Page 2 The Skanner April 13, 2016
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Opinion
What If Donald Trump’s Campaign Manager Were Black?
I
t is probably not especially
politically correct to bring
more race matters into the
debacle that is also known
as the Donald Trump quest
for the Presidency. The latest
goes from the amusing to the
amazing. Although there is a
video showing his campaign
manager, Corey Lewandowski
putting his hands on former
Breitbart reporter Michelle
Fields, he and Trump have
said that eyes can lie. Even in
the face of video evidence, he
denied touching Fields. He
and Trump tried to dismiss
her as “delusional,” essential-
ly “blaming the victim.”
Imagine that Corey Le-
wandowski was an African
American man. Imagine that
he nearly knocked down a
White woman reporter. Can
you hear the outrage? Can
you hear the demands? Were
Lewandowski African Ameri-
can, would he have been cari-
catured as a hoodlum or thug,
pandering to the stereotypes?
Or would Mr. Trump have
had Black Lewandowski’s
back as firmly?
I am not surprised that Mr.
Trump has condoned Le-
wandowski’s violence, nor am
I surprised that he’s taken the
“wuss” role by suggesting the
reporter, who was attempt-
ing to get his attention, had
“touched” him (and that may-
Julianne
Malveaux
NNPA
Columnist
be he should press charges).
It is entirely consistent with
his other campaign behavior.
He has suggested that his sup-
porters might “riot” if he does
not get the Republican nomi-
nation. How different would
it be if Corey Lewandowski
were Black?
“
White men who called her a
liar, delusional, and any other
slur they could get away with.
A Black man would not have
had the luxury .
Those women who are sup-
porting Trump need to be well
aware of his propensity to dis-
regard and disrespect wom-
en. Loyalty notwithstanding,
Lewandowski’s
untoward
behavior deserves some reac-
tion – maybe not a firing, but
some form of suspension, or
something that suggests that
a “hands on” campaign need
not be literally hands on, or
that the “ground game” that
Were Lewandowski African Amer-
ican, would he have been carica-
tured as a hoodlum or thug, pan-
dering to the stereotypes?
A Black man could not
have put his hand on a White
woman with impunity. If he
did, he probably would not
have had to wait more than
a week to be charged for his
transgression. He might have
apologized, whether he were
asked to do so or not, both
from civility and from cul-
tural conditioning. Trump
and Lewandowski assumed
that Michelle Fields, a White
woman, could be thrown un-
der the bus by two powerful,
Lewandowski is often praised
for does not mean that he
should knock reporters down
to the ground.
Those African Americans
(and there are a few), who are
supporting Donald Trump
need to ask themselves what
the reaction would be if Co-
rey Lewandowski were Black.
Would Trump be as support-
ive? Would others?
I am of the generation that
used to play “what if ” all the
time. Knowing, but deter-
mined to imagine and spec-
ulate, what would happen if
you flip the script. What if
the White McKinney, Texas
police corporal Eric Casebolt
had pulled a blonde White
girl by the hair instead of
pulling the braids of the Black
Dajerra Becton? Or, what if
a Black officer, not Casebolt,
had pulled a White girl by her
blonde locks? The very muted
outrage that we heard when
Becton was assaulted would
have turned into a crescen-
do had a Black police officer
had the temerity to assault a
White teen.
Similarly, if a car full of
Black plainclothes NYPD
police officers had chosen
to hassle a White mailman
because he hollered at them,
would there have been the
same arrest and cover-up that
has taken place in the White
police officers in Crown
Heights arrested Glen Grays
and forced him to abandon his
mail truck?
I am not sure why I play
“what if ” or “just imagine.”
We know that race still mat-
ters, and that matters still
aren’t fair. Still, as I watch
Mr. Trump circle the wagon
around Corey Lewandows-
ki, I just have to wonder how
different his reaction (and
the public reaction) might be
if Lewandowski were Black.
Just wondering.
