Letter: We have come too far to go backward

I grew up as a white protestant during and immediately after World War II. At that time, white superiority was an accepted fact by most of the blue-collar neighborhood in which I lived.

People of African ancestry, Catholics, Jews, Latinos, Asians, eastern Europeans or Mediterraneans, and even women, were considered children of a lesser god. Lesbians, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) people were generally despised. Despite my parents’ influence, I accepted many of the prejudices of the prevalent culture surrounding us.

In subsequent years, the U.S. experienced the integration of the military, civil rights movement, women’s liberation, and a better understanding of LGBTs. As a result, I have long since believed that all law-abiding humans merit the same respect, regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation.

Apparently, many citizens of my ilk still do not accept or completely accept this new awareness.

Our president’s actions, including demeaning Latinos, his executive order banning Muslim immigration from seven countries because of potential terrorism, his diatribe against foreign trade, etc., fuels white resentments, racial fears, bias against immigrants, xenophobia, and sexism.

This is encouraging the renewal of white superiority feelings and works against and vilifies the beliefs the U.S. was founded on.

This story was originally published March 26, 2017 at 4:25 AM with the headline "Letter: We have come too far to go backward."