Trump is Coming for their Pencils!

I noticed an article from the New York Times on Friday, January 31st. I was about to teach my US citizenship class to Somali refugees. As I read it, my heart broke. When my translator came in, I gave him my phone and asked him to translate for the class. I was shaking.

The refugees I teach come from E. Africa, which includes Somalia, part of the original Muslim ban, and Tanzania under this new ban. There is no justification for this. It’s discrimination because of race and religion. Saudi Arabians flew those planes into the towers and pentagon. My students are from impoverished African countries, some torn apart by civil war. They have spent a decade, sometimes two, in UN camps. It is common for the camps themselves to come under fire. Before being allowed to come here, my students were pre-cleared in their home countries for settlement in the US. This makes them refugees, entitled to a green card, and not asylum seekers, although both carry a legal status to be in the United States.

My students speak a dialect, Mawa. It is spoken and not written. When they come here and learn English, they may be writing for the first time.

I asked them whether they wanted to talk about the article or learn the lesson. As they saw, I am going through the civics questions of the test faster to get them citizenship faster. Still, many are far away from attaining it.

I assured them when I began teaching that nothing would happen to them because they were green card holders and allowed to be in the United States. Today, February 23, I saw another article about further limiting the benefits they can receive here. Now I can only say I hope it won’t get worse, but they should be prepared.

Calling the "War on Christmas" what it is: A White Christian Crusade

I used to ignore my Republican friends' insistence there was a "War on Christmas." They claim the words "Merry Christmas" cover all religious celebrations during this time of year. Amplified by FOX news, one might think this war was of huge significance. To me, it was silly. Who cared if the clerk at Target said Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays, which would be more inclusive? Now, given our President's attacks on black and brown people, I can no longer dismiss it.

I don't know how it ever became an issue. When I was a teenager in the late 1970s, my mother would only allow me to purchase cards for my friends which said Season's Greetings. I remember a particular box of cards that showed pine trees in the snow with a sled. Had it shown a decorated Christmas tree, my mother would have disapproved.

Now the words "Merry Christmas" are ideological. They are used to assert white Christian dominance. A person could mean this in a stereotypical way, the way most people picture a white Santa Claus. On the other hand, words of domination have been employed to promote discrimination and outright racism.

Christians asserted their dominance in the world through the crusades. So the next time a Republican friend says, "Merry Christmas" to me, I will answer with "Merry Crusades." It sounds petty. But, then again, so does the idea of Flush-gate.