4 The Hampton Roads Messenger Editorial


Who Is Secretly Supporting Trump?


in the old adage, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer” or they consider Trump a friend that they do not have to keep an eye on.


Several Democrats who are


not members of the Congressional Black Caucus but claim to have the African American interest at heart, including Nancy Pelosi could be seen applauding


during the President’s BY ANGELA JONES What better time to look back on


African American history than with “45” in the office of the U.S. Presidency. His promise to “Make America Great Again” encourages many people to ask “What exactly does he mean by ‘Great Again?’” Some have made the assumption that his promise means that he is going to make America White again. Te good thing about his statement is that he has people looking at American history and reflecting on the past, which has been said to be tantamount to avoiding repeating the past. Obviously, he has a lot of overt and covert supporters and wherever Trump is planning to take the U.S., these supporters will happily follow.


A lot of people chose to boycott


the State of the Union address by not watching it, including members of the Congressional Black Caucus. When there was an African American president in office, they had an opportunity to make unprecedented strides for African American people. For whatever reason, that did not happen. Tose who boycotted the SOTU address, either do not believe


SOTU speech. If one were to be honest with themselves, they would realize, it has been quite some time since Democratic lawmakers, stepped up for African Americans. Te silence of the majority of Democratic lawmakers was deafening during the height of the Black Lives Matters Movement and the numbers did not lie when the election tallies were counted showing exactly who voted for “45.”


For those of you who believe


the democratic party has your back, according to Wikipedia, some of the Democrats who admitted to voting for Trump include: David Clarke, sheriff of Milwaukee County; Tom Luken, former mayor of Cincinnati and former United States Representative; David


Saunders, political strategist


and author; Andrew Stein, former Borough President of Manhattan and President of the New York City Council; Adam Walinsky, lawyer who served in the Department of Justice and as a speechwriter for Robert F. Kennedy; and Jim Webb, former U.S. Senator from Virginia and 2016 presidential candidate.


May I suggest that one does


not hold their breath waiting for impeachment or indictment. Like it or not, Trump is here to stay. He would not have won the election if he did not have a large group of undercover as well as overt supporters.


Volume 12 Number 5 NAACP FROM PAGE 1


to wield their power in the polls this November, using the midterm elections as a means to steer the country back on the course towards freedom and equality for all.


“We have to be steadfast on our course of resistance,” said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. “Our right to vote, the quality of our children’s educations, and so much more is at risk. We must stay focused.” Bringing attention to the Trump ad- ministration’s repeated


attempts at


voter suppression and the need for the Black community to participate in the midterm elections, Johnson said, “In a democracy, our vote is our currency. We must protect it with everything we have and use it at every turn.”


Adding to Johnson’s call for Black


civic engagement, Tiffany Loftin of the National Education Association added, “We must support candidates that stand with our families and our communities. Skip the coffee in the morning and donate to a black woman running for office.”


Kristen Clarke, President and


Executive Director of the National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, chimed in on the issue saying, “I am deeply troubled by the


February 2018


wedge the President has placed throughout the country. Our unity at the polls can help close it.” Clarke also drew attention to another area of concern: the stark lack of diversity in the court system. Clarke said, “We can’t turn a blind eye to what this administration is doing to the court system in this country. 91 percent white; 81 percent male.”


Trump’s recent still


in


With the sting of President racist


towards immigrants of descent


the reminded participants


remarks African


air, Johnson of the


importance of immigration and the significance of DACA’s promise to protect America’s most vulnerable residents – a promise that must be kept. Panelists encouraged people to urge Congress to fight for a Clean DREAM Act.


was clear that the one antidote to President


By the close of the event, it Trump’s penchant for


divisive policies, tactics and rhetoric, is to vote in the November midterm elections. “In this moment, we have got to be clear it’s movement time,” said Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II. “We’ve got to take action every single day.”


Supporters can take action by


texting “NAACP” to 40649 to take the NAACP’s pledge to vote.


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