The morning after the presidential election I was disgusted. I was angry. I felt very, very tired. But I was not shocked, and I was not surprised. I did not wonder how my country could have elected such a man. I didn't wonder who these people were that came out and supported him. I was not baffled that tens of millions of people thought he was the best option for our future, and this was largely because I am a woman of color. A Black woman.
My community has long been aware of the overt and covert individualized and institutionalized bigotry threaded throughout our nation.
I do understand the outrage people are feeling. I feel it myself. And I understand the need to resist all of the xenophobic, misogynist, bigoted policies that seem to be sprouting up every day. But, if we are to affect real change in this country, we have to go beyond resisting this current administration. We have to go beyond our bi-partisan system. We have to change hearts and minds. We need to dive into our history, tell the truth about our origins, make amends where we can and reconstruct our country in a way that is inclusive of all its people, and that is going to take a lot longer than however long Trump's presidency lasts.
Donald J. Trump didn't create the people who voted for him, they have been here since before he ever even entertained the idea of being president. They have been here since forever.
They have been lying in wait for a man such as Trump to be their vehicle, but make no mistake, Trump is not the disease, he is just a symptom, and we must treat him as such.