufficient to engender success. The effect is on-going and immediate. We've seen the ugly racism emerge throughout Trump's campaign and it's reported that in Virginia on Wednesday, some white students gathered in a school hallway chanting, "Build That Wall! Build That Wall!" Minority students are described as "disturbed, frightened and confused."
With the exception of those maligned or threatened by him, few seem to understand or care about the resurgence or impact of racism generated by Trump and his campaign. Although I see nothing funny about our present circumstance, humorist Shel Silverstein's poem, Point of View, sums it up:
Oh how I once loved tuna salad
Pork and lobsters, lamb chops too
'Til I stopped and looked at dinner
From the dinner's point of view.
I urge Trump to look objectively at the hate-filled, divisive environment he has created and work for reconciliation. Lacking leadership that disavows past and current patterns of racism, this nation faces a future filled with turmoil from which we may never fully recover.
Let's Struggle On!!!!
(Dr. E. Faye Williams is National President/CEO of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc. 202/678-6788. www.nationalcongressbw.org)