As I think about America and its new world order, my frustration level rises. I have been around a long time, and never have I witnessed such dehumanization of people; nor have I witnessed the strength and reach of power; nor would I have thought of a collapse of America’s institutions, the Department of Justice, the Departments of Education, Housing, and Human Services, the Kennedy Center, the white wash of Black American history, eliminations of Juneteenth, and Dr. Martin Luther King’s federal holidays. In 2025, Trump removed former President Obama and first lady Mrs. Obama, and former President George W Bush’s portraits from the White House Gallery, and let us not forget the East Wing, and now an illegal war. No president in American history has ever taken such unauthorized actions to go to war. Yet, we remain hopeful that “This too shall pass” (E. Lynn Harris).
Never in the history of this country has there been such overt institutional racism, white supremacy, and the exercise of unchecked power. To clarify what we mean by power: it refers to the ability to direct or influence the behavior of others during decisive events, such as the 2021 U.S. Capitol attack in Washington, D.C., perpetrated by a mob of Trump’s supporters. We all recall how the transfer of power from Biden to Trump unfolded, culminating in the Capitol siege. To add insult to injury, the perpetrators were charged, imprisoned, and later pardoned; some even went on to work as ICE agents.
As an astute student of politics, I think we will see the U.S. National Guard and/or ICE policing the midterm election, which will lead to a low turnout because people are afraid of being hurt, arrested, deported, and taken away from their families. We must steady ourselves; if this happens, such intimidation will limit voter turnout, which may result in the current president being re-elected! We stand at a pivotal crossroads, filled with anticipation for the turbulent yet transformative journey that lies ahead.
You may ask what is next? As an oral historian and political nerd, I keep a room full of opinions about America’s branches of government and maintain a watchful eye on the White House administration; while simultaneously engaging in what is going on in Mississippi politically, while maintaining engagement in the culture of my community. It is deeply upsetting to witness such aggression against other countries. Note, these countries are of color, Venezuela and now Iran; all indications are that Cuba is in the firing line.
No president, king, or prime minister has ever openly expressed their disdain for people of color in such a direct manner. Never in American history has a president of the “free” world publicly declared his animosity towards individuals of different ethnicities. Reflecting on Trump’s words, I am paraphrasing the U.S. President who stood on a global stage and conveyed his dislike and hatred for people of color—a statement that has had far-reaching consequences. To invade sovereign nations and seize their oil and other resources is a form of political madness that jeopardizes the safety of all Americans. From my perspective, I conclude that such derogatory rhetoric embodies absolute power rooted in White supremacy operating at its highest level in ethnocentrism. In the context of the current administration, ethnocentrism can be seen in how the president and his cabinet prioritize their own cultural or national group as the primary standard. This often manifests as an “us versus them” framework where the “in-group” (those aligned with the administration’s specific vision of American identity) is favored over “out-groups”.
I anticipate that we will see the U.S. National Guard and/or ICE involved in monitoring the midterm elections. This could result in lower turnout rates, particularly among communities of color, who may fear physical harm, arrest, or deportation. Even American citizens are not exempt from this risk, as they can be forcibly taken off the streets or have their homes invaded, violating their sense of security. As a Black American, I worry about the possibility of being mistakenly identified, which is why I now carry my passport.
Currently, there are talks about the possibility of reestablishing the DRAFT system: such an act is another form of power, which I refer to as social power, here, the ability to achieve one’s goals even against resistance from others. For instance, the United States Supreme Court ruled that tariffs are unconstitutional. Nonetheless, the Trump administration has utilized power through an aggressive expansion of executive authority, often assessing the legal and constitutional limits of the office and his reach appears unleashed in full force.
As a product of the American South and the Jim Crow era, believe me, the KKK groups were White supremacists with limited powers; members took orders from the Grand Wizards, not from the president of the United States. In the American South, we knew who the KKK members were; our grandmothers and mothers, and offspring such as I, worked in the homes of local European families. This access gave the Black communities a head start, which positions us to be on watch for burning crosses in black communities’ yards. In the 1960s, as an activist and a leader in our community, Mrs. Dora Johnson-Adama would call the White House and speak with the nation’s attorney general, Bobby Kennedy, who, in turn, would send in an agent from Jackson, Mississippi. To investigate the matter, the investigator often remains for several days. When things cooled off, the investigator would depart for another hot spot, bombarded by local KKK groups.
Relocating from Mississippi, I became acutely aware of the challenges associated with living in a sparsely populated region surrounded by mountains. Research from the website https://www.hatemap.io/ indicates a notable rise in extremist groups, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, including areas like Washington and Portland. These groups, including Proud Boys subsets, have established a presence not only in rural mountain communities but also in towns and cities across the states. It is important to educate students about the evolving nature of these groups; today, the symbols of hate may not always be represented by traditional images like hooded KKK members. Instead, they can be found in our everyday environments—among classmates and colleagues, in our churches, and as our neighbors.
Discussions about organizations like ICE are crucial for understanding today’s socio-political landscape. Although we are not living in the nineteenth or twentieth century, the issues still impact various groups, including poor European Americans and marginalized people of color. We have not faced a crisis of this magnitude in our lifetimes, making it essential to confront these challenges directly. The civil rights struggle of the 1960s, especially for Black Mississippians, provides valuable lessons for our current context.
As we potentially enter a cultural and class conflict, influenced further by the situation in Iran, the unchecked power of a single leader poses significant risks. While it is captivating to witness history unfold, we must acknowledge the uncertainty of the fallout, which could lead to a devastating situation, and its impact on humans will be insurmountable. I have concluded that ICE personnel are modern-day slave catchers, which has become increasingly relevant in our discussions.