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November 16, 2016 Page 7 Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views of the Portland Observer. We welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. O PINION Underbelly of Racism Now America’s Face Whites willing to vote alongside the Klan p eter c erto An election that might have marked the ascension of America’s first woman president has instead proven historic for an alto- gether different reason. Namely, that Americans voted for the un- abashedly anti-democratic alter- native offered by her rival. And they did it despite his al- most cartoonish shortcomings. Trump didn’t just offend pious liberals with his hard line on im- migration, disdain for democratic norms, and disinterest in policy. He transgressed standards of de- cency across all political persua- sions. He bragged about sexually as- by saulting women. He disparaged injured war veterans. He was en- dorsed by the KKK. And now he’s America’s voice on the world stage. How could that hap- pen? Here’s one theory you might’ve heard: After years of seeing their jobs outsourced, their incomes slashed, and their suffering ignored, the white working class threw in their lot with the candidate who cast aside political niceties and vowed to make their communities great again. It’s a nice story — I even used to buy a version of it myself. But while Trump surely did clean up with white voters, the evidence simply doesn’t support the idea that they were as hard-up as the story goes. For instance, pollster Nate Sil- ver found during the GOP prima- ry that Trump supporters pulled in a median income of $72,000 a year — some $10,000 more than the national median for white households. And while many did come from areas with lower social mobility, they were less likely to live in the stricken manufacturing communities Trump liked to use as backdrops for his rallies. So if it wasn’t the economy, was it Hillary? Clinton was clearly unpopu- lar, in many cases for defensible reasons. She was cozy with Wall Street. She backed poorly chosen wars. Apparently people didn’t like the way she emailed. But when you consider that we chose to give the nuclear codes to a man whose own aides refused to trust with a Twitter account over a former secretary of state, it hard- ly seems like Trump voters were soberly comparing the two candi- dates. Instead, Vox writers Zack Beauchamp and Dylan Matthews poured through scores of studies and found a much more robust ex- planation — and it isn’t pretty. It’s what pollsters gently call “racial resentment.” That is, Trump’s core sup- porters were far more likely than other Republicans to hold nega- tive views of African Americans, Latinos, and Muslims. They over- whelmingly favored the mass de- portation of immigrants. And they were the most likely Republicans to agree that it would be “bad for the country” if whites comprised a smaller share of the population. What’s more, another study found, racially resentful voters flocked to the GOP candidate re- gardless of their views about the economy. Their views on race drew them to Trump, not their job prospects. Scores of other data back this up. Despite years of job growth and the biggest one-year bump in middle-class incomes in modern history, another researcher found, Republicans’ views of both Afri- can Americans and Latinos nose- dived during the Obama years. Not even a slowdown in immi- gration itself staunched the ven- om. Net migration between the U.S. and Mexico fell to 0 during the Obama years, yet Trump still launched his campaign with an infamous tirade against Mexican “rapists” and “murderers.” None of that is to accuse all Trump voters of racism. But even if the bulk of them were just Re- publicans following their nom- inee, the social science strongly suggests that one of our major par- ties has been captured by whites so anxious about the changing face of America that they were willing to vote alongside the Klan. That fringe has turned main- stream. The Trump years to come may herald any number of horrors, but the scariest part may be what we’ve learned about ourselves. Peter Certo is the editorial manager of the Institute for Policy Studies and the editor of Other- Words.org Election Drew Poisons of Hate and Intolerance America faces a time for racial healing M Arc h. M oriAl As far back as June of last year, the Nation- al Urban League called upon all Presidential candidates to refrain from using racially divi- sive and disparaging language in their campaigns. In the ensuing months, we heard an unprecedented call to ban all Muslims from the nation, even United States citizens. That call was followed by more than two dozen anti-Muslim attacks in the United States, ranging from a cabdriver shot in Pittsburgh to the deliberate torching of a Somali restaurant in Grand Forks. N.D. The owner of a food market in Queens was beaten by a customer who vowed to “kill Muslims.” The level of vitriol against im- migrants and racial and ethnic mi- norities was amped so high during the campaign that the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, coined the term “The Trump Effect” to describe the alarming level of fear and anxi- ety among children of color over racial tensions and their fears of being deported. by According to the Southern Pov- erty Law Center survey of teach- ers: More than two-thirds of the teachers reported that students—mainly immi- grants, children of immi- grants and Muslims—have expressed concerns or fears about what might happen to them or their families after the election. More than half have seen an increase in uncivil politi- cal discourse. More than one-third have ob- served an increase in anti-Muslim or anti-immigrant sentiment. More than 40 percent were hes- itant to teach about the election. Other children have been using the word “Trump” as a taunt or as a chant as they gang up on others. Over two-thirds (67 percent) of educators reported that young people in their schools—most often immigrants, children of immigrants, Muslims, African Americans and other students of color—had expressed concern about what might happen to them or their families after the election. Close to one-third of the students in American classrooms are chil- dren of foreign-born parents. This year, they are scared, stressed and in need of reassurance and support from teachers. Muslim children are harassed and worried. Even native-born African-American children, whose families arrived here before the American Revolu- tion, ask about being sent back to Africa. Others, especially younger students, have worries that are the stuff of nightmares, like a return to slavery or being rounded up and put into camps. Overall, these vul- nerable students are disillusioned and depressed at the hatred they’re hearing from candidates, in the news, from classmates and even, sometimes, from trusted adults. As we have said throughout this campaign, religious and racial bigotry are not core American val- ues. In fact, such bigotry is more than unpatriotic; it threatens our national security. So, where do we go from here? We are hopeful now that the heat of the campaign begins to cool, our President-Elect and his supporters will adopt a more sober approach to issues of racial jus- tice. He has called for the country to unite, and we will take him at his word. Advertise with diversity in The Portland Observer Call 503-288-0033 or email ads@portlandobserver.com Our duty as citizens is to hold him to his word. We have the power to define patriotism in the 21st Century, and there’s no room in that definition for bigotry. Some have mused that this cam- paign has served as a poultice of sorts, drawing the poisons of hate and intolerance to the surface. This is our opportunity to cleanse them away. Marc H. Morial is president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League. c Annon ’ s r ib e xpress 5410 NE 33rd Ave, Portland, Or Call to Order: 503-288-3836 Open (hours) Sun-Thurs: 11a-8p Fri-Sat: 11a- 9p Cannon’s, tasty food and friendly neighborhood atmosphere.
