They’re Coming to Take Black Jobs

The racism of Trump’s Black jobs comment

Jeffrey Kass
Momentum
Published in
3 min readJun 29, 2024

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Immigrant farm worker in green sweatshirt in strawberry field with shovel and other farms workers and rows of strawberry plants in background
Image; Shutterstock/F Armstrong Photography

Poverty in the South has always been a major stain on our nation. In Mississippi, 1 in 5 people live in poverty. The child poverty rate in entire South is worse at 21%. Over 43 of the 60 poorest cities are in the South. Nationally, the poverty rate is 9%.

This was true even 250 years ago.

Huge numbers of Southern whites lived in dire poverty in the 1800s during the height of slavery.

And you wanna know what proponents of slavery told the poor whites at the time to keep them in line and against enslaved Black people.

“Support slavery or Black people will come take white jobs.”

Poor, uneducated whites bought into the idea and largely supported slavery. Millions of Southern whites who were not slave owners sat and watched the system of slavery run the economic engine of the South.

Not because poor whites owned any slaves. Not because they profited from slaves. But because they feared that Black people would take their “white” jobs.

That’s how slave owners stirred up more hate.

Sadly, what people didn’t get is Black people already had the jobs. For free! Why hire white people to work farms or do other tasks when Black…

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Momentum
Momentum

Published in Momentum

Momentum is a blog that captures and reflects the moment we find ourselves in, one where rampant anti-Black racism is leading to violence, trauma, protest, reflection, sorrow, and more. Momentum doesn’t look away when the news cycle shifts.

Jeffrey Kass
Jeffrey Kass

Written by Jeffrey Kass

A Medium Top Writer on Racism, Diversity, Education, History and Parenting | Speaker | Award-Winning Author | Latest Book: Black Batwoman V. White Jesus | Dad

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