Last Friday, the White House released “qwhite” a controversial picture of the 2018 Spring Interns, featuring President Trump seated in the middle. Out of ninety one of them, it appears that all but two of them are white.
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
In contrast, here is a picture of President Obama and his diverse group of interns in 2016.
This is just another point of clarity that displays how the American Government does not represent America at all. When I first saw this picture- I didn’t budge. My brown body has been numbed to the sight of all white crowds policing my world. It was exactly what I expected to see. My initial thought was, “what minority would even want to intern for such a disappointing administration anyway?” I quickly identified the absurdity and destructiveness in these thoughts of mine.
Now is the most pressing time for us to govern our schools, cities, states and country. Trump’s rise has been based on his bigotry directed towards minorities; from women, to immigrants, to Muslims to POC. We hurt when our neighbors get deported. We hurt when our brothers and sisters become another hashtag. We hurt worrying if our relatives will return home safely at night. We constantly live in fear, they don’t. No one can represent us but ourselves. The White House advertises their internship as an opportunity to “”make the “People’s House” accessible to future leaders from around the nation”. They’re currently failing to make this statement true. Let us in. Let us be heard. Let us prosper.