Members of the diverse community in northwest D.C. experience the effects of the president Trump’s rhetoric. They noticed an increase in tension regarding current politics after the 2016 election cycle.
Over the last two years, Donald Trump and alt-right movement have brought white nationalism to the mainstream American audience, research shows.
New Nationalism is the name being used for white nationalist groups, mostly from the far right. In recent years, the messages these groups spread have had a large influence in American politics, but the impact on the people is often not discussed.
“There’s a lot of hate now,” Eddie Malihi, 48, said about the emotions after the 2016 election.
Many share Malihi’s observations about the increase in hate. Hate incidents have been increasingly common in the time after Nov. 6, 2016.
The Southern Poverty Law Center documented 867 bias-related incidents in the first ten days after Trump’s election. This included anti-Immigrant, anti-Muslim, homophobic and racist actions by supporters of Trump’s messages during the campaign cycle.
“We’re becoming more accepting of the racism and hate in our country,” Hannah Christie, 17, said about the direction the U.S. seems to be heading.
Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric was a prominent factor in the 2016 campaign cycle and a deciding factor for many voters. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s annual report, the anger over Muslim citizens resulted in a 190 percent increase in the number of anti-Muslim hate groups since 2015. This is a result of the Donald Trump campaign and election.
In response to the rise of hateful actions and speech, citizens have taken to the streets to show their discontent. There has been an influx of protests, marches and demonstrations to illustrate these feelings. On January 21, five million people across all seven continents, came together to march for human rights and representation. Earth Day, April 22, also saw the March for Science. Over one million people marched in order to display the importance of science in everyday life.
Even though there has been a increase in white nationalism and hate groups, many are hopeful of the future after the Trump administration.
“Once we have the right person in office we can start to rebuild and grow,” Malihi said.