Rebranding has grown to become a part of the fabric of American culture. Rebranding is as American as apple pie. It doesn’t matter how you make it an apple is still an apple and a pie is still a pie. Roseanne Barr recently lost a reboot of her hit show due to some offensive comments and tweets she made about individuals, but Roseanne has always been a malcontent. Malcontents don’t get better with age unless they find God or a better drug. Les Moonves and Jeff Fager were just fired from their jobs and men have been taking advantage of women for years. It’s like some form of divine retribution set in place by the Bible and reinforced by religion. The original sin, when Eve bit the apple and disobeyed Adam. Society is constructed as if women are supposed to listen to men because of this mistake, but if God is omnipotent then God knew Eve would bite the apple. Then that would mean God made Eve to bite the apple, and maybe God meant for Adam to listen to Eve for she knew things he did not.

I don’t know that, but this is not a theological discussion it is a conversation on rebranding. Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan took America by tidal wave in November 2016 winning him seat as President of The United States. In the very short span of 2 years, Trump has managed to resurrect a rising economy, alienate U.S. relations with allies, lock up children, place more guns in schools, threaten minorities who protest, and take advantage of women all in efforts to make America great again. This is progress under his administration.

On September 6, 2018, Botham Shem Jean was shot inside of his apartment by a Dallas police officer- disturbed from his American dream. Botham was originally from St. Lucia. The 26-year-old Christian man was a community volunteer and associate at Pricewaterhouse Coopers when he was killed innocently. On December 4, 1969, Fred Hampton died. He was in his apartment disturbed from his American Dream. Fred Hampton was a 21-year-old community activist and leader in the Black Panther Party. Despite what you may think or know about the BPP, Fred Hampton was in bed asleep when the police kicked in his door and assassinated him. His homicide was considered justified at the time as the police had a warrant and he was under FBI investigation but was later ruled a homicide. 1982 the government, the city of Chicago, and Cook County were ordered to pay his family 1.85 million dollars in damages.

Botham Shem Jean is just the most recent black male to fall victim to the brand of blackness in America. His family will be rewarded for their loss much the same as Stephon Clark’s, Freddy Gray’s, Eric Garner’s, Sam Dubose’s, Philando Castille’s, Terrence Crutcher’s, Alton Sterling’s, Tamir Rice’s, Sandra Bland’s, Walter Scott’s, Eric Harris’, Johnathan Ferrell’s, Jamar Clark’s, Jeremy McDole’s, Jordan Edward’s, William Chapman II’s, Akai Gurley, John Crawford III’s, Mike Brown’s family and many others were. This isn’t anything new. This is America. It may not be the America that you know, but this is the America blacks know to exist. Cops killing blacks is as American as apple pie, but as an American who happens to be black, I’m not a big fan of apple pie. As an American I have a right to not like apple pie, even if it is a part of my culture.

America is my home it is my country, but America has yet to be great to me. There was a time when America was beginning to feel good, and then Donald Trump showed up. “Make America Great Again”. I don’t know what it truly means, as an American. A clever method of rebranding is all I can come up with. When I see Donald Trump and his many supporters, I don’t question who they want to make America great again for. I can see it in the crowds and in his policies. The economy is soaring, today. Our children are not safe in school. We lock children from other countries up in facilities. We have no foreign allies and desire to build a wall around us. There is more divisiveness and discord amongst us a people now than when America was just starting to get good. Things are not better.

When I hear Donald Trump and his supporters say “Make America Great Again”, I don’t see it. My America still looks like December 4, 1969, or September 6, 2018. Donald Trump isn’t a President. He is a scoundrel, caitiff, and a scapegrace who has managed to rebrand himself as a president due to popular culture. Botham Shem Jean was a black man trying to rebrand himself as an American just like Fred Hampton, Alton Sterling, Eric Garner, Philando Castille, and many others. So as an American when I hear “Make America Great Again”, all I can think is “I wish a mother fucker would”.

Racial Diversity

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