Over the last week I have been dumfounded by the events unfolding on the national stage. This is not due to Trump. Although his behavior has a bizarre, chaotic pattern, statements in recent days are no different than rantings he has made before. Nor am I surprised at the bigotry and hate we have seen reported and recorded. Minorities have been dealing with this in various forms all along. The only change is how emboldened hate has become with Trump’s permissiveness, allowing it to leap out of the shadow and into the lime light. My shock, my pain is about the silence from our representatives and other governmental leaders. Where is the outcry? Where is the unified disgust over Trump trampling on our constitution? This document is the basis of our democracy, not some quaint relic.
I have sought to make sense of this moral vortex we are stuck in but my research and hunches are disturbing, not comforting. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the CNN poll that reflected 66% of Republicans still stand behind our President. As a therapist, my role is to not only provide care to those in distress, I am also called to advocate for my clients and community. Therefore, we must stop all attempts to use some mythical hierarchy to judge genetics. It is time to embrace the fundamental truth that there is only one race- the human race. Until we do, it is all too easy to devalue, demoralize, and dehumanize each other. Take action: call your governor and state representatives and implore them to take a stand. Break the silence, shout from the streets to the mountain tops that we are unwilling to tolerate this behavior. This is not about partisanship. We are fighting for the health of our democracy and more critically, our country’s soul.
For those in Colorado, here are the numbers to call Feel free to reach out daily and ask anyone willing to do the same:
- Senator Michael Bennett: 719-328-1100
- Senator Corey Gardner: 202-224-5941
- Governor John Hickenlooper: 303-866-2885
- Congressman Ed Perlmutter (7th District): 202-225-2645
If you are unsure about what district you are in, or live outside of the 7th district, you can find out your representative here: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/CO#representatives
As Robert Kennedy said, “Each time a person stands for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, they send a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring. Those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” Let’s ban together and make waves!
For examples of Trump’s challenges to the constitution, hear a professor at Brown University share reflections at http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/08/2016-donald-trump-constitution-guide-unconstitutional-freedom-liberty-khan-214139