WASHINGTON (Sputnik), Leandra Bernstein — The exploitation of anti-immigrant sentiment in the 2016 presidential campaigns has similarities to the rise of the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan group in the 1920s, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People President Cornell Brooks told Sputnik.
The NAACP, which is the largest and oldest US civil rights organization, has historically sought to ensure political and social equality for all persons and eradicate racial hatred. The organization has also campaigned for comprehensive immigration reform to improve economic and social justice for immigrants.
“We have been in this movie before. It’s an ugly movie, it does not have a great end,” Brooks said in a speech at the National Press Club on Friday.Brooks noted that following President Woodrow Wilson’s re-election in 1916, the KKK experienced a resurgence, which he attributed to a “toxic mix” of a public appeal to “un-American patriotism,” superficial Christianity and “a virulent anti-immigrant sentiment.”
Wilson, who famously screened the pro-Klan film “Birth of a Nation” from the White House, has largely been credited with the early 20th century resurgence of the supremacist group. He also enabled the passage of the restrictive and controversial 1920 immigration act.
Brooks explained to Sputnik that “the reason why we brought up the rise of the Klan in 1920s” is because of a historical trend “in moments of economic anxiety in particular,” over issues relating to immigration in the United States.
In the 2016 presidential race, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump has consistently raised support from voters on claims that he will build a wall on the US southern border to block illegal immigrants. In December 2015, Trump also called for a nationwide ban on Muslims entering the United States until they are properly identified.
Asked if the public support for Trump is an indication of a more divided United States, Brooks noted that there is a “temptation” for division, “but is that going to persuade the majority of the people? Absolutely not.”
Trump has won support from the majority of voters in the 37 US primary elections that have been held this year. In late February, Trump was hit with a scandal after failing to categorically denounce a political endorsement of support from former KKK leader David Duke.
NAACP is a non-partisan organization and cannot endorse or oppose candidates running for public office.
http://sputniknews.com/us/20160319/1036561339/us-anti-immigration-environment.html#ixzz48BieIauk
