Zerlina Maxwell made something very clear about racism. It is clear that one does not know what’s in another’s heart. As such one can only be judged by their actions and policies.
If one supports racist policies or someone who does, it is more probative than trying to figure out their heart. So what really got under Zerlina’s skin?
Zerlina Maxwell gets real
The host of the show played a segment where they asked a white man who he was voting for in the 2020 election. His response, while one would expect, was demonstrably bold. He said something to the effect that it should be assumed he was voting for Trump because he is a white man. Further, he said he was frustrated and felt that white men were under attack as being racist, etc. To prove he isn’t racist, he said he also associates with “colored people.”
When asked what she thought about the man, Zerlina seemed a bit put off. She said it was ironic that the man was offended that many would call him a racist yet he used a term like “colored people” that many blacks find offensive.
Zerlina Maxwell then went on to make the more important point.
“It is not about whether or not Donald Trump is a racist in his heart,” Maxwell said. “I literally do not care. I care about his policies and how they are impacting people who look like me. Does a baby, in a cage, cares if Donald Trump is racist in his heart? I bet you they do not. And so the problem here is that he seems more offended by the label racist than by the baby in the cages. Which is what I think the majority of Americans, not Trump’s base, are absolutely horrified by. And I think that is where our focus should be. It absolutely should be on the policies and the impact on communities of color.”
Zerlina was not done there. She had a lot more to say.
“I don’t care if he doesn’t like being called a racist,” Maxwell continued. “Stop acting like one and I will stop calling you one.”
“If you are supporting a president that is caging brown babies and you are okay with that,” Zerlina replied. “Then I am sorry. That is supporting racist policies. And that is not distinct from supporting a racist president. I think that often we try to get into the semantic game because people take the label of racist so personally as if I am saying that you are a terrible human and that you are evil.”
The host then asked Zerlina if white Americans think others are projecting the president onto them. Her response was clear.
“What I am saying is that often white Americans need to place themselves in the shoes of people of color,” Maxwell continued. “And think about how it feels to hear your president say that everyone from Mexico is a rapist and murderer. And that the black person coming from the continent of Africa is coming from a sh$t hole country. Or that black people arrested by the police should not be treated nicely as if Eric Gardner is not dead today because he was choked right on camera and no one got in trouble except the person who filmed that.”
Maxwell then admonished the Trump supporters to take the moral ground. There are not too many pundits on TV doing their best. Cheers to Zerlina for being one.
Get special access to Politics Done Right by becoming a Patreon.