Why Does America Hate Me?

As a Black man in this country I run the gauntlet everyday. Everyday I try like crazy to first stay alive. Black men have the highest mortality rates in the country. My second goal is stay out of jail. I don't do drugs or drink or break any laws but I know if I end up in court, I am going to jail for long long long time. My third goal is simply to stay housed and fed. Too often Black men are feared. We treated as aggressive, oversexed, and violent people so to just maintain. I have to be better, perform flawlessly and maintain impeccable credentials. Point blank I have to be better than you to survive let alone thrive. Which makes the Presidents intense focus on ridding the country of Blacks that much more terrifying.
This country has had extremely racist Presidents in its past. This is not a surprising thing in this country. Yet every generation has somehow despite this the country has moved on and grown and become more diverse, prosperous and powerful. But that is changing now. And frankly I am scared. But there are two ways to be scared. The first way is to stay on the outside of the door that leads to conflict. By staying on the outside there is a perception of safety that is not there. But the other option, the option that fewer Americans seem to want to avoid but our warrior classes of, soldier, sailor, airmen, police, fire, activists and sometimes politicians dare to do is to open that door. These Americans open that door and speak truth.
We have come to such a door now. On other side of the door is MAGA . On the other side of the door are people who make excuses about racism. People who are OK with keeping the working classes down to benefit themselves. People who are afraid to challenge because their friends may no longer see them as  "nice people".
Look I grew up in Red America. I went to high school in what was the small town of Anoka Minnesota. I was brought up that we care for one another. I was brought up that we should look out for one another. I received a good education.  I was also made to feel as an other in that same community. I was called horrific racist names. I had "friends" who were friends because it was "cool" to be friends with me. I was the social rebellion against their parents. I survived despite this. But I learned that unless I opened my mouth I would be abused. At first physically fighting was the answer. But I soon realized that all I was doing was beating an archetype into malleable brains of children.  Using your voice is much more powerful. The day I addressed an issue by simply calling out the racism I created a stir. I choose writing and politics as my battlefield. The day my fellow classmate Brianna Scurry wrote her book about being Black at our school she called out the systemic racism in our community that persists to this day. She used her voice as a world cup and Olympic champion to speak truth to power. We opened that door and we walked in. Another fellow Tornado Gretchen Carlson called out sexual harassment and fought for the rights of women and defended herself with power. So a Former Miss America opened her mouth and choose to run through that door. 
I encourage all of you to run through that door.  On the other side of that door is conflict. On the other side of that door is fear.  On the other side of that frankly are evil people and good people who think incredibly wrong but are willing to talk. We at that point in this country. The enemy will arm themselves with economics, the flag, patriotism, nativism. We face an enemy that feels their race is superior to all others. And we all need to just open that door and be the warrior. Be the happy warrior, be the angry warrior, but don't accept the bad people on the other side of that door as OK. Fight.