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Say His Name

Before saying goodbye, say his name.

By Isabel HamdanPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
2

January 19, 2021, New York City.

Dear Donald John Trump,

I am a woman and an immigrant. I left everyone I love, all the opportunities and shelter I had—in Latin America. I immigrated to the United States, searching for opportunities my country could not provide me. So far, the land of freedom has been kind and generous to me. From all the cities I chose, the city that never sleeps chose me first, and I embarked on arriving in New York City - the same place that gave birth and raised you.

The grandson of a German immigrant, you grew up in Queens - a neighborhood that, if it were an independent city, it would be among the five most populous in the country. It is the most ethnically diverse county in the United States, harboring and sheltering innumerable (undocumented) expatriates. You married immigrants, have immigrant blood, and grew up among immigrants. You are an eloquent man with an imposing figure. It only takes a couple of minutes to find and listen to your impressive, convincing speeches and to entail the story of a self-made, successful man. And I am not talking about the recent ones. I am talking about the ones when you vehemently affirmed your progressive convictions in the past. It borders on irony your impetuous choice to scorn this group.

--

Being in NYC for so long, I nonetheless have seen the city that, again, never sleeps falling into a nefarious lethargic sleep. It is not a sight I recommend to anyone. The screaming at the results of 2016's election worked like a lullaby for NYC to drift away forlornly. All that was left was a mortifying silence with striking howls either of desperation or celebration, coming from hidden alleys irrespective of that American work routine so jealousy and effectively leveraged by these great, yet now shocked immigrants. New York was awakened slowly, but the ghost that sings the city to sleep came back when the pandemic was so poorly managed by the current president, putting the United States on an unenviable shame map. Mr. Donald, who admittedly knew the implications of his actions from the start, had played the unawares terror jester.

Donald Trump is NOT a dumb man. He is quite the opposite.

It takes astuteness to convince the country about one's worth and getting the highest position available in a nation. Yet, he managed to make (almost) the entire globe to hate him, was impeached twice, and shamed himself in the most unimaginable ways.

This historic Wednesday, January 20th, 2021, the entire country awaits his leave from the White House. Still, after the riot that happened two weeks ago, angst ravages the hearts of this country. We don't know if he will leave peacefully, we don't know what else we will be put to test. This fear never left the chest of these communities attacked during the past four years.

Every morning an immigrant, an LGBTQ+ community member, a person of color, hugs goodbye to their loved ones, not knowing if they will make their way back, alive. This Wednesday we hope to say a different and permanent goodbye, and we hope to make (at least) a brief encounter with peace.

It is to my understanding that it is natural to numb the pain. And we could happily dump this man into oblivion—being inspired by pop literature, and turn him into the real life of the-one-that-shall-not-be-named. But this is not a fantasy novel. These atrocious times are real and shall not be forgotten.

Here I beg. Before saying goodbye, say his name. After saying goodbye, say his name. Say his name every day, every hour. Do not forget his name.

Allow his story to be heard and his name to be familiar. Accredit his actions, tell your loved ones and your enemies how this smart man deceived the entire globe. Do not permit history to be repeated. Do not let the cities fall into that terrifying sleep. Be awake. Observant.

Say his name, so in a hundred years from now, the same erstwhile mistakes shall not echo as the howls from the past. Let justice growl impetuously into the daylight.

--

Dear Donald J. Trump,

Worry not, we will never forget you.

Yours sincerely,

trump
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