After black-for-pay actress Omarosa Manigault Newman was thrown out of the White House in December 2017, she released a tell-all book with accusations of racism in early August.
The roll-out of Manigault Newman’s latest money grab prompted a CNN anchor to ask Kellyanne Conway, “Who is the most senior black aide on President Donald Trump’s staff?”
Of course, the spin queen flipped the question eight ways in eight seconds, but she eventually came up with the name “Ja’Ron.”
Ja’Ron Smith, whose last name Conway could not remember, is special assistant to the President for domestic policy. Trump has zero black senior staff officials in his White House.
Now, of course, as I have stated in previous columns: Trump is racist. Trump does not want to help minorities, and white is his preferred race. Clearly, these are some key reasons that his White House is so white.
Yet, it should be known that Donald Trump’s bigotry is only half of the reason there aren’t any black people other than Smith. To put it simply, no black person wants to work for this prejudiced, divisive White House that clearly doesn’t care for people of color.
On Aug. 23, after a meeting with Jeff Sessions and Jared Kushner, Trump rejected a bipartisan bill targeted at reducing sentences and funding prison rehabilitation and re-entry programs. This bill, championed by his son-in-law Kushner, would’ve had a tremendously positive effect on the black community which is disproportionately hurt by the broken justice system.
I have no doubt Smith came into this White House with good intentions, but as Trump continues to blatantly divide this country and vilify anyone non-white, how can any person of color justify supporting him?
From calls for an NFL boycott and Muslim bans, to building a wall and separating families, Trump represents the resentment of an increasingly diversified America. Every person willingly associated with Trump must accept the fact that this anti-brown ideology is what they are attached to.
Pundit after pundit gets on television defending Trumpian propaganda and stirring confusion day after day. People need to start asking themselves what happens after Trump. When history is written, will you be firmly on the side of American progress or the last great opposition?
Trump’s White House being overwhelmingly white bothers me, but it doesn’t shock me. The truth is, Donald Trump doesn’t want racial or ideological diversity. He wants people that will agree with him and be “loyal” no matter what he says or does. In America, you simply don’t often find that type of black person these days. We go through too much; we have been through too much.
Frankly speaking, the fact that Smith is the only black staffer Conway could come up with is very telling. I am praying for my brother Ja’Ron. Being a fly in the buttermilk can’t be fun.
Justin Franklin is a 19-year-old political communication sophomore from Memphis, Tennessee.
