By now, it's likely that you've heard about, read about, watched footage of, and have verbally discussed what occurred over the weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia. In short, it was disgusting. Seeing white men and women cowardly waving flags with markings of the Ku Klux Klan was an open disgrace to the white population and transcended the perception of America around the globe. A young woman died while standing peacefully alongside her community that was surrounded by an overwhelming amount of hate. This brought tears to my eyes, as it should for all of America. This is not who we are, what we are, but it is where we are going if Donald Trump continues to stand idly by and allow it to happen.
All of the rioting and the chaos was over the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee and the renaming of Lee Park to Emancipation Park. Many Trump supporters ave come out to say that Democrats are pushing a liberal agenda and are removing/rewriting history by taking down statues such as this.
Excuse me, what?
History is not written or defined by what we choose to display publicly in parks or other spaces. History has been recorded in primary sources, in history books, and in hearts and minds of those who lived it. If a statue is detrimental to the recording of that part of our history, then we as Americans are not doing our jobs to ensure that generations after us have the resources to be educated on that time period. What speaks volumes is that the only group of people openly protesting the removal of this statue was a collection of America's "finest:" white nationalists, Neo-Nazi fascists who live in an alternate universe where this behavior is seen as acceptable.
It isn't. And countries around the world aren't accepting it either.
Donald Trump has had a lot of screw-ups over his 208 days spent in office — well, not all 208 days. He has currently spent 53 days on the golf course and on vacation, which has cost Americans around $59 million in tax dollars. Here's a quick breakdown of Trump's efforts to unite our country:
1. He installed a travel ban to inhibit citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries to enter the United States,
2. He wants to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico,
3. He seeks to ban transgender men and women from serving our country,
4. He is a cyberbully while First Lady Melania is campaigning against such behavior,
5. He DOES NOT disavow David Duke or fellow leaders of Unite The Right, the KKK, and other white nationalist groups.
This behavior is unacceptable. This is unprecedented for 2017. This is not who should be the leader of the 'Free World.'
So, to Trump supporters who do not align with these values and who don't align with supremacist views, it's your time to stand up and call out who you voted for. You have a voice and an opportunity to make a difference and make things right. I know you did not vote to elect someone who refuses to take a side on such issues as white supremacy. I know you did not vote to elect a man who has more concern for his restaurant and winery in a town that just experienced complete chaos than he does about the lives that were lost because of it. I know you did not vote to elect a President who is working so hard to deepen a dividing line that he should be working to erase. For the good of your country, the good of your families and friends, and for the good of yourself, please do not accept this behavior because "he's your President." By no means is he thinking of you, everyday Americans who sought a better life. He is thinking about his 36% of voter population who publicly endorsed him and continues to do so: a group of racist bigots. I know you do not want to be part of that narrative.
So don't.
Trump isn't going to take responses from Democrats seriously. He needs to hear from his "fellow" Republicans that Americans do not and will not stand with this kind of behavior.
It's time both sides of the aisle come together and really Make America Great Again, not continuing to let this joke of a President have any political recognition.
