Reject White Nationalism

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.