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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 26, 2018)
Page 12 December 26, 2018 O PINION 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. Ushering In a New World Community turbing yet significant example of white nationalist ideology and was shocked to recognize its au- thor from an old social circle. I omit his name because my goal is not to single out an individual by m atthew J ohnson but an ideology. His writ- It is unfortunate that ings were not an example in the 21st century we of a lonely voice shouting are still subjected to the through the wilderness — kind of propaganda that or I would not bother to comment. positions white people and white I fear that his is a view shared by men in particular as the chosen many white men and the women ones of history and, indeed, the future. It’s no secret that white nation- alism is resurgent under Trump, who recently identified himself as a “nationalist” as opposed to some- one who cares about all the world’s citizens. It is far from a stretch to assume that this was a signal to his base and that the only reason he left out the word “white” is because even he’s not prepared to go that far — at least not yet. His far-right supporters likely got the message, and some do not even bother with coded language who rely on them from all social — e.g. the Rise Above Movement strata. The Trump administration or the Proud Boys — while others and its supporters would doubtless hide behind a pseudo-intellectual approve. His talk of the so-called ‘white veneer. Racist views have become man’s burden’ is a dark remnant so mainstream that even a black from a past that lurks at the highest teenager shamelessly disparaged levels of government in the Unit- her own race on a recent episode ed States and currently threatens of Dr. Phil. much of the world. Brazilian Pres- I recently came across a dis- True justice will respect differences ident-Elect Jair Bolsonaro, advised by ex-Trump handler Steve Ban- non, is the latest political triumph of white nationalism. This is an ideology that promotes imperial- ism as a Social Darwinian impera- tive and confuses civilization with barbarism: its proponents fail to see that it is an indictment on a race if that race succeeds by riding the backs of others — not a source of pride. I propose another burden that is far more noble: the burden of privileged center can relate more peacefully and justly to those on the margins. Moreover, in the information age the very concept of whiteness (or race, for that matter) is evolv- ing into one that is far more de- pendent on ideology or self-iden- tification than physical appearance or genetics. This is a positive de- velopment in the sense that many people — myself included — no longer feel the need to identify with an exclusive club based on White men and women have an opportunity to (finally) break their own chains of oppressor status in an increasingly interdependent world. They have access to information that can lift them out of ignorance and toward a new enlightenment that goes beyond reformation within Western societies and emphasizes how the privileged center can relate more peacefully and justly to those on the margins. justice. White men and women have an opportunity to (finally) break their own chains of op- pressor status in an increasingly interdependent world. They have access to information that can lift them out of ignorance and toward a new enlightenment that goes be- yond reformation within Western societies and emphasizes how the pseudo-science and primitive trib- alism. Given the complexity of genes that make up an individual, it would make just as much sense for a white man to identity with Genghis Kahn, Cleopatra, or some primordial super-ape as it would be to identity with Julius Caesar. Human accomplishments and fail- ures belong to humanity because nothing happens in perfect genet- ic isolation. (Don’t take my word for it; read the acclaimed writer Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me.) But this is not to say that all cultures or peoples are identical — it’s the concept of in- terdependence that white national- ists fail to grasp. Unlike the extremes on both sides of the spectrum, I am not one who believes that any skin color represents good or evil — or that the answer to history’s inequities and inequalities is to condemn the ancestors of those who came out on top. There is more rage than logic behind these views. How- ever, justice must be done for the benefit of humanity: white, black, brown, red and yellow. It is the lack of justice that not only stokes the rage at the bottom, but also buttresses the fear at the top. The rise of Trump was predicated on this fear. But rage alone will not defeat him. True justice will not only usher in a new world community that in- cludes everyone while respecting differences — but will also ensure that burdensome white men will never again have to justify their privilege. Matt Johnson, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is co-author of Trumpism. This Holiday Season, I’m Standing with Migrants Our shared humanity demands it Over and over again, our delegation heard of the need for more stroll- ers for the migrant cara- van. Could I even imag- ine dropping everything to walk 3,000 difficult by K erri K enneDy miles with my children This holiday season — a time so often associated with in my arms — without even a bringing family together — my stroller? Watching coverage of the U.S. thoughts keep turning to the fam- ilies in the migrant caravans mak- ing their way to the U.S. southern border. I had the privilege of spending four days in Mexico last month with my organization, the Amer- ican Friends Service Committee, to assess the needs of participants in the caravan and expand human rights monitoring. As I crept into my children’s bedrooms to give them a kiss firing tear gas at migrants at the when I got back, resisting the border, and hearing the harrowing urge to wake them up for cuddling reports from my colleague who and conversation, I thought about witnessed that violent repression, what would make me pick up with I thought again about the mothers them and flee, with little notice I’d met in Mexico. What could and even less information about push me to take the risk of facing this violence to protect my chil- what would lie ahead. dren? I met so many people in Mexi- co who joined the caravan because it was their only way out. I think about “Maria” (not her real name), a young mother of four I met. Maria is from El Salvador, where violence and a complete lack of opportunities put her family at risk. One of her children had al- ready been killed by gang violence. to Egypt when King Herod’s gov- ernment threatened their newborn child, Maria and so many other parents have picked up everything and undertaken a harrowing jour- ney to save their children’s lives. Caravan participants I met ex- pressed so much faith — both in God and the idea that United States is a place that embraces those fleeing violence and pover- Like Mary and Joseph, who fled to Egypt when King Herod’s government threatened their newborn child, Maria and so many other parents have picked up everything and undertaken a harrowing journey to save their children’s lives. When word spread of the car- avan, Maria made a spontaneous choice to join. She told me she was in search of opportunity for her family, and the hope of seeing her children grow up in a place without constant danger. Like Mary and Joseph, who fled ty. What else can they do in the face of such an existential threat but hope and pray for a chance for their families to live? In the season when many cel- ebrate the birth of a child whose family had to flee to another coun- try to keep him alive, what does our shared humanity demand from parents making the same difficult choice today? In the face of our government’s cruelty, I feel called to stand up for the people of the migrant caravan. That’s why the American Friends Service Committee has called for action under the name Love Knows No Borders: A moral call for migrant justice. We mobilized faith leaders to the border earlier this month as groups lined up to host actions around the country expressing love and solidarity with migrants. We are demanding that our country open its doors to people like Maria, and thousands of oth- ers, instead of meeting them with violence. In this season of giving, I hope people of conscience across the country will join us in standing up for families in need of aid. Kerri Kennedy oversees hu- manitarian and peacebuilding work in 17 countries for the Amer- ican Friends Service Committee. Distributed by OtherWords.org.
