ILLUSTRTION BY SAVANNAH DONALDSTAFF ILLUSTRATOR
Kameryn Thigpen
Opinion Columnist
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Hate crimes are expressions of the sheer reluctance to accept someone and the ugliest form of dissent. From the lynchings of the 20th century to the murder of Matthew Shepard to the attack of Jussie Smollett. While hate crimes are nothing new to the American story, the people who are committing these crimes are being given a voice on their sense of wanting to promote white nationalism.
Although Donald Trump is always put into a political and economic context, there is not much talk about the social division that he is endorsing in our nation. He has convinced some of his supporters that white nationalism must make a comeback and do away with this melting pot that American has always been known for.
From what I can see, the justification for wanting to preserve white supremacy is supported by the President of the United States. Take the Jussie Smollett incident, his attackers screamed racial and homophobic slurs at him, while putting a noose around his neck. Now a noose is already symbolic of racial terror carried out among black people but the attackers allegedly yelled “this is MAGA country.”
“MAGA” of course if the slogan for Trump’s campaign but by the attackers screaming this at Smollett, they had to get their inspiration from somewhere. By not commending these people for their behavior in front of the entire nation, maybe they feel like they can feel they can do it. If you are on social media, there are these stories of white people calling the police on black people or harassing Hispanic people asking if they are a citizen or screaming “Build that Wall’. It is all the same thing, people who are feeling insecure and do not want to grasp the fact that society is becoming more diverse as it has even been.
They do not want to accept it and feel like they have to lash out against it and when these instances occur, the puppet master of these nationalist ideals then has nothing to say. While Smollett’s attack was horrible and done out of pure hate it reveals that America still has a problem race and sexual orientation.
The noose is what really captured my attention in this in the symbolism of it all. A noose around a black person’s neck tries to recapture the racial terror inflicted on Black people in the 18th and 19th century. The brutality and vigilante manner of lynching without any legal repercussions said how much they valued black lives. All of this hate and division that Trump is trying to promote simply will not stand. There needs to be even for solidarity from every community, the Black community, the LGBTQ community, the feminist community needs to stand together against hate and hate crimes.
Not even the President in all of his authority will stop the progress and unity that we as Americans forge. We have many resources to use like social media to educate people, our voices, our organizations. Hate crimes and hate itself is a result of a disease that can be cured by an overwhelming dose of solidarity and peace and that is what is going to make America great again.
