In the aftermath of #Charlottesville, I am reminded of an essay I wrote last year, as I pondered who we are as a nation, just after the GOP anointed Donald Trump as the Republican Party nominee for President of The United States. Here’s an excerpt:

“Trump’s candidacy has scratched the surface of America to reveal a dark, ugly racist underbelly, still very much alive and now ready to breath fire.

…

It’s not just the Trump phenomenon, of course. This question is revisited every time we ponder the horror of unarmed black citizens being shot to death by police during a “routine” traffic stop, and when we consider the thinly-veiled efforts of state legislatures to enact voter-suppression laws or to deny convicted felons who have served their time – paid their debt to society – the right to vote, knowing full well that the laws and enforcement overwhelmingly and disproportionately impact black communities – Jim Crow in another guise.

In the aftermath of the rise of Trump we will be forced, as a nation, to again confront the ugly specter of racism and bigotry, as it now apparently continues to flourish in our society and culture.

It would seem that we have not come so far after all.”

August 3, 2016

Not so far after all, indeed.