The United States is more divided today than most of the students at Utica University have ever seen. The current government administration is functioning under authoritarianism, with President Donald Trump seeing himself as a unitary executive with no checks of power. Dr. Clemmie Harris, Professor of History and author, described current issues in American society as history reflecting itself.
“Fascism today really grows from state sanctioned racism, and authoritarianism out of the post-reconstruction era,” Harris said.
Harris pinpointed the moment in history that is currently reflecting how the administration is operating, which is the 1917 Riot of East St. Louis, the first of many race riots. In this period the country’s industrial mechanisms were moving forward, and more laborers were needed. This led to the start of the Great Migration where a large number of Black people from the South moved to the North for better job opportunities. In the case of East St. Louis, the fear was that southern migrants were going to compete and take jobs away from white people.
Over the last few months, ICE protests have taken over the mainstream media. People are upset with the treatment of immigrants and undocumented people in the United States. ICE has used unnecessary force and murdered multiple protesters. Harris pointed out that although a different group may be getting targeted right now, it all leads back to the earliest race riots. Protesters, no matter the color of their skin, have and are being targeted and killed.
The Trump administration has swayed elections and won by inciting the fear in his followers that immigrants are dangerous and will take their jobs. There is a clear reflection of history happening here.
“Trump gets elected. And one of the first things that happens is that the ICE immigration, customs, enforcement agency receives the largest budget of any federal law enforcement agency in the country greater than the FBI,” Harris said. “Making it the largest law enforcement agency with one sole objective to hunt people who they deem to be undocumented.”
Harris also discussed controversial events happening right now, including the removal of the history of slavery and governmental buildings. He said that the reason this is being allowed to happen is that our government is currently being controlled fully by right wing forces in all three branches. This note is important because in the end, that is who controls the historical narrative.
Trump claims that these memorials and knowledge of slavery is a blot on the history of the country. He wants to take these things down and only allow more patriotic forms of history to be displayed in governmental buildings. Harris said this an attack on all marginalized groups who struggle to become part of the narrative and be recognized with the context of everyday life.
“We see the workings of power deeply rooted in the concept of the unitary executive, but it should not be of any surprise, because this was part of the project 2025 paradigm,” Harris said.
