Americans today are in the throes of a surreal scenario. The most recent changes orchestrated by President Donald J. Trump are a group of tariffs spread liberally around the world. The alleged purpose of the tariffs, which are actually taxes, is upsetting the global apple cart. Allegedly, the tariffs are part of a strategy to “make America great again.”
The obvious problem with that last statement is that the “great again” time period referred to is not the same for all Americans. This is especially true for Black Americans, who have been treated like human garbage for many years.
Regarding contemporary Black people today, there are a number of young Blacks who have no idea about how Jim Crow impacted the Black community. They have not had to make a decision regarding which water fountain to use, since Blacks were forced to use fountains made expressly for them. Our youth might not understand that it wasn’t a choice as to whether or not Black people could drink out of fountains designated for white people. Most of them have no clue. That’s why the teaching of history, and especially Black history, is important. History adds context to our lives when viewed from a vantage point of distance. Unfortunately, Black history is being attacked by the Trump regime.
The challenge that Americans collectively face is coming at a time when our country is being dismantled by the Trump regime. However, Republicans are acting as though Trump is the best thing since the proverbial “sliced bread.” Actually, the major slicing that is happening at this time are the vile cuts afflicting people’s jobs and the pain that is being spread among all Americans, as well as our allies (or former allies now), by the levying of the largest taxes in our history. These taxes, which are known as tariffs, stand to cause the United States and others to lose valuable dollars in a trade war.
The tariffs that are being invoked by Trump are accused of tanking our economy as well as causing chaos in the rest of the world. Trump was warned on numerous occasions about the danger of using tariffs, but the warnings fell on deaf ears. Interestingly, acolytes pretend that everything that Trump is doing is great; apparently, they believe he can do no wrong. The fact is, however, that the tariffs are causing people all over the world to re-evaluate the position of the United States on the world stage. The tariffs can upset the world’s economy, and the “regime” seems intent on destroying the world’s economic balance. Trump has imposed 10% global tariffs and higher taxes in other categories. He doesn’t seem to care about the economic destruction from using tariffs.
Considering the foregoing, either Trump does not care about how he has adversely impacted the world’s economy or is deliberately upsetting the apple cart for his own reasons. There are those who believe his “reasons” involve ensuring that his oligarch friends get bigger and better tax breaks.
With that said, it is important to ensure that Black history, as previously said, is not ignored. Our youth need to understand that “the chosen few choose themselves” and that if we are to continue on this journey in America in the best possible way, it must come as a result of our own initiative.
Ultimately, though things appear very bleak, it is possible to make lemonade from the rancid lemons that have been the legacy of the Trump presidency. We, the concerned people, must understand that we are all part of something bigger than ourselves. We are a part of all creation, and our emotions, thoughts, and actions go into the fabric of the universe and impact all human beings on our planetary home. Our goal, therefore, should be that of making choices that will benefit us all, offsetting whatever negative outcomes result from tariffs or other roadblocks placed by an administration that only considers the well-being of itself. Aluta continua.
Reprinted from the Chicago Crusader