As a rideshare driver, I never know what kind of encounter I'm going to have next. Most
of the time, it's great—I've met some truly amazing people. But every once in a while, you come across something that completely knocks you off your feet. That happened to me
not long ago.I was driving up to an intersection when I saw something that made my heart drop. There, on the corner, was someone holding up a sign that said, "Deport All Non-White People," with a phone number at the bottom.I was stunned—shocked beyond words.
The riders in my car were just as shocked. One of them muttered, "I bet he's a Trump supporter." I didn't say anything at first because, honestly, I thought that assumption was unfair. So I just kept driving, trying to process what I had just seen.But after I dropped them off, I couldn't shake the image of that sign. I had to go back and see for myself if it was real. So I returned to the spot, and sure enough, there he was—sitting on his bike, wearing a smirk on his face, as if he were proud of the hateful message he was putting out into the world. I had to take a picture. The whole scene was so disturbing, I needed to capture it.
As I drove home, the reality started to set in. Racism, in its ugliest form, was alive and well—bolder than I had ever seen it in my lifetime. It was overwhelming. I had heard about similar experiences from older generations, read about it in books, seen it in movies. But this was different. This was unfiltered, unapologetic racism. And it was happening right in front of me, in broad daylight. The man was standing there with pride, as if he had every right to share that message. It was a hard truth to swallow. I didn’t agree with the riders’ assumption that this behavior was tied to Donald Trump, but I did wonder: How could someone feel so emboldened to do something like this in today's modern society? How could he have so much confidence in his hate? The thought lingered in my mind for hours. Eventually, I tried to move past it. I convinced myself that this was just one isolated, hate-driven moment, something I wouldn’t see again.
A few weeks later, I realized that the encounter wouldn't be the last of its kind. Sadly, I encountered another stark reminder that racism was still very much alive. But this time, it was easier to identify who was behind it. That rude awakening came on October 27th, a day I’ll never forget. It was the day President-elect Donald Trump held a rally at Madison Square Garden. I didn’t watch the event myself, but two viral clips featuring a speaker named Byron Donald sparked outrage across social media. During the packed rally, Byron Donald was introduced to the crowd with the familiar, yet troubling sounds of Dixie’s Land by Daniel Decatur Emmett. As soon as his name was called, the offensive lyrics blared through the loudspeakers, leaving everyone in attendance to hear them loud and clear.
I wish I was in the land of cotton,Old times there are not forgotten;Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land.
I highly doubt that was a coincidence. But they didn’t stop there. As if that moment wasn’t already one of the lowest points of the event, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe took it even lower. During his set, he sparked outrage after making a disrespectful joke about Puerto Ricans.
There's literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it's called Puerto Rico
At this point, the truth was staring me right in the face, and I had to accept it. After spending weeks avoiding the blame game, I realized you can't unlink Donald Trump from racism. You'll either see racism when you see him, or you'll think of him when you see racism. This observation is based on his behavioral pattern and those who support him. Racist people feel empowered by him, or he feels empowered by them. What's more shocking is, all signs indicate he wouldn't have it any other way. Not only does his actions prove that, but the company he keeps proves that as well. He is the reason why racist people are confident enough to express, and promote hateful behavior.
People who try to use their vote, or their voice to condemn that do not suffer from "Trump Derangement Syndrome" (TDS). They don't hate "Donald Trump"either. They simply just "Hate Hate" like most decent people should. They don't want people like the man in the pic to feel empowered to be ignorant. They don't want comedians to write racist jokes. They want a world where everyone feels respected.
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