White Supremacy Prevents Democracy
White nationalists recently marched at night in Virginia
holding flaming torches while chanting racially charged and support for Russia
slogans. The historic reference to Klu Klux Clan nighttime, torchlight marches
was not lost on anyone familiar with America’s racist history.
One of the Virginia marchers’ objections was removal of
Confederate war hero statues from public areas in several Southern states. Others phoned death threats to the crane
companies employed in New Orleans to take down Jefferson Davis’ statue. The
crane operators had to work at night and wear masks while taking down the
statuary for their own protection.
Let that sink in.
Trump’s thinly veiled campaign plea to white supremacists, “Make
America Great Again,” followed by his open embrace of unabashed white
nationalists Steve Bannon, Sen. Jeff Sessions and others has unleashed a wave
of racially motivated violence and protests across the country starting during his
campaign rallies and continuing into his presidency. His appeal to those who hated Barack Obama
for no other reasons than his mixed race heritage and temerity to have been the
leader of the free world for eight years was clear.
Jeff Sessions’ appointment as Attorney General and much of their
subsequent shared agenda continues to exacerbate white fear of darker skinned
fellow Americans. White racists are being openly encouraged to lash out
publicly against those perceived as different and inferior, even after being shamed
in Facebook videos. Videos from Wal-Mart checkout lines, public beach
confrontations and stand your ground shootings by fearful white citizens and
even police officers are much too common.
Those who denigrate fellow citizens because of perceived
superficial differences seem to be easy prey for weak-kneed politicians who
happily whip up racial frenzy instead of thoughtfully addressing real problems
facing all of America’s citizenry. Senseless calls to deport or imprison those
with different skin tones, foreign sounding names, culturally different
clothing choices or non-Christian religious practices further inflame white
fears and baseless notions of white superiority.
Travel bans unconstitutionally aimed at those who believe in
Islam and come from some Middle Eastern countries, but not others, evidence
Trump’s discriminate hatred of Muslims without a shred of proof they pose a
danger to the homeland. Federal trial and appellate courts rightfully look to
Trump’s campaign promises as evidence of his illegal racial and religious motivations
in proposing the bans. Many of his supporters use the bans as a license to
harass and intimidate people who look “Muslim,” even though they may just as
easily be Christians, Jews or Hindu.
This imaginary fear mongering has found its way into our public
policy in many other disturbing ways. Cuts to urban public education, failure
to pass much needed infrastructure funding, get tough on crime policy
pronouncements, frenzy over gun rights, opposition to sensible firearm
restrictions, restrictions on local political control, new voter suppression
laws, gerrymandered political districts, attacks on reproductive choice,
restrictions on public health policy, environmental regulation rollbacks and
even foreign policy decisions all have roots in white nationalistic superiority
beliefs.
America is already great, in large measure because we have
historically overcome notions of white Anglo-Saxon Christian superiority in
favor of inclusion and diversity. We are stronger and project a more vibrant and
creative image to the world when we embrace and celebrate our differences. We
are better when we are kinder to our neighbors and the rest of those who share
in the riches our fragile planet can provide. Divide and conquer politics
diminishes our greatness and weakens the American fabric, especially when
motivated by racial animus.
Trump’s pathetic calls for an end to words that incite
violence will continue to ring hollow until he purges the ranks of his
political appointees of the white superior nationalists and reverses the
policies he and they have implemented to forward their mutually shared agendas.
Those of us from white Anglo-Saxon backgrounds take for
granted our privileged position in American society and political life. That
needs to change in favor of actively embracing a more diverse and inclusive
world-view if we are to survive as a democracy. Authoritarian imposition of
white superiority will never succeed and is a sure path to the end of the
American democratic experiment.
All of us need to take a hard look at the actions our
government is taking and hold those who enact them accountable when racial or
religious bias is shown to motivate changes. We must step up and demand that
our representatives adopt race neutral policies and laws that do not favor any
religion over another.
Waring R. Fincke is a retired lawyer and serves as a court
appointed guardian for the elderly and disabled.
