Dr. Elwood Watson, PhD

Ethnic studies and the humanities have routinely been targeted for ridicule. Yet when considered down for the count, they always seem to rise from the ashes, turn a corner, and find themselves back on the road, riding comfortably down the highway.

The Democrats decided to promote an inclusive tent filled with a potpourri of diversity. The Republicans chose to employ nationalism and right-wing populism venomously laced with rancid xenophobia to scare the wits out of certain segments of White voters.

From childhood on, you readily witnessed glaring unjust impositions that were routinely perpetrated upon Black men and women who often had no recourse, legal or otherwise, to challenge such indignities. Witnessing and experiencing such injustices made you determined to combat such untoward mistreatment.

To say that the relationship between Black Americans and White liberals has been complex and fractious is an understatement. Rabid feelings of anger, glee, disillusion, disgust, and more have been commonplace within the frequently fragile and fractured discourse in both groups.

Vast segments of the right-wing media have avidly lauded the increasingly abrasive activity that is occurring among the more aggressive sectors of the cultural right by using the word “boogaloo,” a prominent term among anarchists across the political spectrum, in particular the varied elements of the far right, who have been increasingly and passionately agitating for a racial civil war.

In our dealings with many White people, even those with generally good intentions, the forces of White denial, White fragility and, yes, White supremacy tend to surface unrelentingly.

Keeping it real, the truth is that the majority of Whites who throw racist shade on critics of White racism do so from old fashioned racist rhetoric. The message is that people of color should keep their mouths shut, be humble and “know their place.” Do not offend our fragile sensibilities. Period!

At the moment, it appears that deeply infested, weaponized, racialized politics will be a major staple of the 2020 presidential election. The appropriate response must be to fight such atrocious behavior with a level of deft sophistication, fierce force and unabashed, unapologetic zeal!

no one can deny that many lower income and poor White people (those that voted) pulled the level for Donald Trump. However, many of them voted in considerable numbers for Hillary Clinton as well. In fact, some of Donald Trump's strongest support came from voters making $75,000. or more per year. Thus, the political scenario was more complex than has been described by many who are supposedly politically in the know.