In an article for Salon, writer, editor, and activist D. Watkins shared his personal experiences as a black man in an America which is currently considering electing Donald Trump, a bigoted racist who enjoys 1 to 2 percent support among the African American Community.
In his article, Watkins shares two recent anecdotes about his experiences with Trump fans -a couple of older, white men in a bar and an irate woman at a Trump campaign office located hilariously next to a Mexican restaurant. In both experiences, Watkins feels tinges of racism coloring his interactions, but neither the men or the woman would openly state their prejudices.
For Watkins, and possibly many others like him, this new version of racism, the covert “All Lives Matter” racism is far more dangerous and annoying than the over white-cape-wearing racism.
Said Watkins:
“I like my racism to be slam-dunked in my face, like Jordan from the foul line or Shaq in his 20s. I prefer Klan rallies, bright-blue Trump 2016 shirts, “soggy Make America Great Again” snapbacks, and dusty overalls held up by extra-large and extra-shiny Confederate flag belt buckles. Give me swastika face tattoos any day, as disgusting as they may be — at least that’s honest. Knowing who is against me and who’s with me makes it easier to navigate American reality. These closeted Trump supporters who want to hide in the closet and conceal their racism pose a more difficult roadblock on our way to equality — whatever that is.”
In this way, the fight for equality for Black Americans mirrors other fights for other groups – when the most obvious and glaring injustices are corrected (I.E. slavery, segregation), the public at-large begins to no longer see the more nuanced issues. They figure they’ve done enough and that the oppressed group should be grateful to have made it this far.
‘Isn’t it enough,’ they seem to ask. “So what if a few of you die?”
You can read the entire article at Salon.
