A Haitian student in Miami died by suicide years ago. Trump’s words have consequences | Opinion
Instead of being thankful that he survived another assassination attempt in just two months, former President Donald Trump went back to his tired rhetoric of blaming the Democrats.
This is very sad because the former president doesn't seem to have the courage to hold up a mirror to take a good look at himself. If he did, perhaps he would see the kind of man that he really is, a pitiful liar who is running scared.
So scared that instead of running a decent campaign, he laces his speeches with racist remarks that are causing much damage to the nation and to himself.
I still find it hard to believe that Trump and his Republican running mate, Sen. JD Vance, would stoop so low to try to poison the minds of Americans against the Haitian people in Springfield, Ohio. But it's true.
I watched the debate two weeks ago when Trump looked directly into the camera and told the American people one of his biggest lies yet: "They are eating the dogs. The people that came in, they're eating the cats."
He was referring to Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, even though the Springfield city manager adamantly said this was not true.
Still, Trump and Vance held on to that lie, which has roiled the city of Springfield with scores of bomb threats, some of them aimed at Haitians.
In fact, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Vance's staff had contacted the city manager, was pointedly told that these claims were untrue and yet Vance posted the lies anyway on social media.
A poll released this week found that more than half of voters who support Trump believe the lie. That tells me that many of his followers would rather believe the lies that come from Trump's mouth — rather than hear the truth and believe it.
Words are powerful and sometimes they can hurt you to death.
Such was the case years ago when Haitians started migrating to Miami in the 1980s to get out from the ruthless regime of the dictator Papa Doc.
The Haitians who ran from Papa Doc's cruelty found a different kind of cruelty here. In addition to having to adapt to a new culture and a new language, newly arriving Haitians were also ridiculed and picked on and lied about.
Haitian children had it particularly bad. Like today with Trump's accusations, the lies hit them hard. Still, many of the Haitian youngsters who arrived on these shores in the 1980s grew up to be contributing citizens locally, statewide and nationally. Many are educators, business owners and elected officials.
My friend Femi Folami-Browne and I were talking about the early 1980s when Haitians started arriving. Haitian children who didn't speak English were thrust into schools where teachers and other school administrators didn't understand their language, nor their culture.
"The diatribe created by JD Vance about the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, evoked sad memories of when young Phede Eugene, a 17-year-old honor-roll student at Miami Edison High School, committed suicide. It was in the 1980s, a time in Miami when being identified as Haitian was fodder for ridicule, lies and bullying from other students," said Folami-Browne, who produced the documentary, "When Liberty Burns," which highlighted Arthur McDuffie, the Black insurance agent beaten to death in Miami by Metro-Dade police officers in 1979.
According to the Herald story about his death, Phede, who went by the name of Fred, wanted to be "an All-American" kid. He was in the Honor Roll, the school choir and worked after school at Burger King, aspiring to become a lawyer, his father told the Herald.
He shot himself in his Mercury in a church parking lot near his home; he bled to death, the Herald reported.
He may have felt "disenfranchised, different, unwelcomed," the story said, quoting Dr. Henri Hall, a Haitian psychiatrist.
Folami-Browne is the mother of three grown daughters and still remembers the pain of Phede's death.
"As the mother of daughters who were born in this country, but whose father is Nigerian, we lived for years in Nigeria, and by the time we moved back to this country, my girls spoke with an accent. So, they, too, were teased.
"Like many mothers back then, Phede's suicide grieved me," she said. "And I was deeply concerned for my girls, and I pledged to ensure that I would teach them to embrace all cultures and be filled with the history and pride of their own heritage. Hurtful words can be as dangerous as bullets."
Yes, they can. Who knows what Phede could have become, what contributions he could have made if he hadn't been ridiculed to the point of taking his own life?
That is why I can't understand why Trump, who likes to let everyone know how intelligent he is, doesn't understand how his words can be just as damaging to the Haitian immigrants in Springfield and, indeed, to immigrants in general. Maybe he does, and just doesn't care.
So, while he blames the Democrats for their heated rhetoric, saying it contributed to his two recent assassination attempts, Trump needs to pay attention to the words that fall from his mouth.
Because while he means them to be directed at Democrats, he is really pointing the gun, so to speak, at himself. There are people out there who are as sick as he is. So, when they hear his hateful rhetoric, they act on it in a backfiring way.
Still, as a man who wants to lead America into the future, Trump needs to clean up his act.
I can't predict the future. But Trump thinks that he can. He has already predicted a "bloodbath" in America if he doesn't win November's election.
He is a dangerous man. We all watched in horror on Jan. 6, 2021, when he riled up a mob in an attempted insurrection.
So, we know what he is capable of. But let us stand firm. Let us not be bullied by Mr. 45.
For while he wants to make "America Great Again," let's make our country Greater.
