On Aug. 2, Mr. Roger Clarke-Johnson’s letter (Bothell-Kenmore Reporter, Aug. 2) argued President Trump was not racist in his tweet about legislators known as “The Squad.” To advocate for unity in our country, Clarke-Johnson’s opinion must be thoroughly rebutted.

Mr. Clarke-Johnson asserted that Mr. Trump’s suggestion that The Squad to “go back to where they came from” was not racist, but rather akin to an employer telling a whining employee to find another position. This is simply not true. The use of “go back to where you came from” has a long history as racial oppression and Trump wielded this phrase in exactly that manner.

White people are not told to “go back to where they came from.” Trump’s grandfather was from Germany, and Bernie Sanders’ father is from Poland, but no one would think they “came from” a country other than the United States. A person suggesting that Sanders or Trump to go back to where they “came from” would sound absurd. That’s because the phrase “came from” is aimed strictly at people of color.

By telling these women to “go back to where they came from,” Trump suggests that the women’s true home is with other people of color. These women may have European heritage, but Trump is not talking about the women returning to Europe. The “broken, crime-infested places” Trump refers to are not European. Aside from the color of their skin, these women have little in common with people in Africa, Asia, and South America, but that is where Trump believes they belong. In short, Trump implies that legislators of color should not draft policy, but be grateful that they are not living in predominantly non-white countries.

People of color are integral to the United States. No suggestion otherwise should be tolerated in our community, especially not from our leaders.

Claire Robson

Bothell