In the letter to the editor “MAGA proponents want to go back, not forward,” the author is concerned that “MAGA proponents” want to go backward with regard to immigration.
Let’s examine that concern: If “MAGA proponents” are all Americans, it is highly likely that they have direct personal knowledge of immigration, given that nearly all American citizens have ancestors who were immigrants. (My paternal grandparents immigrated from Germany before World War II.)
Why is it important to consider that nearly all Americans - with the exception of full-blooded Native Americans or Native Alaskans - have ancestors who immigrated to this country?
It is important because this is something that unites Americans rather than divides them.
What divides Americans then? Separating people into groups, such as “MAGA proponents,” then using condescending names like “Red Hats” divides Americans. Using insulting and inaccurate generalizations such as “there are people who demand English be spoken or who are offended by Spanish signs at the voting booth and supermarkets” when referring to “Red Hats” divides Americans.
Personally, I would be thrilled if more signs, etc. were in Spanish as it would assist me in my efforts to become bilingual!
In all probability, there are many people - Trump supporters included - who also feel this way given the known cognitive benefits of bilingualism.
What also divides people is the use of racial rhetoric absent any evidence or justification, such as describing Trump’s 2016 presidency as when “the belief of white supremacy revealed its ugly head.”
What were the policies and actions during his presidential term that supported such an accusation of racism?
In contrast to that statement, below are some of the policies and actions during President Trump’s 2016-20 presidency that demonstrate a support for minorities:
• President Trump signed the historic First Step Act into law which overwhelmingly benefited Black Americans. (90 percent of those who have had their sentences reduced are Black Americans.)
• President Trump restored funding and increased investment for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) by 14 percent. The Trump administration provided more than $500 million in loans to HBCUs through the Capital Financing Program).
• The Trump administration established a fund to deploy $1 billion in capital funding for minority-owned businesses through the Commerce Department.
• President Trump designated 8,760 Opportunity Zones that are projected to spur $100 billion in private investment in minority communities.
(Source: Peters, G. & and Woolley, J.T., “Trump Campaign Press Release.” The American Presidency Project, 22 October 2020, https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/trump-campaign-press-release-fact-president-trumps-policies-have-delivered-for-black)
Pamela Biss
Sparta