Dr. E. Faye Williams

Comedian and activist Dick Gregory left us last August.  At least a year before passing away, he told me we’d soon be facing chaos. 

Well, naturally, since so many, including me, thought that Hillary Clinton would be president and our nation would function normally, we could not imagine what we are seeing. We’ve seen the chaos he predicted since the 2017 inauguration of No. 45. What’s going on right now, though, is beyond what anyone could’ve imagined.

No. 45’s administration and its zero-tolerance policy of tearing children from the arms of their parents, while the children are screaming in protest, is too much for many to bear.  We are seeing sit-ins at the offices of members of Congress, press conferences on the grounds of the Congress, picketing at various sites, men and women leaders seen with tears as they talk about this outrage and more.

We are told this tragedy is bringing joy to the White House. This cruelty to babies who may never see their parents again is so hard to witness. Parents have been detained and deported with no fair hearing. They are being sent back to the horrendous, dangerous situation from which they were fleeing and being forced to leave their children behind.  This is almost too much to bear.

The psychological impact on the children who’ve been viciously torn from their parents’ arms, some who are even told lies to get them away from parents, only to find their parents have been arrested and taken away, is unimaginable in America. Our government has no procedure to give the children back to their parents. Indeed, it is clear that No. 45’s “strong men” and “strong women” have no idea where many of the children are!

Reporters have been asking where the girls are. Where are the babies?  Kirstjen Nielsen, HHS Secretary, didn’t know where they were. She’s responsible for carrying out imprisoning these children and with a straight face, she can say she doesn’t know where they are. Incredible!

It is unconscionable that this administration would use babies for ransom to get a wall built between the U.S.-Mexico border. No. 45 claims he has so much money, so it seems his conscience would dictate that he builds the wall himself. Did I just say “his conscience?” It’s clear that he is a mad man and he doesn’t have one.

On the bright side, many state governors, through this chaos, have taken action that proves all politicians have not gone mad. They’ve decided not to send their National Guard or use their state’s resources to support this shameful effort at state borders. Some states already there are recalling their National Guard units. This gives us some hope that gut-wrenching cries by innocent babies and the cruelties at our borders have proven that there is a shred of humanity left among us.

My question is how long do we have to put up with this mad man and his policies?  Where will he go from here?  What will he do next to set our country back hundreds of years?

The writer is national president, chief executive officer and general counsel of the National Congress of Black Women.