African Americans who served in Obama’s administration denounce Trump’s racism
In response to Donald Trump’s incendiary tweets of this week in which he launched a vicious attack on four congresswomen of color, going as far as to tell them to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came,” more than 140 African Americans who served in the Obama administration have authored an oped published yesterday, Friday, by The Washington Post.
“We are red-blooded Americans, we are patriots, and we have plenty to say about the direction this country is headed,” the oped, written by Clarence J. Fluker, C. Kinder, Jesse Moore, and Khalilah M. Harris, reads. Valerie Jarrett, a personal friend and former senior advisor to President Obama, is listed as a signatory.
Also: Trump barking again from his racist hole
The oped goes on:
“Witnessing racism surge in our country, both during and after Obama’s service and ours, has been a shattering reality, to say the least. But it has also provided jet-fuel for our activism, especially in moments such as these.”
The authors say they stand by the four congresswomen, Reps. Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib. Three of the four women are US-born citizens, and Rep. Ilhan Omar was born in Somalia but became a naturalized citizen at the age of 17.
“Black and brown people in America don’t hear these chants in a vacuum; for many of us, we’ve felt their full force being shouted in our faces, whispered behind our backs, scrawled across lockers, or hurled at us online. They are part of a pattern in our country designed to denigrate us as well as keep us separate and afraid.”
At the time of this writing, the White House has not yet reacted to the oped.