By James B. Ewers, Jr., Ed.D., Senior Columnist
The iconic African American poet, James Baldwin, once said, “I don’t believe what you say because I see what you do.” Over time, this expression has probably resonated with many of us.
In your job, your supervisor says to you, “Great job,” and “We want to keep you in our company.” However, all the while, you never get a raise. A college recruiter tells a prospective student that they have excellent grades, test scores, and letters of recommendation. However, they never received a scholarship offer from the college. Your drama teacher tells you how well you are reading your lines and acting out your role in the play. However, you never get the opportunity to have a lead role.
The essence of these scenarios is a lot of talking and not much doing. It is simply word salad without the dressing.
We must choose who we are around and the messages we are hearing. Immediately after the November election, the incoming president declared that America would be on a better path because of him. He said that he would create jobs for the American people. The president made bold statements about how prosperity would rule the day.
Well, that’s not the case. Since he has been in the president’s chair, thousands of people have lost their jobs. They have either been fired or coerced into taking a buyout, which has rendered them unemployed.
During his campaign, he issued a strong immigration stance, which was to deport those not having their papers in order. On the face of it, that sounded reasonable. Well, what he said and what he did were two different things. He is expelling any and everyone for what are bogus and questionable charges. Because of it, families are being torn apart. Children are missing their mothers and fathers because they are being taken illegally and placed in holding cells.
This level of inhumanity and insensitivity is simply unimaginable. Respect and the rule of law have now disappeared from the current administration’s handbook. We are in a moral and social justice crisis.
The new group in DC believes in education; however, it is selective education. Research monies have now been stripped from the budgets of colleges and universities across the nation.
Make America Great Again has been the catchy phrase for this president. Everywhere you go, you see it emblazoned on hats, ties, and T-shirts. Crowds are cheering as this message is placed on screens and videos. “Hold on. Wait a minute,” a lyric made popular by Bruno Mars, rings true here. Don’t be fooled and have the wool pulled over your eyes by this expression. America is a great country, and it has nothing to do with what this new administration is saying.
Interestingly, the same folks who are mouthing these words are the same folks who have lost their jobs because of him. These are the same individuals who struggle to afford groceries because the prices are too high.
Let’s not stop there. These are the same voters who will be unable to send their children to college due to the dismantling of the Department of Education. You can’t buy a car because of high tariffs for the parts, and the costs are being passed on to the consumers.
Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who believe America is in trouble must now join forces to stop the slide.
Senator Cory Booker, Democrat from New Jersey, gave an impassioned speech recently, imploring his colleagues to help stop America’s meltdown.
Reports indicate that it was the longest recorded speech in the history of the US Senate. He said, “These are not normal times in our nation. The threats to the American people and American democracy are grave and urgent, and we all must do more to stand against them.”
Do you think it’s time to stand up? The answer is yes.
