We Can’t Stand on the Sidelines

In the face of blatantly racist comments by President Trump, we cannot stand on the sidelines and be silent.

As is clear from Charlottesville and numerous other recent acts of hatred, we haven’t come nearly as far as a nation as we should have by now.

And, as is clear from his disgusting comments about a Mexican American judge and about Mexican immigrants, his defense of the perpetrators of racially motivated violence in Charlottesville, and now his vulgar and offensive comments about Haitian, Salvadoran, and African communities, President Trump is deeply intolerant.

We are the great nation we are in significant part because of our diversity and because of the hard work and countless contributions of immigrants, refugees, and exiles.

We are not yet the nation we can be in significant part because of the deeply rooted plague of racism.

Racism stems from a fictitious notion of racial hierarchy constructed centuries ago to justify inhumane treatment of slaves.

So long as it persists, it makes it impossible for all Americans to be equally valued and afforded equal opportunities to succeed.

We cannot stop the President from saying hateful things, but we can stand up against hateful speech and actions in our midst, teach our children and grandchildren to do so, and do everything we can to foster understanding, empathy, and kindness in our communities.

While we are from different states and widely varying backgrounds, each and every one of the more than 400,000 members and supporters of Stand for Children believe that every human being deserves to be treated with decency and respect. To be judged on the content of their character, nothing else.

We cannot stop the President from saying hateful things, but we can stand up against hateful speech and actions in our midst, teach our children and grandchildren to do so, and do everything we can to foster understanding, empathy, and kindness in our communities.

We at Stand will continue to do our part, by fostering kindness in middle schools across the nation through our Middle School Kindness Challenge, standing up for permanent protections for the 800,000 promising young people at imminent risk of losing their DACA status, and speaking up against hatred as we are doing right now.

By Jonah Edelman

Jonah Edelman is the CEO and Co-founder of Stand for Children.

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