Standing up to racism, violence
The rhetoric coming from President Donald Trump during the last few days about the ultra-right Charlottesville protest is deplorable. The ultra-right group in Charlottesville consisted of organizations such as the KKK, neo-nazis and other white supremacist groups. These groups have a historial background of violence and murder. They’ve killed people who are not White AngloSaxon Protestants (WASPs). These groups have been known to torture and murder blacks as well as murder millions of Jews and others whom they feel are inferior to them.
At the white supremacist protest, there were people protesting against the ultra-right groups. These groups were there to stop the spread of the ultra-right groups’ message of hate. The whole situation with President Donald Trump equating the ultra-right and those protesting against them as being equal is problematic. The ultra-right exclusively promotes the idea of the superiority of Whiteness at the exclusion of all others. As shown in the past, they will go to any violent length to create an exclusive white environment. Whereas the group protesting the ultra-right promote peace, unity, equality and love. Our society is based on accepting and building a world that is inclusive.
The ultra-right is an extremely dangerous group that should not be allowed to spread their message of hate. We are a society of all different races and backgrounds and nonWASPs should not be deemed as inferior, as white supremacist groups claim.
Dr. Martin Luther King said, “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” The group protesting against the ultraright is looking at breaking down the barriers of otherness. They’re looking at creating an equal society. They’re looking at freedom for all.
As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” When people see a group such as this ultra-right group protesting and demanding that they should have their “white rights,” they are experiencing a righteous anger. I feel a righteous anger is a good thing because when something is done that is wrong, there needs to be people who rebel and say “We need to stop this. This is wrong. We need to stop spreading the hate and the violence.”
In response to President Trump’s rhetoric, we need to build a society that is inclusive, not exclusive, not just for white people, but for everyone. In Peterborough, if we keep silent, if we don’t speak up, then unfortunately we could have groups forming like the ones in the U.S. and encouraging other people to join them in the brutality of hurting others. We must put a stop to that. As Nelson Mandela said, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
Please join us, the Peace Council Peterborough, Community Race Relations Committee and Black Lives Matter, on Sunday at 6 p.m. at Confederation Park for our hatefree peace vigil. Charmaine Magumbe is the the chairwoman of Community and Race Relations Committee of Peterborough