(ThyBlackMan.com) If anyone questions whether collectively America is a sexist, racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, white supremacy-leaning nation—they need to look no further than the election of Donald Trump as President over Kamala Harris, and the racist text messages sent to African Americans across the nation after the election telling them to move to the nearest plantation to pick cotton.
“Greeting,
You have been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation starting 11/07/2024. Please be ready at 8 am SHARP! With your belongings. Our executive slave catchers (will) pick you up in a brown van, be prepared to be searched once you’ve entered the plantation. You are in Plantation group 7.”
Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP stated, “These messages represent an alarming increase in vile and abhorrent rhetoric from racist groups across the country who now feel emboldened to spread hate and stroke the flames of fear that many of us are feeling after Tuesday’s election result. The unfortunate reality of electing a president who, historically, has embraced and at times encouraged hate, is unfolding before our eyes.”
This “is” Who We Are
In her closing rally at the Ellipse in Washington D.C., the same location where on January 6, 2021, Donald Trump sent a mob to the Capitol in an attempt to overthrow the American government, Kamala Harris reprimanded Trump as a crude and indecent person who values did not represent America. “That is not who we are,” she stated. However, Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, points out, “In fact, it turns out, that may be exactly who we are. In a Times, article entitled, Trump’s America’: Comeback Victory Signals a Different Kind of Country, written the day after the election, Baker writes:
“…for the first time in history, Americans have elected a convicted criminal as president. They handed power back to a leader who tried to overturn a previous election, called for the “termination” of the Constitution to reclaim his office, aspired to be a dictator on Day 1, and vowed to exact “retribution” against his adversaries.”
During the last week of the campaign, Trump pretended to work at McDonalds and to ride on a garbage truck. Trump has been indicted 4 times and has been convicted on 34 counts. In the real world, a person convicted of even one count would not be able to get a job at McDonalds or work on a garbage truck. But America elected Donald Trump as President of the United States even though he is a convicted criminal.
Baker comments that, “Rather than be turned off by Mr. Trump’s flagrant, anger-based appeals along lines of race, gender, religion, national origin, and especially transgender identity, many Americans found them bracing. Rather than be offended by his brazen lies and wild conspiracy theories, many found him authentic. Rather than dismiss him as a felon found by various courts to be a fraudster, cheater, sexual abuser, and defamer, many embraced his assertion that he has been the victim of persecution.”
Stand-up comic and television host Walter Kamau Bell, said that voters did not overlook Trump’s character and foul behavior, but ran toward it. “We have found out that we live in a rightwing country. We want a strong man who is a bully.”
Dire Warning
Olivia Troye served in Trump’s first administration as advisor to Vice-President Mike Pence. She gives a dire warning of her concerns about the second Trump term.
“I am concerned about what this (a second Trump term) looks like for the United States as a whole. The American people should prepare for these mass deportations. I am concerned for the media who will likely be targeted. I am concerned for our allies around the world who are watching what just happened. My heart is broken, not just for us, and for the people of color and for the LGBTQ (community) and for women in this country. But I am heartbroken for the people of Ukraine. Because I am terrified about what is going to happen in a Trump administration. And so, I think the struggle is how do we lean on each other right now during this really challenging time and prepare for what’s to come? And how are we going to stand up for each other in a world where we are going to face possible political persecution and political violence to a greater extent? So, those are the things I am thinking about right now. I heard from people already across our federal government, across our intelligent community who quite frankly are concerned. And they are worried about what’s going to happen to them given Project 2025 agenda.”
The day after the election, Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel summed up the election by stating, “It was a terrible night for women, for children, for the hundreds of thousands of hard-working immigrants who make this country go,” he said, holding back tears. “For healthcare, for our climate, for scientists, for journalism, for justice, for free speech. It was a terrible night for poor people, for the middle class, for seniors who rely on Social Security, for our allies in Ukraine, for NATO, for the truth, and democracy, and decency. It was a terrible night for everyone who voted against him and guess what? It was a bad night for everyone who voted for him too, you just don’t realize it yet.”
Kimmel concluded his monologue by stating, “I know a lot of people want to hear anything positive. I’ve been trying to come up with something positive. The best I can come up with is we’ve been through this once before and yes, this time it is probably going to be worse, maybe a lot worse, but I also think that maybe we will look back and realize that in the long run, this is what we needed to wake us up. Maybe the people who care so much about him need to find out how little he cares about them.”
According to reporter Lisa Lerer, “America stands on the precipice of an authoritarian style of governance never before seen in its 248-year history. After defeating Vice President Kamala Harris, who would have become the first female U.S. president, Mr. Trump will bring his own historic firsts into the White House: the only president convicted of dozens of crimes, accused of dozens more and twice impeached… He will begin his second term bound by few political norms, after a campaign in which he seemed to defy everyone.”
Defying Christian Logic
After the election, Trump told his supporters gathered at Mar-a-Lago, his club in Palm Beach, Florida, “America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate.” In a fact that defies Christian logic—many of Trump’s followers believe that he is God’s chosen vessel for this time in history. Even though Trump is unable to quote a single bible verse, violates the 10 commandments on a regular basis, and his entire life has been, and continues to be, the exact opposite of the teaching of Jesus, many of his followers believe that he was chosen by God. “Many people have told me that God spared my life for a reason,” said Trump. “That reason was to save our country.” A Trump supporter said that she had prayed and God told her to vote for Trump. She ended her comments by saying, “One thing I know, God has his hands on Trump. So that’s enough for me. As for me and my house, we will truly serve the Lord.” She even referred to Kamala Harris as the devil.
The Rev. Al Sharpton summed up the election by stating, “The unspoken this for many people is you got to deal with the gender bias and race bias in this country. Some people just were not going to vote for a woman of color in an interracial marriage and living in the Whitehouse. Or having a woman president of any color. And we got to deal with that and have those tough conversations if we ever going to get by this.”
The Roots of The Evil Tree of America’s Original Sin
There will be a great deal of News pundits’ discussions, articles, and books written about this election and about why Kamala Harris lost. But, when it is all said and done, and in the final analysis, what Kamala Harris’ loss reveals about America is that if you put the result of this election in a metaphorical pot and boil it down to its final substance—what would be left is the fact that we live in a country where more than 50% of its citizens would rather be led by a racist, sexist, misogynistic, xenophobic, rambling when he speaks, unfit and unqualified for the job, white supremacy, old white man—than a highly educated, intelligent, perfectly qualified for the job Black woman.
Over the past 248 years of our history, we have managed to cut down the evil tree of America’s original sin. However, the roots of that tree are extremely deep and are very resistant to dying out. Even today they are alive and well and they still run throughout the nation. And at times limbs blossom from those roots. Therefore, we must remain forever vigilant to clip those limbs whenever they show their evil blossom, or else the tree will regrow.
In these uncertain times, perhaps we can find comfort in the words of the song, I Am Not Okay, by country music singer Jelly Roll:
…I know, I can’t be the only one
Who’s holding on for dear life
But God knows, I know
When it’s all said and done
I’m not okay
But it’s all gonna be alright
It’s not okay
But we’re all gonna be alrightGonna be alright
Gonna be alright
RJW is a retired Professor of Education. He is a prolific writer and the author of 12 Characteristics of an Effective Teacher.
