It’s no secret that throughout Trump’s campaign, he has offended many races and groups of people with his words. People have been threatened and out of place in America due to his words, and his supporters haven’t made the oppression felt in this country any better. Americans are wearing safety pins on their clothing to show those threatened by Trump and Trump supporters’ hate and racism that their safety is of concern.
Americans are wearing safety pins on their clothing to symbolize and stand with those who feel unsafe and targeted against due to Trump’s win. The safety pin movement was inspired by the 2014 #illridewithyou movement in Australia where people chose to sit next to Muslims who felt threatened on their travels. This effort is now in the United States to stand with those facing post-election attacks and harassments by wearing a safety pin on their clothing.
It’s almost as if Trump’s followers feel that because he has won, “It’s okay to hate now”, and his rhetoric throughout his campaign validates these hateful acts. For example, at New York University “Trump!” was written on the door of a Muslim prayer room. Racist graffiti including Trump’s name was found in a Minnesota High School bathroom. Shortly after Trump’s win, a high school student in California passed out handmade “Deportation” letters to students. In North Carolina “Black Lives Don’t Matter” was written on a wall, and Gay Pride flags were reportedly burned down in New York. These are all hate crimes committed after Trump’s win. These people seem to think this behavior is acceptable and that we need it to move forward in America, and it’s not. It’s ridiculous.
Unfortunately, the presence of this harassment is no surprise with the anti-Muslimism and anti-immigrant rhetoric which fueled Trump’s campaign. With his win, it’s easy to believe that these hate acts from Trump supporters come as a feeling of entitlement to act out on what Trump’s campaign supported.
In a world where you see more strangers a day than you see members of your own family, the safety pin movement is a good first step to reach out to one another at a time where so many people feel scared, threatened, and upset.
Having to adopt symbols like these to prevent violence and the mistreatment of others due to the new president’s campaign strategies in 2016 is unbelievable. But the reality is, these are the things we need to heal from this election. Regardless of who you voted for consider wearing a safety pin to signal that you’re an ally in this through uncertain time for many groups of people.