The Second Coming
It is well known that America has deep connection to slavery and racism in its dark history. With the passage of time, we assume that this darkness has passed and that the people of America has embraced all ethnicities and cultures. However, during this election year, the hate has begun to resurface worse than ever before.
In Audre Lorde’s essay, “The Fourth of July”, Lorde describes the racism she experienced during her childhood, around the forties. During her time, segregation existed and excluded her from activities that normal children participated in. It prevented her from going on a field trip to Washington D.C. with her class. The mere fact that she was unwanted at the nation’s capital is a clear sign of the pestilence plaguing her time. To compensate for her anguish, Lorde’s parents brought her to Washington D.C., passing it off as a private trip. This compensation was the method Lorde’s parents used to protect Lorde from the negativity of the world and preserve her innocence. Despite …show more content…
Instead of learning about the policies each candidate held, the people of America were fed negative information about other candidates and back-and-forth “locker-room talk”. For example, one accusation states Trump fosters xenophobia and islamophobia. Such accusations have made some Americans feel justified in their racist beliefs and have begun to express them openly. According to CNN, FBI statistics for 2015 showed a 67% increase in hate crimes against Muslim Americans. Hate crimes against Jewish people, African Americans, and LGBT individuals also increased. In another section of the CNN report, students from a small border town in northwest Texas say they were the target of ethnically charged slurs while warming up for a regional volleyball tournament. By not acting as presidential candidates should, America’s dark history has
It is well known that America has deep connection to slavery and racism in its dark history. With the passage of time, we assume that this darkness has passed and that the people of America has embraced all ethnicities and cultures. However, during this election year, the hate has begun to resurface worse than ever before.
In Audre Lorde’s essay, “The Fourth of July”, Lorde describes the racism she experienced during her childhood, around the forties. During her time, segregation existed and excluded her from activities that normal children participated in. It prevented her from going on a field trip to Washington D.C. with her class. The mere fact that she was unwanted at the nation’s capital is a clear sign of the pestilence plaguing her time. To compensate for her anguish, Lorde’s parents brought her to Washington D.C., passing it off as a private trip. This compensation was the method Lorde’s parents used to protect Lorde from the negativity of the world and preserve her innocence. Despite …show more content…
Instead of learning about the policies each candidate held, the people of America were fed negative information about other candidates and back-and-forth “locker-room talk”. For example, one accusation states Trump fosters xenophobia and islamophobia. Such accusations have made some Americans feel justified in their racist beliefs and have begun to express them openly. According to CNN, FBI statistics for 2015 showed a 67% increase in hate crimes against Muslim Americans. Hate crimes against Jewish people, African Americans, and LGBT individuals also increased. In another section of the CNN report, students from a small border town in northwest Texas say they were the target of ethnically charged slurs while warming up for a regional volleyball tournament. By not acting as presidential candidates should, America’s dark history has