No One Is Coming to Save Us From Trump’s Racism
- 6 years ago
No One Is Coming to Save Us From Trump’s Racism
Or I could tell you about the singular, oppressive narrative the media trots out when talking about Haiti, the one about an island mired in poverty and misery, the one about AIDS, the one about a country plagued by natural and man-made disasters, because these are the stories people want to hear, the stories
that make Haiti into a pitiable spectacle instead of the proud, complicated country it is.
I could tell you about my parents, how they came to this country with so many other Haitians, how they embraced the American dream
and thrived, how I and so many first-generation Haitian-Americans are products of our parents’ American dreams.
He has to know, like we all do, that xenophobic commentary plays well with his base, the people who were more than happy to put him in office
because they could seamlessly project their racism and misogyny onto his celebrity persona.
I could tell you how I have spent an inordinate amount of time
and energy, throughout my life, educating people about Haiti and disabusing them of the damaging, incorrect notions they have about the country of my parents’ birth.
I could write about the beauty of the island, the music
and vibrant art, the majesty of the mountains, the crystalline blue of the water surrounding her, the resilience of the Haitian people, our incredible work ethic, our faith.
On the eve of the eighth anniversary of the Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake
that devastated Haiti, the president, in the Oval Office, is said to have wondered aloud why he should allow immigrants from “shithole countries” like Haiti, El Salvador and African nations to enter the United States.
Or I could tell you about the singular, oppressive narrative the media trots out when talking about Haiti, the one about an island mired in poverty and misery, the one about AIDS, the one about a country plagued by natural and man-made disasters, because these are the stories people want to hear, the stories
that make Haiti into a pitiable spectacle instead of the proud, complicated country it is.
I could tell you about my parents, how they came to this country with so many other Haitians, how they embraced the American dream
and thrived, how I and so many first-generation Haitian-Americans are products of our parents’ American dreams.
He has to know, like we all do, that xenophobic commentary plays well with his base, the people who were more than happy to put him in office
because they could seamlessly project their racism and misogyny onto his celebrity persona.
I could tell you how I have spent an inordinate amount of time
and energy, throughout my life, educating people about Haiti and disabusing them of the damaging, incorrect notions they have about the country of my parents’ birth.
I could write about the beauty of the island, the music
and vibrant art, the majesty of the mountains, the crystalline blue of the water surrounding her, the resilience of the Haitian people, our incredible work ethic, our faith.
On the eve of the eighth anniversary of the Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake
that devastated Haiti, the president, in the Oval Office, is said to have wondered aloud why he should allow immigrants from “shithole countries” like Haiti, El Salvador and African nations to enter the United States.