Before you read this, I want you to know that upon my first reading, I was disappointed, and a little incredulous. Then I read it again, out loud to my wife, and when I was done, I started to cry from hopelessness.
Just like his speech to African Americans on the campaign, although it occasionally refers to Black History, it is entirely about him.
Please read this with more hope for the future than I have.
Speech On Black History Month From Your POTUS 2017
"Well this is Black History Month, so this is our little breakfast, our little get-together.
We’re gonna need better schools and we need them soon. We need more jobs, we need better wages, a lot better wages. We’re gonna work very hard on the inner city. Ben is gonna be doing that, big league.
That’s one of the big things that you’re gonna be looking at.
We need safer communities and we’re going to do that with law enforcement.
We’re gonna make it safe.
We’re gonna make it much better than it is right now.
Right now it’s terrible, and I saw you talking about it the other night, Paris, on something else that was really—you did a fantastic job the other night on a very unrelated show.
Hi Lynn, how are you? Just a few notes.
During this month, we honor the tremendous history of African-Americans throughout our country. Throughout the world, if you really think about it, right? And their story is one of unimaginable sacrifice, hard work, and faith in America.
I’ve gotten a real glimpse—during the campaign, I’d go around with Ben to a lot of different places I wasn’t so familiar with. They’re incredible people. And I want to thank Ben Carson, who’s gonna be heading up HUD. That’s a big job. That’s a job that’s not only housing, but it’s mind and spirit. Right, Ben? And you understand, nobody’s gonna be better than Ben.
Last month, we celebrated the life of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., whose incredible example is unique in American history. You read all about Dr. Martin Luther King a week ago when somebody said I took the statue out of my office. It turned out that that was fake news. Fake news.
The statue is cherished, it’s one of the favorite things in the—and we have some good ones. We have Lincoln, and we have Jefferson, and we have Dr. Martin Luther King. But they said the statue, the bust of Martin Luther King, was taken out of the office. And it was never even touched. So I think it was a disgrace, but that’s the way the press is.
Very unfortunate.
I am very proud now that we have a museum on the National Mall where people can learn about Reverend King, so many other things. Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more, I noticed. Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and millions more black Americans who made America what it is today.
Big impact.
I’m proud to honor this heritage and will be honoring it more and more. The folks at the table in almost all cases have been great friends and supporters. Darrell—I met Darrell when he was defending me on television. And the people that were on the other side of the argument didn’t have a chance, right?
And Paris has done an amazing job in a very hostile CNN community. He’s all by himself. You’ll have seven people, and Paris. And I’ll take Paris over the seven. But I don’t watch CNN, so I don’t get to see you as much as I used to. I don’t like watching fake news. But Fox has treated me very nice.
Wherever Fox is, thank you.
That’s one of the big things that you’re gonna be looking at.
We need safer communities and we’re going to do that with law enforcement.
We’re gonna make it safe.
We’re gonna make it much better than it is right now.
Right now it’s terrible, and I saw you talking about it the other night, Paris, on something else that was really—you did a fantastic job the other night on a very unrelated show.
I’m ready to do my part, and I will say this:
We’re gonna work together. This is a great group, this is a group that’s been so special to me. You really helped me a lot.
If you remember I wasn’t going to do well with the African-American community, and after they heard me speaking and talking about the inner city and lots of other things, we ended up getting—and I won’t go into details—but we ended up getting substantially more than other candidates who had run in the past years.
We’re gonna work together. This is a great group, this is a group that’s been so special to me. You really helped me a lot.
If you remember I wasn’t going to do well with the African-American community, and after they heard me speaking and talking about the inner city and lots of other things, we ended up getting—and I won’t go into details—but we ended up getting substantially more than other candidates who had run in the past years.
And now we’re gonna take that to new levels.
I want to thank my television star over here—Omarosa’s actually a very nice person, nobody knows that. I don’t want to destroy her reputation but she’s a very good person, and she’s been helpful right from the beginning of the campaign, and I appreciate it. I really do.
I want to thank my television star over here—Omarosa’s actually a very nice person, nobody knows that. I don’t want to destroy her reputation but she’s a very good person, and she’s been helpful right from the beginning of the campaign, and I appreciate it. I really do.
Very special."
END
My wife shook her head and then summarized it like this:
"Well, I gotta talk about the blacks, so... Here are some blacks who like me, also blacks have been in history. Now I'm gonna talk about inner cities, and crime, those are black people things, right? And oh- these other blacks like me too."
That's when I cried.
I cried because I was grateful that the mother of my mixed son understood. I know that she doesn't always, and that she doesn't even have to, but we've been married for ten years now, and at that moment I was sad for the world, but grateful for her..
I cried because I was grateful that the mother of my mixed son understood. I know that she doesn't always, and that she doesn't even have to, but we've been married for ten years now, and at that moment I was sad for the world, but grateful for her..
So maybe all isn't lost.
***UPDATE***
Mike Pence also released a VERY purposeful tweet on Black History Month.
It is NOT about Black History Month- it is a not subtle message of White Supremacy, to the new Radical White:
It is NOT about Black History Month- it is a not subtle message of White Supremacy, to the new Radical White:
Did you see what's happening yet?
"Blacks aren't worth of respect, everything is from us" is what this message is.
When it happened in Germany, we said "NEVER AGAIN", but now it's HERE, in the U.S.
NOW is Again.
