I AM AN AMERICAN

The words “go back to where you came from” have once again struck a nerve.

I heard them when I was 8 years in the  South Bronx when I attended P.S. 43.  At that point the neighborhood was transitioning from Italian & Irish to Black and Hispanic.  I imagine that they felt put upon and being chased from homes and the neighborhoods they had help build.

In Middle School J.H.S. 139, I heard from some of my black neighbors and friends. My retort at the time was certainly not based on facts. In High School, Aviation High School I was better prepared to defend that I was an American since 1898 when the United States took over Puerto Rico from Spain. As I got older and was part of the work force I passed it off as ignorance from the people who continued to break out the same old tired lines.

To be an American is to question  right from wrong. To be an American is to point out injustices when we see them. To be an American is to challenge the system and the policies that are in place. When I became a Debate teacher my job was to awaken students to challenge and question their teachers and the inequalities that they saw. Challenge the status quo. Caitlyn Dang, Hannah Krohn and Susan Rossano, they learned these lessons well and will forever be successful in all their life endeavors.

And now the President of the United States has called out 4 Congresswomen of color calling them Socialists and telling them that they should go back to where they came from for questioning what they see as wrong with our country.

Funny, in 2015 he sure had lots of complaints about the Obama administration.

Today July 15, 2019, Mitt Romney, Will Hurd and Megan McCain are the few Republicans to speak out and say that the President is wrong!

The racist, xenophobic and misogynist is comfortable with this history:

1991: He hates black guys counting his money, he’d rather have a short guy wearing a yarmulke count his money.

2011: Beginnings of his birther nonsense.

2015: Mexicans are rapists and drug dealers bringing crime to the U.S.

2016: Mexican American judge should recuse himself from the Trump University trial.

2017: Charlottesville,Va. Very fine people on both sides.

2017: Black NFL players are sons of bitches.

          Black countries are shit holes.

          Attacks on Elizabeth Warren by calling her Pocahontas

He continues to retweet white supremacist and neo-nazi messages.

Today my challenge is to my Republican friends (if I have any).  As the years go by I keep noticing that the people I associate with are those with similar points of view. Makes for boring debates. I challenge my Republican friends to publicly state that the President of the United States is a

Racist, Xenophobic, Misogynistic and White Nationalist!

He says many people agree with him.  Where are you?

Hey, my friends list is only 135 people deep, if you need to dump me go right ahead but at least be brave enough to come out of hiding.

I am an American and I will continue to challenge ignorance and racism.  If I were 20 or 25 years younger I might be brave enough to run for office and truly stand up for my beliefs.