It has become ever so challenging to interpret the motives of our new President Donald Trump as over the weekend, he has managed to pull off his most impressive hypocritical balancing act to date. While thousands march the streets yelling “heil Trump” as they beat anti-racist protestors with wooden torches, many are left wondering how Donald Trump can stand at a podium and claim that he is not enabling the racially motivated violence that has become so per usual again under his Presidency.

Donald Trump will never affiliate himself with hate, he will never endorse the KKK who advocate for his policy, he will never stand behind Neo-Nazi regimes, and he will not publicly condone the use of intimidation by alt-right independent militia. But what President Trump is doing is equally as sinister and equally as harmful. Donald Trump observes this hate, he observes alt-right extremists taking innocent lives, he watches as white supremacists beat and harm members of opposing protests, and he oversees a biased judicial and executive system that has been emboldened by his willingness to tolerate mistreatment of minorities. He sees all of this hate, all of this violence, and all of this bigotry, and although he does not openly condone or support it, he refuses to condemn it.

Condemnation is a device of action. To speak against racism, to speak against bigotry is something that any man or woman can do in front of a camera. What the people of the United States need to see is a tangible change in policy, where we can visibly see acts of hatred and racism not just being castigated, but penalized and punished. We need to see that David Duke and his army of white nationalists can not lean on Trump for security. We need to feel that Donald Trump’s presence in office will not provoke anymore of these hate crimes, or these violent protests. Most importantly, we need to see that minorities in America can feel that their freedom and their rights are safe and secure. As they always have, actions speak louder than words in American Politics, and Donald Trump needs to catch up with that trend. Arrests, convictions, policy change, and increased advocacy for equality are palpable avenues for Trump, so surrounded with skepticism, to if nothing, publicly break ties from alt-right groups who claim to do the bidding of his Presidency.

After receiving backlash following his aloof preliminary statement on the occurrences in Charlottesville, Trump finally gave us what we wanted. He identified white supremacists as the driving force behind the violence, and verbally condemned the violent acts generated by alt-right extremists. He speaks of uniting the nation, and abolishing hatred and hostility between races and political parties.  A governmental response still remains to be seen.

So today we look at these incidents as a call to action for President Donald Trump. This is not an attack on his character, but a challenge for him to add action to his allocution. America should not fear that the company of Donald Trump in office is not attended by the emboldening, empowering, and protection of prejudice and hatred. Let us know that you are not directly nor indirectly responsible for the extreme division in United States. Here’s your chance Mr. President… everyone is watching.

“In leadership, life and all things it’s far wiser to judge people by their deeds than their speech – their track record rather than their talk” – Rasheed Ogunlaru”