sh#tholes.” Also, we should collectively yawn the next time he does something to embolden White nationalists. The leaders of the free world have always typically been racist yet Black people have still managed to focus on the work of liberation and Black empowerment. Today should be no different. Donald Trump’s racism is unsavory but over a quarter of American presidents have actually owned slaves. Trump is determined to deport every Black and Brown immigrant he can but Richard Nixon launched a drug war specifically to criminalize Black citizens. Trump found it difficult to condemn White supremacists after the violence in Charlottesville. On the other hand, Woodrow Wilson actually defended the KKK, referring to the organization as the “great Ku Klux Klan.” It bothers me that Donald Trump pushed a huge tax cut for the very wealthy while leaving many poor and working people — disproportionately Black — worse off but I’m pretty sure George W. Bush did the same a few years back. How is Donald Trump unique or even comparatively scary among the men who’ve occupied the Oval Office? Each moment we spend reacting to Trump’s crazy is a moment not spent on building Black institutions, wealth and power — all things Trump will never do for us, anyway. Time spent on social media arguing about how racist Trump is should be spent with friends, discussing how to collectively fund our business ideas. Trump is the oldest person ever elected POTUS — it is highly unlikely that our social media ramblings will cause him to suddenly adopt a new mindset. We are allowing a racist to distract us and in that sense he is winning. Toni Morrison warned us about the distraction of racism:
“The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and you spend twenty years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says you have no art, so you dredge that up. Somebody says you have no kingdoms, so you dredge that up. None of this is necessary. There will always be one more thing.”
The Black Panther Party continued organizing when Nixon was elected in 1968. Rather than debate the morality of slavery, Robert Gordon bought his freedom and built an empire in the coal business. After emancipation many doubted the ability of blacks to learn. Rather than debate our intelligence we built HBCU’s. Racism will always exist but we have the power to decide if it will distract us or if we will focus on our work.]]>About Post Author
