Hey, Bro… Donald Trump is not your friend.

By Brandon Weathersby

Trump’s pattern of racism and discrimination goes back to the 1970s, when the US Justice Department sued his real estate business for racial discrimination, alleging that they had systematically refused to rent apartments to Black tenants.

I was born in 1989, the same year Donald Trump took out full-page newspaper ads in four different papers calling for five New York Black and Brown teenagers falsely accused of rape and assault to be sentenced to death. In the ads, Trump called the teens “wild criminals” who “should be forced to suffer.”

The teens, then known as the Central Park Five, would be exonerated after DNA evidence confirmed that convicted murderer Matias Reyes was responsible. Even after the truth emerged, Trump continued to assert their guilt publicly and refused to acknowledge their exoneration.

The attacks Trump waged just months after my birth not only fueled public outrage at the time but also helped contribute to the villainization and racial profiling that have haunted Black men in America for decades.

If you think I’m cherry-picking one example from Trump’s past, I’m not, and Trump’s record proves it. Years after his moment with Exonerated Five, Trump promoted a racist birther conspiracy that alleged President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. Trump was determined to delegitimize the first Black president by questioning his very identity and place in American society.

In Trump’s mind, Black men could become wealthy and powerful as entertainers or athletes, but no Black man could ever legitimately become president of the United States. Trump spent years trying to paint Obama as an untrustworthy outsider with a funny name who had lied to the American people and schemed his way to become the leader of the free world.

Trump’s pattern of racism and discrimination goes back to the 1970s, when the US Justice Department sued his real estate business for racial discrimination, alleging that they had systematically refused to rent apartments to Black tenants. The practice of denying opportunities based on race extended to his casino ventures as well, where reports indicated that Black employees faced barriers to advancement and were often relegated to lower-paying positions.

These examples from Trump’s past are not isolated — they reflect a prejudiced worldview held by him since he was a young man starting in the business world. Trump doesn’t understand, and doesn’t care to understand, the unique experience of being a Black man in America. His actions have fed into a broader societal tendency to view Black men through a lens of suspicion and fear.

Whether it’s employment, health care, or education, Black men face disproportionate challenges at every turn. We need leaders who understand those challenges and are committed to making change. Donald Trump is not one of those leaders. He is an example of the work still needed to combat racism and achieve progress for us all.

The evidence is clear that Donald Trump has not been a friend to Black men during his four decades of public life.

As a Black man seeking an ally in the White House who will fight for equality and justice, I’ll be voting for Kamala Harris in November. I’ll be voting for someone with a proven track record of advocating for civil rights and for marginalized people. I’ll be voting for someone who will uplift our community and not worsen the systemic inequalities that have held back generations of people.

In November, I’ll be voting for a future where Black men and Black communities across the country are seen, protected, heard, and valued.