(Todd A. Smith)
I come from a family of Texas educators.
Some have worked in predominantly Black school districts, while others have worked in predominantly White school districts.
What family members who worked in predominantly White school districts experienced during President Donald Trump’s first term was young White elementary school students making bold racist statements, telling students of color that President Trump would deport them and making other vile statements that young children should not be making.
So, to hear that some Texas school districts have seen an uptick in racist incidents is no surprise and is a direct result of a racist presidency who gets shielded by racist supporters who believe a Whiter America is a righter America.
As a result, the incidents of racism are going unchecked, and children of color are suffering as a result.
Kay Wicker of The Grio reported, “By the end of President Donald Trump’s first term, racist incidents in one Texas school district were already on the rise. Before he returned to office, there was some hope they would finally be investigated. Now parents say those concerns are going unchecked.”
To be blunt, the incidents of racism are going unchecked because many White educators sympathize with Trump and his bigotry, whether they admit it or not.
That assessment comes from conversations I have had with some of my former White teachers.
That assessment also comes from private conversations that some of my family members have had with former co-workers, who happen to be White.
That assessment comes from derogatory comments I have heard White teachers make about underprivileged Black elementary students.
That assessment comes from some of the stereotypical comments my former teachers made to our face while we were in high school.
That assessment comes from experiencing White flight in certain neighborhoods and school districts that were once predominantly White.
When the neighborhood was predominantly White, many saw it as a good neighborhood.
But as the neighborhood became more diverse, the reputation of the neighborhood began trending in the wrong direction.
My childhood neighborhood is a microcosm for America as a whole.
If the country is predominantly White and White people maintain control, everything is copasetic.
As a result, racism is O.K. in many school districts like it is in America as a whole.
However, protesting racism and trying to punish people for discrimination is something that is seen as a negative thing.
In past presidential administrations, condoning racism would be less tolerated.
But in the Trump administrations, racism and fascism is celebrated.
And unfortunately, innocent Black children will have to endure prejudice that their parents, and maybe even grandparents, did not have to experience during their childhood.
The Grio reported, “According to a recent investigation by the Hechinger Report in collaboration with The Washington Post, families in the Lubbock-Cooper school district are sounding the alarm after a proposed visit from the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) was canceled and the agency’s local office was shut down.
“The report details a pattern of harsh discipline against Black students, including accusations they and their families say are false, punishments handed down without due process, and an escalation in racial bullying and intimidation from peers. In multiple cases, two students—one an honor student and another with no prior disciplinary record—were accused of wrongdoing they both deny and sent to the county’s detention school. While there, one student was so fearful of authority figures that he repeatedly wet himself rather than challenge being denied access to a bathroom…
“Even White families say they’ve noticed the shift. And the data suggests it’s not confined just to Lubbock-Cooper. According to a recent Washington Post report, in 2025, the Department of Education under President Trump dismissed thousands of civil rights investigations. During the first six months, the OCR required schools to make changes or submit to federal monitoring in just 59 cases, down from 336 during the same period last year.”
That problem with racism is that racists and those who do not care about racism condone it no matter what the facts state.
I have seen White people admit that they did something because of racism and some White people still would not see it as racism.
If a person can admit being a racist and admit discriminating against Black people, and some White people still ignore the presence of racism, America is in deep trouble.
Furthermore, many of my White friends tell me that racism will disappear when the older generation passes away.
But that is not possible with so many young racists out there.
Our generation falsely believed that racism was going away because racists kept their ignorance behind closed doors for the most part back in the day.
Now with Trump, racists feel emboldened to be openly bigoted.
If the leader of the free world can be openly ignorant with impunity, why can’t regular old White people?
But to see the youngest generation being openly racist is especially disheartening because they are just beginning their journey in life and have many decades to live.
And as they live, racism will continue to live because they are growing up in a world where racism is rewarded.
They are growing up in a world when people are halting investigations into discrimination.
They are growing up in a world where racists are getting six figures from donors on sites like GoFundMe.
And they have educators and administrators who do not care about racism or are handicapped by the White House to do anything to stop it.
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