Stop the Violence

Dear Mr. President-Elect,

Congratulations on winning the election. I am writing because I want to help you succeed in your new job. I did not vote for you, nor did I expect you to win – but seeing as you did, I believe it is my duty as an American to help you be the best president you can be.

In order to do this, I have to be frank with you. You said some pretty horrible things during your campaign – things that made me think that you might really endorse racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, and all manner of other repulsive ideologies. So I had a hard time explaining your victory to my kids. I want them to respect democracy and the rule of law. But it’s pretty tough to explain to a kid that American voters support racism, sexism, xenophobia, etc…especially when you’ve raised them to believe that these ideologies are anathema to our most essential values of compassion, equality, and inclusion. I’m sure you can appreciate my dilemma here.

So I did what any normal 21st century parent would do – I posted about it on Facebook. I got lots of helpful replies, but my favorite came from one of the best moms I know. She told me that she explained to her daughter that there are lots of kind and smart people who are going to go to work with Mr. Trump to help him make better choices. This approach not only resonated with my kids – it also resonated with me! I realized that you’re not in this alone – if you’re doing to succeed, you need all the help you can get. I know that you have legions of expert advisors, and I have no doubt that these people are smart. But are they kind? I’m a bit less sure about that. Fortunately for you, I am both kind and smart, and I am willing to help advise you! To this end, I plan to write to you EVERY DAY, to help you make kind and smart decisions about important issues facing you as President. I know you’re a very busy man, and frankly I’m a very busy woman, so I’ll keep my advice brief, focusing on only one issue each day.

Today, I think that our single most important challenge is the outbreak of racial violence and hate speech that has plagued the first few days of your nascent presidency. You see, Mr. President-Elect, some of the things you said during your campaign have given racists the impression that you condone their vile views. I know that this can’t possibly be true, as you are soon to be the leader of a nation founded on the principle that all men are created equal. The leader of such a nation cannot condone racist speech or action – to do so would repudiate the values on which our constitutional democracy rests. Nonetheless, there seems to be some confusion on this point – and your victory has emboldened some of your supporters to act on their racial and ethnic hatreds. You must make it stop. Right now. You have an opportunity to prove your detractors wrong – to show that you’re not a racist or a xenophobe, and that you are committed to building an America that cherishes ALL its citizens. You must stand up to racists in your support base, and tell them that you will not abide hate in any form. Tell them that these actions undermine your vision for a just and equal America. Tell them that you will prosecute hate crimes to the fullest extent of the law, and extend every possible protection to victims. Tell the white supremacists that you don’t want their support, and that their revolting ideologies have no place in your America. Repudiate racism in all its ugly forms, and show your opposition that you are a better leader and a better human than they think you are. If you do this, you will not regret it, and it will make a huge difference for the psychological and physical safety of your minority constituents. We are all your responsibility now – don’t let us down.

Thank you for listening. I look forward to talking with you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Jules