TRUMP'S LATEST INSULTS

Written by Evita K. & Saarah S. 

         President Trump’s recent comments on Muslim Congress woman Ilhan Omar and others once again reinforce his animosity towards immigration, especially towards non-white immigrants. Additionally, since Trump’s election in 2016, he is not the only one who shares similar views. As can be observed from Trump’s most recent rally in North Carolina, his audience began to chant “send her back” once Trump mentioned Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Later on when questioned, Trump states that he doesn’t support what happened in the rally. Yet, if he doesn’t support it then why didn’t he stop the chant?
Later on in a news conference, Trump said that Ms. Omar can “leave if she kept complaining all the time” and that “the choice is all hers and nobody else’s.” 
Besides Somali-born Representative Ilhan Omar, the attacks were also aimed at Rashida Tlaib (D. Michigan), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D. New York), and Ayanna Pressley (D. Massachusetts)- three of which were born in the United States. 
In addition to his attack on the Congress women, Trump fired at Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D. Baltimore) on Twitter. In his scathing Tweets, Trump blatantly criticized Cumming’s district as a “rat and rodent infested mess” inwhich he also bashed his leadership skills. Trump’s Twitter attacks came right after Cummings’ criticism of Mexican border policies. Apparently, Americans aren’t allowed to criticize their own country’s  policies!
While many shrug off the latest slew of insults and attribute it to President Trump’s character, it is important to realize that these aren’t just any attacks. These are insults directed towards people who are crucial in order for our nation to work and who also belong to a racial or religious minority group. Trump isn’t just attacking a handful of representatives, rather, he is attacking those who come from a background similar to Ilhan Omar or Ayanna Pressley. He is attacking African-Americans, Muslims, immigrants, and all minority groups. Worst yet, the millions of mini-Trumps who support his hate-filled rhetoric are only worsening the gaping divide which is destroying our nation with their white-supremacist agenda. 
As for world leaders they feel utterly appalled by Donald Trump’s statements. New Zealand's Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, said she highly disagrees with him while Canada's Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, similarly criticized the comments. Coming back to the U.S., many of us are angry at how such words can be uttered by one of the most important men in the world.
Sources: https://nypost.com/2019/07/19/trump-renews-attack-on-ilhan-omar-praises-crowd-at-north-carolina-rally/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2019/07/28/baltimore-sun-blasts-trump-attacks-city-better-have-few-rats-than-be-one/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.b9167244f0f7

PERSON OF THE WEEK: Michael Hans

Written by Saarah S. 

          Michael Hans isn’t just your typical high school graduate. As a student organizer, Hans dedicates his time to spreading awareness about issues impacting the LGBTQ+ community. Recently, Hans organized a meeting with his county’s school board where he demanded that LGBTQ+ students receive fair treatment within schools and that county policy implements language that is inclusive and protective for these students.
“I would definitely describe it as a success,” Hans states when referring to the county meeting. Additionally, Hans mentions how prior, “...no official there was quite aware of the hardships LGBTQ+ students face,” which indicates that another success of the meeting was that it opened the eyes of many officials who had not known the difficulties, such as bullying and harassment, these students deal with.
In addition to making his voice heard at the school board, Hans was also an active member at his school’s Gay-Straight Alliance club. As a matter of fact, Hans served as the President of GSA his senior year where he dedicated his efforts to promote LGBTQ+ normalization. “We put up handmade posters around campus with fun facts and cute sayings,” but unfortunately Hans was met with constant harassment from peers over GSA posters. Along with constant harassment, Hans also noticed how many of the insults where religiously charged. Insults such as ‘You’re going to hell’ are frequently targeted towards the LGBTQ+ community, and Hans knew it was time for a change.
As a result of such harassment, which not only affects himself but others within the LGBTQ+ community as well, Hans created @queersforchrist.
“I debunk common anti-LGBTQ+ myths within Christian discourse and help promote an ideology of progression and nonviolence” Hans states as the Instagram account’s aim. “Also, making memes for the account is fun and I’ve met a lot of great people through it.”
However, Hans acknowledges that there is still a long road until a massive change is achieved. “LGBT+ people deal with the violation of their rights and with a culture that is antagonistic towards them on a daily basis.” But, with students such as Michael Hans, who dedicate their time and effort to making the voices of the LGBTQ+ community heard we are one step closer to equality.