Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States of America. In an election that stunned the nation, a man who embraces bigotry and racism will lead the country for the next four years. The reality of a Trump presidency is frightening on every level.
Millions of Americans sided with the most unfit presidential candidate in history because he spoke their language. Hate and divisiveness lives in America, but that doesn’t mean that we die. Black Americans have always survived.
Our ancestors endured 400 years of slavery where we were considered three-fifths of a human. Post-slavery, the United States government created Black Codes which led to Blacks being arrested and jailed for small crimes such as vagrancy. At the same time, the rise of the KKK led to Black murders and lynchings that often remained unsolved. Jim Crow laws in the South made it illegal for Blacks to attend certain schools, eat at certain restaurants, and even sit next to a White person on a bus. Blacks faced intimidation and restrictive voting laws until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Black people found life after Reaganomics, high poverty rates, the crack-cocaine era, and mass incarceration.
The Trump Presidential administration will likely present another major challenge for Black America. But the best way to endure a crisis is to fight harder than before. Black people must fight harder to make education a priority for our kids; we must fight harder to ensure that we come together to give college students the finances to achieve; we must work harder to build and support Black businesses; we must come together to bring crime down in our communities by training and creating more jobs for those who lack skills.
Policies in healthcare and education will be affected by Trump, but Blacks have always had to solve the issues facing Black America. With Trump in office, this will continue. We’ve been here before. As a result, Blacks will survive the Trump administration and beyond.
