Mauricio Garcia’s ethnicity is meaningless
The writer Arturo Dominguez wrote a very thoughtful essay about Latinos who are, in effect, white nationalists. Most won’t likely benefit from spreading hateful ideas, but some continue to be active participants, spreading racial hate and violence. Mauricio Garcia, the man believed to be responsible for shooting and killing nine people in Allen, Texas, has been exposed as a white nationalist. Not only did Garcia spend considerable time on Neo-Nazi websites prior to the tragedy, but he also had tattoos on his body that signify his alignment with white supremacy. Similar to the massacre white supremacist Dylann Roof committed in Charleson, South Carolina, in a 2015 attack, his motivation was to terrorize. At the time, Roof sought out innocent people attending church to strike a blow for white supremacy.
Garcia was not the first well-known Latino white supremacist to take the limelight, and he won’t be the last, either. Enrique Tarrio, leader of the Proud Boys, who was recently convicted of seditious conspiracy for the actions of January 6, is Latino. Proud Boys is a white nationalist organization that has some Latino membership. However, the existence of white supremacist Latinos should not be seen as an attack on anyone claiming Latino heritage. This discussion is about the threat that white nationalism poses to the public, regardless of their race or ethnicity.
Byron Donalds is a Black man who is also a racial apologist.
Only about a week after the Allen, Texas shooting, Donald Trump was given a Town Hall event on CNN. Many viewers found it disturbing that a well-established media outlet would give a forum to someone who espouses white nationalist talking points, whose selfish antics jeopardized our democracy, but it was also shocking for some to see an African American man, Bryon Donalds, show open support for a white nationalist.
“I’ve got your back, Mr. President. We need President Trump back in the White House. Enough is enough,” Donalds tweeted.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Donalds should know by now that Trump’s rhetoric can be dangerous. However, Byron Donalds is a conservative Republican whose given into some opportunistic behavior, hoping to strengthen his political career by siding with Trump. To see a Black man openly support a person whose rise to power is rooted in racism, misogyny, hate, and authoritarian ideals, is very disconcerting, to say the least. Suggesting that America needs Donald Trump back in the White House feels like a betrayal to every African American whose been harmed by Trump’s ideals and policies over the decades. Furthermore, a Black man chucking and jiving for a white nationalist also disrespects the hardships African Americans experienced throughout American history, as enslaved people, victims of lynchings, racial segregation, and discrimination. Considering Trump’s anti-Black, anti-immigrant, anti-democratic demagoguery since entering politics, his support is more than a betrayal to African Americans but to all people in America.
Support for Trump is support for his immoral character and ideals.
When asked on CNN, Donalds refused to acknowledge that Trump’s statement about winning the 2020 election was a lie and instead dodged the question. But Donalds should know if you support Donald Trump at this point, you own all of his views. This isn’t a la carte menu. When you support Trump, his misogyny, sexism, racism, white supremacy, dishonesty, and authoritarian rule are all on the plate. If Trump were to be re-elected, these are his governing ideologies. As Maya Angelou said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” While Trump may lure many to his flock with low taxes, border control, and his crass, in-your-face nasty rhetoric, the nation has seen Donald Trump show himself to be an anti-democratic, bigoted man.
Like Trump, Mr. Donalds does not support the type of democracy that accepts and respects citizens regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, or religion. He wouldn’t have minded if millions of Black voters had their votes tossed in 2020, clearing the way for Trump to remain in office as President against the will of the voters. In fact, Donalds voted to invalidate the results of the elections in Arizona and Pennsylvania. These are states with large numbers of Black and Brown Americans who would have been disenfranchised in the two Donalds had their way.
White supremacy does not need any help.
While troubling, the truth of the matter is some African Americans and Latinos voted for Trump before and will do so again. However, statistics show that the average Black and Brown voter did not support Trump, nor are they likely to have a change of heart. As the writer Allison Wiltz
recently wrote, “immigrants and Black Americans…are fighting a system of white supremacy that dehumanizes and seeks to divide….” This is the norm; the abnormal is Byron Donalds, Enrique Tarrio, Mauricio Garcia, and the white nationalists.
Most Americans are against Donald Trump statistically. Four years ago, 80 million voted him out of office. Last week, more than 60 percent reported re-electing him would be bad for our country. Most Americans will not vote for him. But with America’s archaic electoral arrangement where the President is not elected by the people’s vote, even unpopular tyrants have a chance to win the highest office in America. Even an unapologetic white nationalist committed to tyranny has a chance, which is why we should be cautious of white supremacy, even when it’s coming from Black or Brown supporters.
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Previously Published on Medium
image Jared Holt on Wikimedia under CC License
Enrique Tarrio and members of the Proud Boys appear at a gun rights rally in Richmond, Virginia, on January 20, 2020.