If the US President, Donald Trump, had known the level of backlash his Africa shithole remarks would provoke, he would have shoved it. Now Africans at home and abroad, and indeed, Blacks around the world, are firing at Mr. Trump from all cylinders.
The latest throwback has come from the US itself. The children of the late civil rights icon, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have decried the disparaging remarks allegedly made by Trump against Africa.
The 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. Day was used to slam Trump at various protests tagged: ‘Rally against Trump’ in some cities in the US last week Monday, the official holiday in the US to honour the great civil rights leader. At gatherings across the nation, activists, residents and teachers honoured the late civil rights icon on what would have been his 89th birthday and ahead of the 50th anniversary of his assassination in Tennessee.
Trump allegedly referred to African countries as shithole and questioned the need to allow more Haitians into the US during a meeting with senators on immigration last week. He also reportedly asked why the US could not have more immigrants from nations like Norway.
Reverend King’s daughter, Bernice King, told hundreds of people who attended the public holiday event at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta that civilization originated from Africa. “We cannot allow the nations of the world to embrace the words that come from our president as a reflection of the true spirit of America. We are one people, one nation, one blood, one destiny. All of civilization and humanity originated from the soils of Africa. Our collective voice in this hour must always be louder than the one who sometimes does not reflect the legacy of my father,” the lady, who is also a cleric, said.
In Washington, King’s eldest son, Martin Luther King III, also criticised Trump’s racist remarks. “When a president insists that our nation needs more citizens from Western countries like Norway, I don’t even think we need to spend any time even talking about what it says and what it is. We got to find a way to work on this man’s heart,” King III, said.
However, while signing the proclamation for King’s Day last week Wednesday, Trump praised Reverend King for dedicating his life to all Americans and struggling to change what he believed did not tally with the history and position of the nation.
