In the hours after President Donald Trump was sworn in on Friday, the battle for America’s soul took shape.
President Trump and Press Secretary Sean Spicer sparred with journalists as the New York Times and other media reported that anti-Trump protesters at the Washington DC Women’s March outnumbered crowds for the inauguration itself.
Cities like Philadelphia hosted similar women’s marches, but the protests weren’t limited to America. More than 600 anti-Trump protests took place around the world. British activists hung signs bearing the words, “Build bridges not walls.” Acts of defiance took place in Scotland and the Philippines, in Japan and in Belgium, as activists challenged America’s new president on women’s rights, migrant rights, racial equality and climate change.
But while its nice to see the world community oppose a presidency most Americans voted against, all politics is local, so our fight must begin at home.
Take Philadelphia, for example. In 2007, the city’s poverty rate was 23.8 percent. That was the highest poverty rate of any of America’s 10 largest cities. A decade later, Philadelphia’s poverty rate is 26 percent, and we remain the poorest big city in America.
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Photo: Solomon Jones walks by abandoned properties at 33rd and Diamond in Philadelphia in November 2012. Image from “Fight poverty now,” a video by Solomon Jones
Solomon Jones is an Essence bestselling author and award-winning columnist. He is the creator and editor of Solomonjones.com and morning host on 900 am WURD radio. Click here to learn more about Solomon.
