There is a movement in America. It is a movement to bleach the colors out of our flag. The movement hopes to destroy the stitches of stars and stripes until it the flag no longer serves all of its people. This new, whitewashed flag would stand as a symbol of oppression. It would become a dark fixture added to the already tattered edges of our nation’s history. This, the flag of the Donald Trump movement, will only truly represent an ignorant few.
The American dream—while never perfect—is the ideal we must continue to move toward. We must not divide along any lines, but strengthen the bonds of Americans. We must recognize our differences and unite with the purpose of making the U.S. better for all. We must not let this dream die.
It is clear that Donald Trump will drive his supporters to elevate a climate of fear. He will incite riots to suppress opposition and win favor. Trump is not amassing a constituency, but a mob of haters ready to cut down others and pillage power.
This became all too clear on Friday. Trump made dismissive and pointedly racist comments toward protestors in a speech in St. Louis. Seeing an opportunity, Trump capitalized on it later that same day in Chicago. He concocted a story about law enforcement telling him not to debate for his own personal safety. The lie led to several clashes among Trump supporters, protestors and law enforcement. Trump came out on top, exactly as he had planned.
For months, many of us have dismissed the threat of a Donald Trump presidential campaign. It was a sideshow, a vanity tour, and a comic relief circus. This period of naïveté now, with Trump leading in the polls, even as he continues to inflame tension.
We can no longer afford to ignore the campaign of Mr. Trump. We must instead be willing to speak out with the fury we would if our own rights were taken away from us. We have reached a tipping point where we can no longer stand by and hope the Trump problem will go away. We must stem this wave of hate running through the country with diligence, dedication and love.
When Donald Trump’s name is written in history books 100 years from now, let it be seen as a win for America. Let it be the moment where the American people, united together, linked arms and created a wall. It will be a wall to protect those he targets, a wall fortified against violence and division, a wall united against the forces of racism, bigotry, ignorance and hate.
We must stand to protect the advancement of the American dream. We must keep the colors in our flag.