Equality means dignity. And dignity demands a job and a paycheck that lasts through
the week.
—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I have been repeatedly mocked for trying to explain how my neighbors feel and why
they feel the way they do. Racism, sexism, and a fear of both Islam and Latin[os] are
present. So is a fear of not being able to feed children, not being able to take care of
elderly loved ones, not being able to maintain dignity in the face of layoff after layoff.
Yes, I’m sick and tired of humoring the white male working class. That doesn’t mean
their economic and political concerns should be ignored. It doesn’t mean it’s OK to
laugh at us for trying to maintain our rural lifestyle. Some of us live on land that our
great-great-grandparents cultivated. Final point: my family is multiracial, and I am full
of rage, fear, and heartbreak over the dangers that many of us are now in because of
this election. My fellow “liberals” should have listened to those of us they call
hillbillies, rednecks, hicks, and toothless idiots. They should have understood we don’t
live in a “fly-over” state; we live in our home.
—Erin Brown
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