We have a situation here—and your voice is urgently needed. Time is short. Donald Trump just appointed an "alt-right" leader, Steve Bannon, as the chief White House strategist and senior counselor. Simply put, according to multiple news sources, including the New York Times, Steve Bannon has a history of promoting sexism, anti-semitism, homophobia, transphobia and white supremacy.

 

This hurts our children, our families, our economy, and our nation. Bannon’s role in the Trump White House poses a clear and present danger to millions of Americans, and we will not stand for it.

 

 

 

Believe it or not, "alt-right" is even worse than it sounds. According to The New Yorker: "'Alt-right' is a new term for white nationalists, who care little about traditional conservative economic ideas and instead stress the need to preserve America’s European heritage and keep out non-whites and non-Christians.” In other words, “alt-right” is another word for white supremacists. And, Steve Bannon, until he joined the Trump campaign, was executive chairman of Breitbart News, the go-to news source for the “alt-right.”

 

Having a propagandist for this extreme ideology in the Oval Office is dangerous for the future of our democracy. Our diversity is our strength. The fact that the people in our nation, who come from all walks of life and tapestry of backgrounds, are free to live, love and worship as they will, is enshrined in our U.S. Constitution—and is why we as a nation have prospered.

 

 

To be clear, Steve Bannon is no run-of-the-mill conservative. Under his leadership, Breitbart published headlines including "Bill Kristol: Republican spoiler, renegade Jew," "Birth control makes women unattractive and crazy," "Political correctness protects Muslim rape culture" Two weeks after nine people were shot to death in Charleston by a Confederate flag-worshipping white supremacist, Breitbart’s front page shouted, "Hoist it High and Proud."

 

Now Bannon has been hired to set the political and strategic course for the Trump White House. Not okay. In fact it’s un-American.

 

 

Steve Bannon doesn’t even try to hide his views. He, himself, even described Breitbart News as the "platform for the alt-right," or alternative right. The alt-right is a brand of far-right conservatism and white supremacy that promotes white nationalism, racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, transphobia and misogyny. 

 

The time is now to oppose this hire. The leaders at the White House will shape our country’s future for our children and with more than 4,000 political appointees yet to be named in the Trump administration, it is critical that we make clear that white supremacy has no place in our government.

 

Steve Bannon at the helm of the White House is a complete affront to the decency and the democratic ideals of our country. Tell Congressional leaders to condemn Bannon’s views on white supremacy and to call for President-Elect Trump to rescind this hire. http://action.momsrising.org/sign/bannon_trump/

 

In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God’s children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.”

 

Let us find our footing as a nation and get to solid ground. Together, we are a strong voice for a more united and more inclusive nation.