Trump and legitimizing behavior

November 15, 2016

To the editor:

I’m grateful, as always, for Mark Wingfield’s insights, this time in his “Don’t blame Trump for your hatred” opinion piece. But I do have a question.

Certainly it’s true that Trump didn’t create the vitriol that’s rising to the surface since Tuesday. But I seriously doubt this would have publicly emerged if he had lost the election.

It seems to me that Trump’s victory has mobilized, provided momentum for, and, worst of all, generated a certain legitimacy for such behavior.

Trump’s selection of Stephen Bannon, a champion of white nationalism, as his senior adviser seems to suggest we’re in for a lot more of the same.

Maybe, though, in the long run, it’s at least clearer now what we’re up against.

Ken Sehested, via email

Embracing the power of story

We share a new series in BNG’s Storytelling Projects about Conetoe, North Carolina as part of our "Faith and Justice" theme.

As told through the Conetoe series, the mission of the Conetoe Family Life Center, led by Richard Joyner, is to get whole, healthy foods onto the tables of Conetoe's families. "Good health is a time-consuming enterprise, and you have to make a decision as to whether you are going to work, sleep at night or grow vegetables in your backyard."

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Being black in the United States is decidedly bad for your health

We created Storytelling Projects because we believe stories, rooted in the Jesus Story, have the power not only to inform but to transform people and communities. They can be sources of spiritual insight, imagination, creativity and hope for all who seek justice and mercy.