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Now Is The Time To Speak Out Against RacismDonald Trump finally called white supremacists “repugnant.” How about you? "Racism is evil—and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs,” said Trump, “including KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and other hate groups are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans." The Unite The Right rally was more than an instance of alt-right organizing gone awry. The tragic death of Heather Heyer and the injuries suffered by 19 other anti-racist people ran over by an alt-right supporter exemplify the violence that we can expect from the white supremacists in the future. Emboldened by Donald Trump’s victory, white supremacy is on the rise. Even Trump’s late response doesn’t negate the fact that the Southern Poverty Law Center is seeing an increase in hate crimes, especially since the beginning of Trump’s election. If there’s ever been a time to organize and act, it’s now. In instances like these, silence is violence. Failing to reject white supremacy and white nationalism has grave effects in both the short-term and long-term futures. Trump was slow to condemn overt white supremacy because he perpetuates covert white supremacy with his actions, words, and policies. With people like Mike Pence and Steve Bannon in positions of power, fascism is no longer creeping—it’s marching up to us and knocking right at our doors. Rampant racism is both a symptom and a root cause of fascism. We need to take action against the rising tide of fascism in the United States. The alt-right is not about memes and free speech. It is about white supremacy, which entails discrimination towards POC, Jews, women, immigrants, and other marginalized groups. If we don’t confront the fascist problem, it will only worsen. That’s why it’s so important to confront white supremacy and dismantle it, including in our everyday lives. No, those tikis weren’t just for effect—the alt-right used torches in a deliberate way. They evoked this specific image to replicate how the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) used to march with torches and set homes on fire or lynch POC. It’s 2017 and hate groups are still marching through the streets with police protection…. and people are okay with this. Nazism and white nationalism are inherently violent ideologies, both of which are cancerous to our society. We need to ban together and stop making America so safe for racists. Groups like the antifa keep fascists off of the street by putting up a fight and making it unsafe for them to advocate for genocide. But the antifa alone cannot dismantle white supremacy. The job is on us to shut down overt and covert white supremacy whenever we see it. It’s also our job to take back our power from racist people, especially those who hold positions of power. Many people see the alt-right and white supremacist support as a symptom of living with freedom of speech. What they don’t realize is that hateful ideologies like neo-nazism and white supremacy gain further speed when faced with silent or passive opposition. Whenever someone portrays nazism as simply a different point of view, they affirm genocide as an acceptable political stance. It isn’t. That’s why the physical, mental, and emotional confrontation of white supremacy is so important. Everyone (especially white people) must do their part. CommentsComments are closed.
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