In October, a group of white nationalists, who are referred to as “neo-Nazis” held a torch-lit rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. This rally led to deadly violence against minorities. When horrific events such as this occur, we expect that the leader of our nation will speak up against it and condemn those who were in the wrong. However, we saw that this was not the case when it came to President Donald Trump.
After the events that happened in Charlottesville, not only did Trump not condemn the white supremacists, but he even stated that both sides were to blame. This caused a public outcry for our President to take back his statements, for they seemed very biased and somewhat racist. The group that was targeted by the white supremacist groups had no wrong doing besides being upset that they were being attacked. According to The New York Times, Trump stated that, “You had a group on one side that was bad. You had a group on the other side that was also very violent. Nobody wants to say that. I’ll say it right now.”
I, as a woman of color who has had to deal with racism for all 18 years of my life, cannot fathom how a person can say that both sides are to blame. Why are we wrong for standing up against hateful events that happen in our own neighborhoods? Why are we, as minorities in America, expected to just sit back and take all the hate and acts of violence as if we deserve it?
This is deeply concerning, to have a president who does not make an effort to protect his people, especially in a nation that claims to promote and welcome diversity in a so-called “melting pot.”
