Trump’s racism is not a secret, but people are continuously surprised by how and when it chooses to expose itself. In his latest preposterous move, he mixed his racism with his humongous ego to make entry to the national parks free on his own birthday, but no longer on the federal holidays of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth. I cannot imagine what those two holidays have in common?
According to the National Park Service, entry fees to around 100 sites have been free on those two major holidays, but their website just announced that this will no longer be the case. We all know Martin Luther King Jr. and understand what his holiday represents, but in case anyone isn’t familiar, Juneteenth has been a federal holiday since 2021. However, it has been celebrated for more than 100 years, as it memorializes the end of slavery in the Confederate states.
Many people have taken to social media to express their outrage.
The average social media commenter isn’t the only kind of person showing their outrage. The communications director for the National Parks Conservation Association, Kati Schmidt, added:
“That has become a day of service throughout the country as well as celebrating an American hero who has several park units celebrating his legacy,”
These park changes are part of a larger scheme by the Trump administration to erase diversity and uplift so-called patriotism disguised as white supremacy. Adding Trump’s birthday to the list of free-admission days is part of a program called “patriotic fee-free days,” which will also include July 4th weekend and a few more.
There is no rational for this other than promoting racism. We see the ugly reality that minorities and their incredible historic achievements are just not important to this current administration, and that remains troubling.
