Ta-Nehisi Coates’ latest essay “Donald Trump is the First White President” was posted today. It’s drawn from his upcoming book We Were Eight Years in Power.
And I think it’s the most significant examination I’ve read about what has led Americans to declare war on the nation’s own historical and foundational ideals.
It’s powerfully crafted piece of writing as well. I intend to share this essay with my students this fall in order to challenge them to move through the emotions that they feel while reading an intense political argument, and to examine the way in which the writer has organized his thoughts and backed up his claims. I think it will stir up important conversations.
But like any explosive device, Coates’s essay — an explosive designed to blast truth into a culture where truth is being suppressed and distorted — needs to be handled with great care. Misinterpreted, or placed in the wrong hands, it could set off angry and destructive shouting matches. Proceed with caution and discernment.
Me? I feel like I’ve just read the opinion of a world-class doctor after he examines the advance of an extremely complicated disease. His argument rings true to me. But this is the kind of harrowing revelation that drives me to prayer, because I don’t see a solution outside of a nationwide revival inspired by the Holy Spirit.
I recommend that you read the whole thing. Share it. Discuss it. The first step in striving to recover from a deadly cancer is learning the truth about what the disease really is, and naming it, out loud, no matter how much it hurts.