Stand up for freedom

I was awakened by Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC at 11 p.m. on April 27, and could not believe what I was hearing in 2011 concerning the birth place of our President Barack Obama.  I agree that NBC should demand that Donald Trump explain his political agenda now. I also agree that he may be using NBC to keep his ratings and popularity up.

I want to encourage every Black and or African American to boycott “The Apprentice.”  I will not look at another one of Donald Trump’s shows or anything else he is involved in. Not only is the Donald Trump show fake, so is he. I also encourage every Black and or African American to boycott the Trump Towers. We did it in the 50’s and 60’s and we can do it again. I am sure that white Americans realize the value of a Black American’s dollar. Thank you, Donald for letting me and others know how you really feel.

As an African American, Negro, Black, Politician or whatever you want to call me, I can relate to what President Barack Obama is going through and especially from a political standpoint. No matter what you do, you are never deserving of it or you are not good enough. I am old enough to have lived through segregation and the civil rights struggles here in the United States and at home, so you know that I know what blatant racism is all about. I have experienced rocks being thrown at me as I walked to school while the parents watched, buildings being burned around me, going to the back door of restaurants to get a sandwich, not being able to sit at the lunch counter for a cone of ice cream, people not wanting to work under my supervision because of the color of my skin and much more.

Why would people go to such great lengths to bring down the President of the United States of America?  It is not because he lacks an education, it is not because he does not represent us well, and it is not because he has committed a crime. It is because he is the first African American to become President of this United States and that is unacceptable in the eyes of some racist people. The entire world is looking at the United States and they have not seen so much hatred toward any other President.

It is my hope that young African Americans realize that you do not have it made just because you wear a suit to work everyday. You must take a stand and demand respect or you will be in this situation for the rest of your lives.

I am not saying that all Americans should be punished for what Donald Trump and some Tea Party folks are doing, but it is time to go back to what we were taught by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We must stand up in a peaceful way to protect what is rightfully ours: freedom. My husband and I participated in the march on Washington in 1963 and it was the best thing that could have happened in the United States of America and we may need to do this again.

Roberta Lopez

Citizen

Archer, Fla.