It wasn’t that long ago in the United States that a white person could say or do harmful things to a Black person—including lie on them to get them in trouble—and, well, there would be few (if any) legal repercussions. Emmett Till, anyone? A white lady lied about a Black child’s actions, and he lost his life for it.
I fear that in this new America, shaped by Trump and company’s racism, that we are much closer to that becoming a reality again than people realize. In the last few months Trump’s actions have given rise to a level of unchecked bigoted vitriol that few are ready to face. Especially younger Black and brown folks who didn’t grow up hearing firsthand accounts from family members of how racism used to operate in this country. Or well-meaning white allies and accomplices who are still in denial about how deeply embedded racism is in the fabric of this nation and how Trump has emboldened people to let their racism flow without shame.
This past week in Rochester, Minnesota, a white mother, Shiloh Hendrix, was caught on camera repeatedly calling a five-year-old Black child the n-word after claiming he stole something from her child’s diaper bag. A bystander, who recorded the event, confronted the mother and she laughed at him and stuck out her tongue and was belligerent with him, the bystander. There are reports that the child is autistic.
The video went viral, and the local police department issued a statement that they are aware of the situation and are looking into it. Local and state officials have issued statements condemning the incident, and Rochester’s mayor reiterated the city’s commitment to anti-racism initiatives. The strongest condemnation has come from local civil rights leaders and groups, including the Rochester NAACP, which launched a fundraiser for the child and his family.
Meanwhile, Shiloh Hendrix claims her family’s lives are in danger after this video went viral, and she launched an online campaign entitled “Help Me Protect My Family,” on the GiveSendGo platform that, as of this writing, has raised over $500,000 with a goal of a million dollars.
It was less than 72 hours ago that Hendrix launched this campaign, which initially had a much lower goal but quickly exceeded that goal. According to Hendrix, her family is being doxed and their lives are in danger and, well, there are a lot of white folks in America who are picking up what she is putting down. In fact, the comments on the campaign are expressing explicit support for her actions and how tired they are of Black folks and other people of color.
The comments are horrific if one doesn’t understand how much so many white people hate Black and brown humanity and progress. It was that anger from white folks, feeling they were losing ground to others and who had a profound dislike of anything not white, that brought us to this moment. Some 77 million people, mostly white, voted for this and another 90 million, many white, decided they couldn’t even be bothered to vote. So here we are.
Initially, the NAACP fundraiser for the Black child and his family was receiving scant attention and funds but thankfully as this story continues to grow, the folks who were harmed are receiving support. Still, it is nowhere near the level of support that the racist white woman is receiving and that is a story that should be explored.
Anyone expecting Shiloh Hendrix to receive any real legal consequences for her actions isn’t reading the room. Even if the local police department does act, we are living in a moment when the sitting president could decide to intervene and issue a few well-placed threats and most would comply.
I live in Maine, where a local lawmaker doxed a trans teenager and ended up catching the president’s attention. Next thing, the administration is coming at the state and while Maine’s governor is standing tall against his attacks and using the law as a good lawyer does—and the funds he took away are being restored—the damage has been done.
Laurel Libby, the state lawmaker who thought attacking a child and sharing that child’s photo on social media were the makings of a good lawmaker, while censured by the Maine state legislature, has been spotted rubbing elbows with Pam Bondi, the attorney general of the United States. I have no doubt she will probably end up somewhere in the administration as a need for replacements arises. She’s a good hateful foot soldier and current media darling of the right wing and Trump likes to reward such people, which is why there is talk of financially compensating the January 6 protestors. He may not pay his bills, but he does look out for his faithful and hateful, sorta. Never know when you need ‘em to serve as henchmen/women.
In fact, today’s racists do a wonderful job of sticking together and working toward their big-picture goals. They are so good at it that with an assist from a guy from South Africa, they have managed in three months to roll back or technically impede (since the executive orders are not actually laws though people are acting as if they were) decades of civil rights in this country and create a culture of fear to the point that universities, the press, law firms, and corporations are rolling over and complying rather than risking his wrath.
I am saying this to say that this is a moment for real honesty and reflection on our side as the acts of racism become more blatant, because they will continue if Congress continues to live in fear of this wanna-be dictator/mob boss we have as a president. The consequences we had come to expect for wrongdoers just a year ago are gone. So, getting online and talking about how Shiloh should be prosecuted without mentioning the larger challenges and environment we are living in is unsafe and unrealistic.
Frankly, I am more concerned about this child and his family. I have heard unofficially that this is a Somali child, and while I can’t verify that, I worry about this child’s family being targeted by the administration. I worry about how we are going to keep them safe if they are targeted. I wonder why online campaigns for Black people never raise the kind of cash that campaigns for white people, especially racist white people, do.
I wonder why many white allies and accomplices are quick to share a post but less quick to toss a few bucks in or show up in real and tangible ways on a consistent basis. It was not lost on me that the voice of bystander sounded like a person of color. Were there any white people in this park; if so, why didn’t they intervene as well?
At this moment, when every non-white person in this country—regardless of citizenship status—has a target on their back, I am increasingly aware that it feels like our white allies are moving further away and retreating into whiteness. I wonder why is it that the hateful white people always have money to support their beliefs and causes, but on our side, the white people who say they hold certain values never have enough money to help Black and brown folks.
It is rare to see a fully funded crowdfunding campaign for someone who isn’t white reach well into the six figures. Why is that? It doesn’t escape me that this administration’s initial attacks were on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts but it wasn’t until more widespread programs were under attack that the large protests started—the policies and actions that had a greater impact on white people.
These are some of the questions we will need to ask if we are going to work together to fight back. Now more than ever, as we are all struggling, this is when white allies and accomplices need to examine themselves and how they are showing up. Are efforts for Black and brown folks the first ones you are cutting out of your budget as you tighten up? Everyone is cutting back, but how you do it reveals a lot about your truest values. Everyone is getting hit by tariffs and high grocery prices but some people will buy one less whatever to offer their support.
The thing that I lowkey admire about MAGA folks is that as awful as they are, they fully embody their values. They appear to live them and take them everywhere they go, even playgrounds. I rarely hear them taking a break because it’s too stressful to be a divisive hateful prick. They wear their hats and other identifiers knowing it can create tensions. Our side—the white folks on our side?—they still get easily stressed and need breaks and still too often, they are concerned about decorum. How many of you still have your Black Lives Matters signs up and visible in this climate?
I have an account on Truth Social and, well, it’s fascinating to see how they are fully about their mission. And I guess I am saying that friends, we need to do better. If we are really going to fight fascism, we need to embody our values all the time. We need to be ready to spring into action and offer support just as they do. For all the talk of how people are struggling, it is not lost on me that a woman received a half a million dollars and rising for engaging in awful behavior.
As for Shiloh, I fully expect we will see more like her in this climate, and while there may be fewer legal consequences, we need to make sure that we do our part to make people think twice about this type of behavior. Kudos to the bystander who intervened and to those who are supporting this young child and his family. While we can’t stop racist behavior, we can be prepared to expect it and have a plan for how to respond since outrage and shock when these things happen are no longer enough. History is our guide, we can clearly see where we are going, and it is nowhere good.
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Image by Alexander Mils via Unsplash
