Dear Mr. President…
As with almost all my posts, this post about President Trump’s comments about Africa, Haiti, and El Salvador contains affiliate links. That means I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on the links. You can learn more in my Disclosure Policy. As always, thank you for your support.
President Trump:
I read your statements about Haiti. And El Salvador. And Africa. I’m sickened. And appalled.
There’s a lot I want to say about what you’ve said about these countries. Many have already said it. And many of their statements are more eloquent than I could ever hope to be.
Instead, I’m going to share with you my experiences in Ethiopia. I’ve collected my posts that I wrote while reflecting on my trips to Ethiopia in 2015 and 2016. You might find it isn’t exactly what you said it is. And the people in Ethiopia are some of the most beautiful, hospitable, and welcoming people I’ve encountered. They should be welcomed to our country with open arms, if you ask me.
Ethiopia…
That’s in Africa, in case you didn’t know.
M is for Money.
NB: Just because the Ethiopian birr doesn’t have the buying power of an American dollar, it doesn’t make the country a shithole. Before you try to argue otherwise, let me remind you that World Vision also operates in the United States.
Y is for Year
Ethiopia is a place of beauty.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief discussion of Ethiopian culture, people, history, and geography. I hope it’s opened your eyes a little bit. This is just the tip of the iceberg about many of the things that make Ethiopia beautiful. Maybe it’ll help you understand that Ethiopia and other African nations are not nearly as horrible and bleak and awful as the President seems to think.
Is there work to be done? Of course. There’s a lot to be done. There’s a lot of work to be done everywhere. Including the United States.
But just because the countries you mentioned in your abhorrent off the cuff statement – which probably reveals more than any prepared statement could reveal – are not considered “First World” countries, it’s important to remember that these beautiful places are filled with beautiful people.
You might still think that these countries are s#!+holes. I doubt I can convince you otherwise. But to imply that the people who live here are somehow less than human because they’re from those s#!+hole countries? That’s unacceptable.
And according to the famous poem that’s inside the Statue of Liberty’s platform, it flies in the face of everything good that the Land of Opportunity is supposed to represent.
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Trying to keep people out simply because they come from s#!+hole countries sounds pretty UnAmerican if you ask me. Welcoming people from all places, even the “s#!+holes,” is one of the core ideals that makes America great.
And aren’t we supposed to be making America great again?
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