Two Indian men in a Kansas City bar were shot because of their race.
Anti-Semitic threats have been made across the country, including the vandalism of two Jewish cemeteries.
And yet our federal government remains silent.
It would be politically inconvenient for the current administration to say that there is a threat to our citizenry that is not Islamic extremism. A threat that has always existed and been mostly ignored. But the recent increase in extremist attacks against minorities cannot be ignored. Our fellow citizens and those we have temporarily taken under our wing in good faith are objectively less safe.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
We must not rely on our government to do something about it. Our strength as a free country nearly by definition comes not from the actions of our leaders but from us, the people. If we truly despise the way our fellow people are being treated our action should not be to ask the government to help them.
We cannot ask unwilling, uncaring politicians to be this country’s shield. We as empathetic Americans must be that shield.
Don’t look to the reports of hatred and complain that the government is doing nothing. You are a free citizen with all the power in the world to do something, you have a voice and the ability to get up and say, “Enough is enough,” which has been the case in this country since its inception. The history books may sing the glories of our leaders, but those leaders were absolutely nothing compared to the American people.
It all starts here in places like ESU. We can support our exchange students, continue meaningful dialogue, go out of our way to ensure our fellow students are safe, and when the voice of fear and anger rears its ugly head, we can push it back down to the darkness that it came from. For every shout of hatred there are a thousand that can shout above it.
We must be willing to do it ourselves and not hope others will for us.