Liberal media using Donald Trump as the scapegoat for American racism is a distraction. Sure, his language may be deemed incendiary to some and insensitive to others. However, we have to be clear that he is not the author of bigotry or prejudicial behavior in this country. There is a four decades long track record of racism in the American fabric that existed well before Trump’s business endeavors or presidency.
We can easily become distracted when pundits, cable news anchors or commentators scream “Racism” each time Trump says or tweets something outrageous. Before major news outlets were following his tweets, we, Black people in America, faced racism in the housing markets, in education, in healthcare, in the criminal justice system, and so on. If our attention is diverted from breaking down inequities in these structures each time someone screams about Trump, what progress would we make?
Here is an example…
I read an article recently which recounted racist slurs and insults directed towards an American fencer and USA Fencing’s sports performance manager, both of whom are black. The author writes that the athlete and her teammates were being honored via a Zoom conference for winning a title at the 2018 championships when a disruptor joined and typed the hateful language in the chat throughout the program.
She wrote, “That anyone feels emboldened or entitled enough to utter those slurs is reprehensible though, sadly, unsurprising. Racism and discrimination are cornerstones of President Donald Trump’s administration, and Trump never misses an opportunity to make people of color feel unwelcome in a country where we nearly everyone of us were an “other” at one point.”
The writer includes Trump in the piece as if he is relevant to the incident. What does the President or his administration have to do with someone disturbing a celebratory event? He is not the author of racism. That is a distraction and we are too behind to lose focus.
Instead allowing media to shift our attention to the antics of Trump- we must understand that the American institution is honeycombed with policies to deprive us of civil and human rights. We must remember that there are networks which sustain and benefit from them and that those networks include individuals from all sides of the ideological landscape.
I encourage you to stay focused. Donald Trump is only a scapegoat commentators use to deflect from what has always been inherent in the foundation of this nation. But he is not the author of racism. No, he is only a symptom of it.
Follow Nurah Speaks @NurahSpeaksPodcast.
Submit your questions or public speaking requests to: Info@NurahSpeaks.com and visit NurahSpeaks.com to learn more.
Remember, don't just join the movement; Be The Movement!
References for this week's episode:
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/Publications/pdf/HUD-514_HDS2012_execsumm.pdf
https://www.thoughtco.com/racism-in-health-care-still-a-problem-2834530
https://www.bustle.com/p/this-is-proof-that-institutional-racism-is-still-very-much-a-problem-43610 https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/nancy-armour/2020/04/25/zoom-us-fencer-subjected-racist-abuse-call-gets-little-support/3023301001/
