When I woke up on Jan. 20, I felt nothing but a looming cloud over me. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day for celebrating justice and a time to look back on how far the nation has come in its strive toward racial equality, I was instead overwhelmed by my fear of the next presidency.
With what felt like the weight of the world on my shoulders, I called my mom, who also acts as my therapist and my best friend. I explained to her the concoction of fear and disbelief that filled my mind. I couldn’t possibly put together how the day my family and I used to spend making a cake for King has turned into the day the nation swears the antithesis of democracy into power.
My frustration and anger emanate from my exhaustion with repeating myself. I have written numerous columns, I have shared countless posts on social media, I have had many important conversations, and regardless I am left sounding like a broken record stuck on the same song, begging for the recognition of basic principles. As I explained this to my strong — but equally afraid — mom, she asserted, “You may sound like a broken record, but you are a broken record worth listening to a thousand times.”
Like always, she is right. The repetitive statements on my record are not nonsensical — they derive from the basic morality that this nation has lost in each campaign cycle involving Donald Trump. Most notably, this record is consistent and backed with evidence — at its most basic level, it plays songs advocating for equality.
Trump has no sense of respect for women. In 2016, during his first campaign cycle, a tape of him bragging about grabbing women’s genitals was leaked. While he issued a rather quick apology, he asserted that the media attention was a ”distraction” and compared his actions to former president Bill Clinton to fuel more harmful rhetoric toward his opponent. But it wasn’t just words Trump used — 27 women have publicly accused him of sexual misconduct. He was recently held liable for sexual abuse and defamation against writer E. Jean Carroll.
When it comes to reproductive justice, his stance made a sharp turn in 2016, even going as far as asserting that there should be some sort of “punishment” for women who have abortions. As if that was not enough, in 2022 he took credit for the Dobbs decision, reversing Roe v. Wade and leaving abortion up to the states — something he claimed he was “proud” of. There should be no pride in a decision that led to the deaths of Candi Miller, Amber Thurman and Josseli Barnica — just a few of the astonishing number of women who have lost their lives trying to get reproductive health in the wake of ruthless abortion bans. As a woman, I am turning the volume up on this broken record.
It’s not only women in danger under this administration. If you scroll the news daily, which I suggest everyone does, it is almost impossible to not see a new senseless executive order that harms an already targeted group every day. Moments after being sworn into office he targeted birthright citizenship, which asserts that anyone born in the United States is automatically an American citizen. Trump and his supporters argue that this constitutional right is “ridiculous” and the Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship order plans to deny citizenship to those born after Feb. 19 to parents who are in the country without permanent legal status.
Luckily, this executive order, which Trump did not hesitate to sign, was temporarily blocked by a federal judge deeming it “blatantly unconstitutional.” However, the fact that this order was even attempted depicts the gravity of Trump’s willingness to assert his power. Ending birthright citizenship harms the potential of the millions of children with immigrant parents. It risks individuals becoming stateless and losing the ability to apply for jobs, obtain a passport or be protected by the law. The constant scapegoating of immigrants will not solve America’s cost-of-living crisis — it will only add to the problem. Targeting the people who keep this country running will not improve any outcomes for the working class. As the daughter of an immigrant, I am turning the volume up on this broken record.
Diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility measures are pivotal in making this country and organizations within this country safer for marginalized communities. People of color, LGBTQIA+ individuals and women have not had equal opportunities due to the sociopolitical structure that has systemically set them back. Diversity initiatives have been around for decades and have been the sole reason many people have been able to advance in their fields of work.
The murder of George Floyd in 2020 re-amped the push for DEI in both the workplace and in schools. This tragedy was the catalyst for creating a DEI committee at my predominantly white high school, which gave my parents and many parents of color the ability to speak up for their children and be a part of the school’s decision-making. Trump of course disagrees with any such initiatives and signed an order ending DEI programs within the federal government as well as revoking Executive Order 11246, the Equal Employment Opportunity, which prohibited federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, disability or national origin.
Revoking this order will set us back decades as a nation. It adds to the weight on the shoulders of all women, people of color and LGBTQIA+ folks. As a biracial woman, as an ally and most importantly as a human being with the capacity to recognize the struggles of others, I am turning up the volume on this broken record.
Let me play this record for you, not for the first time and definitely not for the last time. Transgender people have always existed and will continue to exist — it is up to us to provide adequate healthcare and grant them the ability to live without fear of harm. This nation was built by immigrants, and to remove immigrants is to get rid of the backbone of this country and remove the food on your table. Diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility are fundamental to combating the country’s systemic prejudice. To turn a blind eye to the climate crises is to turn a blind eye to the future. Criminalizing abortions does not end all abortions — it ends safe abortions and is life-threatening for women. Trump’s billionaire cabinet has no intention of minimizing the wealth gap in this country. Lastly, to act as if nothing is happening in our government because it does not pertain to you specifically is to be complicit in the pain of others and lack the empathy necessary for progress.
While I am exhausted repeating the same track on my record over and over, I know that to hear the next track something has to be fixed. It is easy to feel helpless and throw the entire record away. I have been tempted far too many times, but that does not solve the problem — that ignores the problem. Thus, I will not cease repeating the necessity for empathy in politics until we find a solution. I’m sure the next track is full of hope, restoration and empathy — let’s put in the work to hear it.
Grace Harris has a passion for social justice and advocacy. Her email is always open to more ideas — [email protected]