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Flint Water Crisis Can Still Bring Out the Best in Americans
O
ur nation continues to
marshal support for the
people of Flint, Michi-
gan, as the city rebuilds
after its water supply was
found to be contaminated
with extremely dangerous
amounts of lead. The long-
term exposure of Flint res-
idents to lead, which even
in small amounts can cause
grave health problems, has
raised the public’s aware-
ness of this health crisis and
prompted the call for imme-
diate and enduring action —
now and for years to come.
Perhaps the most devastat-
ing consequence of the Flint
water crisis is the uncertain
impact that prolonged lead
exposure will have on the
city’s children. We know that
infants and children under
the age of six are exception-
ally vulnerable to lead poi-
soning, which can severely
hinder mental and physical
development and produce a
host of health complications,
including learning and be-
havioral disabilities, slowed
growth, poor muscle coor-
dination, hyperactivity, and
lower IQ.
More than 200 of the city’s
children have already shown
signs of elevated blood-lead
levels, and the symptoms of
poisoning can set in long after
the child is no longer exposed
– meaning that a child who
appears well now can still
Patricia A.
Maryland,
Dr.PH
NNPA
Columnist
face daunting health compli-
cations later in life.
We do not yet know the
gravity of what has transpired
in Flint. But we do know this:
Flint’s children deserve ev-
ery opportunity to be healthy,
“
But there is still much more
work to be done, and it will
take all clinical resources
available to address Flint’s
long-term health concerns
for impacted children.
Underlying the crisis in
Flint are the many socioeco-
nomic barriers that Flint’s
low-income children and
families faced long before the
tragedy, including a lack of
access to quality healthcare
and affordable housing. In
a city of more than 100,000
Americans — where 57 per-
service can help address the
short- and long-term costs
of this crisis. The Flint Child
Health and Development
Fund — created by a unit-
ed committee of residents,
healthcare providers and
community organizations —
will be used to provide social
services, early childhood edu-
cation, behavioral health ser-
vices and more to children in
Flint. The Flint Child Health
and Development Fund is so
important to the local com-
munity that Ascension Mich-
igan (Borgess Health
– Kalamazoo, Critten-
ton Hospital Medical
Center – Rochester,
Genesys Health Sys-
tem – Grand Blanc, St.
John Providence – Detroit,
St. Mary’s of Michigan – Sag-
inaw, and St. Joseph Hospital
– Tawas City) has supported
the initiative by donating to
this effort.
You can contribute today by
visiting www.flintkids.org.
Even after the water runs
clean in Flint once again, its
children – and our communi-
ty – may bear these scars for
years to come.
And so we must confront
the health ramifications of the
crisis and support positive
health outcomes for Flint’s
children.
It will require our foresight
and collaboration to guaran-
tee their long-term care.
It will take all clinical resources avail-
able to address Flint’s long-term health
concerns for impacted children
and we must come together
to develop a comprehensive
strategy that guarantees the
compassionate care they need
to overcome short- and long-
term challenges to health.
Flint has already seen an
outpouring of support. Orga-
nizations including the Great-
er Flint Health Coalition, the
United Way of Genesee Coun-
ty and Genesys Health System
— an Ascension hospital serv-
ing Flint and its mid-Michi-
gan neighbors — are work-
ing together to maximize the
benefits of their support ser-
vices and develop a long-term
healthcare strategy for the
generation of Flint kids who
might be adversely affected.
cent of residents are Black
and more than 40 percent
live at or below the federal
poverty level — there are vir-
tually no grocery stores to be
found. Together, we’re work-
ing to change that and ensure
that Flint’s children are not
left wanting — for nutritious
food, early education and ac-
cess to integrated social ser-
vices — ever again.
The road ahead is long, and
we cannot do it alone. It will
take a national effort from
healthcare providers, policy-
makers, civic leaders and in-
dividuals to equip Flint’s chil-
dren with the compassionate
care they deserve.
Even the smallest act of