It amazes me that some of us with lighter skin tones actually feel superior to our neighbors with darker complexions. How can anyone justify such a flimsy belief? Even more astounding, many of those who cling to white supremacy call themselves Christians. Do these self-proclaimed Christians not realize that Jesus himself, with his Arab roots, had dark skin?
Recently, at Texas A&M, a young man named Richard Spencer spoke about the “alt-right” (alternative right) concept, which encourages people of color to leave the United States and return to their countries of origin. I’m not sure what this means for Native Americans who roamed this country long before my European ancestors set foot on this continent. I also wonder about Latinos who lived in what we now call Texas before settlers arrived. Probably, Jesus would be invited to leave the country.
The name, United States of America loudly proclaims a primary value of this nation — United. United we stand or divided we fall. The name represents one nation; one people. We live in a precarious time when we have an opportunity to choose to accept one another. We can go a step farther by choosing to peacefully get along with one another. Maybe someday, we will be ready to love one another. The “alternative–right” method spells out a certain ruin for this country and for all of its citizens. Maybe the name of the organization should be “alt-wrong”.
Works Cited:
Blau, Max, S. Ganim, C. Welch, CNN. “Richard Spencer’s Appearance at Texas A&M Draws Protests.” CNN Politics. Dec. 7, 2016.
Siegel, Jacob. “The Alt-Right Is a Movement Distinct From White Supremacist‑So Call it What It is.” The Daily Beast. 2016.
NPR Staff. “What You Need to Know About the Alt-Right Movement.” Politics. August 26, 2016.