Dear Trevor,

This is in response to your guest column entitled, ‘ I Wore My Trump Hat to the Women’s March in DC.’ As a march participant, I enjoyed the insight that you provided in your column, some given insight was probably unbeknownst to you. This past election- with many of the events and outcomes- did highlight a contentious divide in our country.

Even you admit to finding enjoyment in many of the viral videos that show battery/assault of other Americans based, presumably, on differing political ideologies. This provided me with insight when reading the rest of your column. Let’s talk about the division.

You, yourself and others, “neutral” or not, are not exempt from instigating the division. As an English major, I assume that you are well aware of the importance of language and its effects on readers. You say that you refuse to turn our political system into a sport, but you segregate political ideologies by using terms such as ‘the left’ and basing the callous actions of a fractional few to reflect the entire movement.

Reading between the lines of your piece, I can easily infer, that “my team” is not a fan favorite of yours. Love does trump hate and if a small population of those who share similar political ideologies as me show the opposite, that does not give you basis to dismiss the entire movement, especially when our leaders have openly and repeatedly condemned these actions.

If you are referring to the looters, rioters and arsonists at the D.C. Women’s March, then I am sure you are also aware that they have admitted in court that they were a part of a group of agitators sent to the march to destroy our merits and accomplishments.

Even you, Trevor are not exempt from playing into and benefiting from the division of our political process. Your decision to wear a Trump hat to the Women’s March is a prime example of this. Instead of going as your truly presented self, someone who did not vote for either Hillary or Trump, you decided to present yourself as a Trump supporter for a “social experiment.”

Through your own admitted enjoyment of watching the battery and assault that sometimes happen in these emotionally-charged events, I assume that you were aware of the possibilities. You only mentioned the videos highlighting those being wrongfully attacked for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, but I would hope that you are also aware of others who have been attacked by self-described Trump supporters who have assaulted others with differing views.

Your claim to not want the continuance of “R” and “D” teams is not upheld by your actions and your omission of facts in your election observations. You could benefit from learning more about the political process. Know this, there is no difference between each other and the political process.

We the people is not just an imprint on marble statues, but it is the cornerstone of our political system. Politicians, as well as you yourself proved in your “social experiment” are aware that creating a divide in a group has undoubtedly proven to be the best way to conquer the whole.

As far as uniting, I would be more than happy to meet with you on campus anytime to discuss ideas about how we can create a safer and more productive environment when engaging in political discourse. You can bring your MAGA hat if you like and I can bring my “Angry Black Woman, But Don’t I Have Some Things To be Angry About” sign and we together can be a start.

Stronger Together,

Tamelonie Thomas