You Are Safe with Me

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate crimes, has had 201 reports of such crimes, mostly against blacks, immigrants and Muslims, since the outcome of the presidential election. That's just the number tallied from Tuesday through Friday. They do not have the exact percentage increase, but to put it in terms we can all understand, it is much higher than post 9/11.

The examples of hate crimes cut across all of the groups that Trump denigrated during his campaign: Muslims, women, Latinos; and some he did not - e.g. blacks.  He made it clear during his campaign that if you are not a white Christian in this country, your worth will be questioned. If women say, yes but it was okay with us that he talked about sexual assault so brazenly and objectified women at every turn, because how could we ever vote for the that liar Hillary, then please look to his selection of Stephen Bannon, former Breitbart 'news' executive chairman, as chief white house strategist. These are some of the headlines on his 'news' service, ladies, and remember that Bannon will be one of the two most powerful men in the White House:

• "THERE'S NO HIRING BIAS AGAINST WOMEN IN TECH, THEY JUST SUCK AT INTERVIEWS"
• "BIRTH CONTROL MAKES WOMEN UNATTRACTIVE AND LAZY"
• "THE SOLUTION TO ONLINE 'HARASSMENT' IS SIMPLE:  WOMEN SHOULD LOG OFF"
• "TEENAGE BOYS WITH TITS: HERE'S MY PROBLEM WITH GHOSTBUSTERS"

The most outrageous of all? (although, seriously, it's hard to choose, they are all so horrible)

• "EXCLUSIVE - DONALD TRUMP PLANS TO CONTINUE GOP LEGACY OF LEADING ON WOMEN'S, CIVIL RIGHTS AGAINST RACIST, SEXIST DEMOCRATS"  

Just let that last one sink in for one moment.

You mean the Democratic party that nominated and voted into to office twice this country's first black President? Those racist democrats? You mean the Democratic party that nominated the first woman of a major political party to be President of the United States? Those sexist democrats? You mean the GOP who does not believe in a woman's right to choose? That's the party leading the fight for women's rights? You mean the GOP whose president-elect thinks that of the 11.1 million undocumented immigrants in this country, that 2 to 3 million of them are criminals?  18 - 27%? One in four?  You mean those civil rights? Spare me the complete and utter hypocrisy and flat out inaccuracy of that headline.

We need to take action. Even if that action is small, we need to build on how we are feeling today.

To that end, we have to take positive steps.

So what is something that we can do? How can we show support to those who are being targeted by hate crimes, our fellow Americans that enrich our culture and society?

It's simple and you might not think that it is much, but wear a safety pin.  A safety pin says 'you are safe with me'.  If you're black, Muslim, Latino, female, LGBTQ, or any group that feels scared and frightened after this election, I understand and feel your pain.  You are safe with me.  I hear you and I have empathy for your situation and I will fight for your inclusion in this society.  I've got your back.

But, beware: this has to come with action.  Please do not sit silently if you see or hear hate crimes happening.  An Assyrian-American woman was verbally abused by a BART passenger on Wednesday (yes, our humble left coast abode is rife with racism and xenophobia also).  The American woman was speaking Assyrian on her phone, when a fellow passenger repeatedly called her a 'stalker' and said she hoped she would get deported.  No one on BART did anything about it.  So please do this:  get your nose out of your smart phone, take out your earphones.  This is everyone's business.  If you see hate, speak up or take the safety pin off.

We can also do everything possible leading up to the midterm elections so that in 2018 and again in 2020, we will be poised to reject this hatred. This election cycle is over, but let's not lose momentum.

Look up organizations, like the above-mentioned Southern Poverty Law Center or the Council on American-Islam relations, to see how you can help or become informed.

Lastly, let me leave you with this:

My 19-year-old daughter sings in the choir at the Jesuit university she attends.  From the time she was a very little girl, I realized that the world and its suffering would sit heavily on her shoulders.
Last night during mass, she said she had to leave because she was crying so hard that she could not continue singing. The proliferation of hates crimes across America since that man's election made it to difficult for her to continue. These were the words she was singing:

When I am scorned, and mocked with hatred,
My heart is torn by looks of ridicule
I taste the bitter cup that Jesus drank,
Pouring out his life for the many, and for me.
When he said love one another, as I have loved you,
through the pain, as I have loved you,
with passion, now tenderly give your love to the outcast,
your strength to the weary, your heart to the broken, 
yes to me
--from 'Life for the Many' by Gregory Dale Schultz, SCU choir director

What I encourage her to do, is what I would encourage all of us to do.

Here are my steps:

I will hold your hand, stand by your side, listen to every fear and worry that you have, tell you how much I love you, promise you that we will fight against any and all hatred, and promise you that I will do my best to make this a country of inclusion.  We will use the outrage and heartbreak we feel to galvanize for this country's next steps -- away from hatred, blame, bigotry, sexism, racism, misogyny, and xenophobia.

You are safe with me.

#lovetrumpshate
#safetypin