In a time of rising political instability and deepening racial division, the calls by many Democratic senators to “just vote in the midterms” ring hollow. That advice, though well-meaning, feels painfully disconnected from the urgency of the moment. The damage inflicted by the 47th president in a mere six months is staggering... his blatant disregard for constitutional norms and his brazen lawlessness are not just ideological differences; they are existential threats to democracy. Waiting 18 more months to course-correct may be too late, especially when that course correction assumes a functioning democracy still exists by then.
There is a growing frustration among those who recognize the stakes, particularly among communities of color who have seen centuries of injustice now repackaged as modern-day authoritarianism. What’s most troubling, however, is the performative nature of white allyship in this era of Trumpism... a system born from over 400 years of systemic hatred and exploitation of people of color. The rise of Trump is not an anomaly; it is a manifestation of deep-seated American rot. And yet, much of white America hides behind social media, offering likes, shares, and hashtags in place of real resistance.
What this moment demands is not comfort, but courage. It demands that white Americans step out from behind their screens and into the streets with the same resolve once shown during the Civil Rights Movement. There will be costs... sacrifices, discomfort, even danger. But liberation has always required such a price, and the burden of defending democracy cannot rest solely on the backs of Black, Brown, Indigenous, and immigrant communities.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass exemplifies the kind of fearless leadership we desperately need. When federal ICE agents descended on her city in an aggressive, unprovoked display of state power, she didn’t issue a statement or wait for permission. She went to the scene. She took the phone from a high-ranking ICE official and directly intervened, forcing them to back down. That wasn’t politics... that was principle in action. That was moral courage meeting state overreach head-on. Karen Bass didn’t just speak truth to power... she interrupted it.
That is the model. That is the energy required from those who claim to care. We cannot afford symbolic gestures or electoral pacifiers. The time for tepid speeches and photo ops is over. If democracy is to be preserved, it will take people of all backgrounds confronting the machine... not with slogans, but with sacrifice. Karen Bass showed the way. Now the question remains: who will follow her lead?
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