Trump win nourishes racial tensions
Following a brutal election campaign and a shocking presidential win, race relations are the worst they’ve been in decades.
Almost immediately after Donald Trump was elected president, hate crimes have begun sprouting up around the country. Minorities are afraid and unsure of their future in the U.S.
While this certainly isn’t the first time that hate crimes have taken place on U.S. soil, Trump’s win has given hate groups a platform to stand on. A president who didn’t seem to care much about the minority vote or their issues embolden them.
Trump has expressed his dismay at the news of supporters inciting violence, calling for them to “stop it.” It seems to be falling on deaf ears, however.
It’s hard to believe that, after allowing his followers to stew in their hatred during his campaign, Trump is at all surprised by the ripple effect of his hurtful speeches.
In Texas alone, there have already been several incidents involving Trump supporters.
Last week, a group calling themselves the “Texas State Vigilantes” posted fliers around Texas State University encouraging readers to “organize, tar and feather… and go arrest and torture those deviant university leaders spouting off all this diversity garbage.”
The day of Trump’s election, Natasha Nkhama, a black female student at Baylor University was shoved off the sidewalk and told “no n—–s allowed on the sidewalk.” When a witness confronted the man, he claimed that he was just “trying to make America great again.”
Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the end of it. Events like this have been happening nationwide.
It was the outcome that minorities dreaded, a nightmare in which every gritty detail plays out exactly how we expected after such a tense year.
While Trump may have thought that his “Make America Great Again” slogan would ignite a sense of unity and national pride among citizens, it has, so far, brought forth fearmongering.
Also surfacing are citizens claiming to be Trump supporters, who — without hooded white robes and burning crosses — will rely on their new president to back them as they terrorize minorities.
If anything, the president-elect is on track to set America back to a time when it was everything but great. Although the country made their choice in choosing Trump, the real and yet-determined question is whether the right one was made.
It’s a hard pill to swallow, but those who voted otherwise should use that lemon and make lemonade. However, until now, there’s no sugar to sweeten the deal, and minorities are already left with a sour taste in their mouth.
How much longer is Trump going to allow his supporters to disrespect and discriminate against minorities? When will enough be enough?
Will the work of civil rights activist like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and W.E.B. Du Bois be wasted because some people were just chomping at the bit to tear down, oppress and deny others the right to live happily?
Is that what it means to “Make America Great Again”?
Thank you for the setback, Trump. Enjoy your new, “great” United States.
Senior staff Columnist Caprice Carter is a communication junior and can be reached at [email protected]
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