Finally, the Nazis, the Klan, the white brotherhood came for the Jews, just as they did in Hitler’s nationalist Germany; and suddenly there is no one else left to come to the aid of the defenseless, the vulnerable, the Blacks, the Christians, the Muslims, the immigrants, the poor.
First they came for unarmed Black teenagers walking home on the streets of Florida and Missouri and in the drive-thru in Jacksonville. Then they came for a defenseless young lady in Texas, a group of elementary school children in Sandy Hooks, a group of African Methodists in Charleston and a father selling cigarettes on a street corner in Harlem. The beat goes on and on and on.
They came for the Muslims, the immigrants, tearing children from their families, and they came for the gay, the bi, the trans and the queers. They have come for every group except their own, the white bigoted males spewing vile hatred for the great diversity of the earth with every breath.
When they came for the Black teenagers all fingers were pointed at the Black teenagers. They should have not smoked pot, played loud music or articulately expressed their rights under the U S Constitution.
When they came for the young children, well you know the drill, it was the teachers fault for leaving their guns at home that day. And that big dude selling filter king Kools on a New York street corner, come on man, you ought to have been able to overcome the lack of enterputerial opportunities in the Black community without having to resort to selling lawful cigarettes in an unlawful manner.
When they came for the Muslims, you could hear a collective sigh of relief: “Thank you Jesus, I follow thee.”
But then the African Methodists did follow thee; and were massacred in prayer meeting because they should have had better discernment than to invite the devil incarnate into their worship service.
Immigrants themselves, they came for the immigrants in some cases ripping babies out of their mothers’ arms; but they were brown immigrants, they should have known better than to head to the U S border with a wall building Gringo in charge.
They came for the non straight sexually orientated and straight men and women turned their backs and pretended that it was the curse of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Now the Nazis and the Klan have come for the Jews again. Who is left to defend all the defenseless people who have been wounded by their hatred for non-white, non heterosexual people.
Who will stand up for the Jews this time?
Unless, all the aggrieved groups band together in a tribe against hatred and bigotry, we are doomed to the rule of hate mongers, bigots and pale face supremacists cowardly wielding high powered, clip feed assault rifles.
Harold Michael Harvey is an American novelist and essayist. He is a Contributor at The Hill, SCLC National Magazine, Southern Changes Magazine, Medium and Black College Nines. He can be contacted at hmharvey@haroldmichaelharvey.co
Harold, This was so on point. It is heartbreaking. We are re-living a time of destruction of the races and religions and nothing is being done. The so-called Commander-In-Chief has pretty much given the thumbs up. What a travesty of times.
Ivy, this is indeed heartbreaking. There is no acknowledgement that the tone of the rhetoric may be a contributing factor to the uptick if violence. Lawd help us.