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Donald Trump Isn’t Racist? Come Up With Something Else by Calvin Eaton
I originally submitted the following Feedback to City Newspaper in response to the opinion published by reader Brian Mckenzie from Henrietta in their August 28th issue. City didn’t publish my feedback so I’m sharing it here on 540Blog. I highly suggest reading Brian’s opinion here
In response to Brian Mckenzie from Henrietta taking time to write an essay attempting to articulate why Donald Trump is not racist; I say: Can you come up with something else. This banal trope is as old as the structure of racism itself and as we approach 2020 those of us who have a semblance of common sense are better served to use our time to advocate for antiracism and a dismantling of the white supremacy culture that has allowed tone deaf ideologies espoused in this “opinion” piece to proliferate in 2019. We are definitely better served to expend our time, words, and energy educating and enlightening those whose privilege has allowed them to passively benefit from the system of racism even though they themselves may not explicitly do or say anything racist.
Donald Trump has never been part of this group and has decades of evidence showing how he has not only benefited from the system of racism but espoused it in very explicit ways (despite having hired a black woman in the past). If you or any one else cannot reasonably see how many of Donald’s Trump’s public comments, tweets, actions, and ways of being are racist, xenophobic, sexist, misogynist, ableist and much more than your perspective is most likely just as problematic as his and nothing that any one can say will change that. Please come up with something else.
Books to help you and all white people do better when talking about racism:
Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People by by
So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
Race Manners:Navigating the Minefield Between Black and White by Bruce Jacobs
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin DiAngelo
Resources to help you and all white people do better when talking about racism:
- Donald Trump’s Racism: The Definitive List (Updated) | New York Times
- Ten myths white people believe about racism | The Christian Century
- What Is White Privilege, Really? | Tolerance.org
- Speak Out Now: A Campaign Against Injustice | 540WMain
- What Is Whiteness? | New York Times
540WMain, Inc. 
Is there a less ableist way to say “tone deaf”?
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