African Americans have been cheated in every presidential election even before Emancipation Proclamation. But the complexity of justice in America in the eyes of the indigenous people and other marginalized communities is a story for another day. Let's look at the situation after Emancipation. The first senators who were elected in the South during reconstruction were booed during their first session in senate and that was the end their glory, at least politically. All that efforts to elect senators for the first time in the U.S had been a waste of emotions and energy. Yet another dream deferred and denied.
Following the presidential elections of 1896 between Rutherford B. Hayes and James Tilden, a 1877 Compromise was hatched between the Southern Democratic Party and the Republicans. Part of the agreement in the deal was that the Republicans would support the withdrawal of federal troops protecting freed slaves in the South.
What followed was probably the most repressive era against African Americans for over 80 years that followed.
An alliance between African Americans and the populist party in Wilmington saw African Americans win just about all the political seats.
The good Democrats gave those elected Black officials an ultimatum to either leave town or face violence and lynching. The African Americans read the handwriting on the wall and left town. Those who didn't were cought up in the Nov 1898 racist riots that left an estimated 300 African Americans dead and their homes and businesses torched.
Some people think that the American all time play, the Wizard of Oz, was an allegory of that gilded age.
So those saying that Trump is shaming American should realize that what they are saying is that a coup happens only to wealthy White people. American political system is just showing it's colors. Native Americans, poor Whites and Immigrants have equally suffered for being outside the mainstream politics.
Those groups of people will read from different script. The current political crisis is an appetizer, the the other three courses are already been served.
Ask us and please don't act surprised. Trump was true Wizard. Many just did ’t what kind of Wizard he was. Many of us didn't only know, but we know exactly what were expecting to see happen.
I hope that the current coup will be an equal opportunity victimizer and eventually a beneficiary. Like cowardly lion in Wizard of Oz we wish Americans courage to open their eyes. African Americans have an equal dose of learning to do. We have understand how the political game is played.
Voting only is not going to the trick. We have been voting all along and we are still lagging behind. Since Southern Democrts get reelected more often, they hold more chairmanship in the critical committees, the racist attitudes of south are still reflected in the national policy.
For good measure, we could add the story of food about the most beloved chef for the first president of U.S, George Washington, named Hercules Posey. Whoever named Hercules, must have consulted the oracles for his life needed Herculean strength. After doing a steller job for the first family, the dapper enslaved chef had to ran away as fugitive slave, leaving his three children behind. Even the chef could not get justice in return for his work.
We need that courage to act differently towards each other and demand the same from the governments if we are party to. Otherwise our coup will have succeeded. In that case African Americans will keep getting democratic apetizers while whites enjoys the whole course. Courage, O Courage, unspeakable American Courage to serve democracy equally is the only solution. We can't ask if America will ever learn. America is the quintessential learner. The question is what grade we can expect.