What We Learned from Last Night’s #SOTU

You saw it. We saw it. But we are not subscribing to Trump’s revisionist history during this sacred month, Black History Month, or ever, for that matter. His State of the Union address last night included claims of pro-whiteness, pro-terrorism and pro-cages. Sure, what he said was expected, but still, it was angering. Contrary to Trump’s claim that “the best is yet to come,” Advancement Project National Office offered our #StateOfRace2020 Twitter chat and will continue the conversation to set the record straight. Trump talked a lot about “fairness” but he never defined it. Fairness to us is #PoliceFreeSchools. Fairness to us is #FreeAndSafe elections. Fairness to us is a #JustDemocracy for all people regardless of race. Some may say we are a ways from achieving fairness in the United States of America – but Advancement Project National Office is committed to moving the needle. And we are making great strides. In fact, we are mobilizing for the year 2045 when Black and Brown people are the majority in the U.S. We hope you’re ready! To break it down, Trump’s State of the Union address (incorrectly) talked about unemployment being at an all-time low. What he didn’t bother to mention was the incarceration rates for Black and Brown people. If we don’t have a free and safe population, how can we possibly have a thriving economy? He also talked about protecting America from “criminal aliens.” We reject this. He is singling out and dehumanizing migrant asylum seekers — people we are advocating for that do not deserve to be treated inhumanely. We refuse to let the politics of fear and divisiveness prevail. Advancement Project National Office stands with our grassroots partners and national allies as a united front against any policies rooted in fear, racial and religious bigotry, xenophobia, and hate. And though he didn’t make much mention of it last night, Trump boasted about his criminal justice reform efforts on a Super Bowl commercial this week. For the record, our justice system doesn’t need to be reformed; it needs a remix – it needs reimagining. We want to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself. We hope you agree. Make a donation to help support our work and support #BlackFutures and the futures of all people of color.