The riots and protests continue. So does the pandemic. In Washington, the President remains unable to lead, and Congress is largely non-functional. Around the country, Governors and Mayors fill the governance void. Some, like Andrew Cuomo in New York, display extraordinary leadership and compassion. Others, like Ron DeSantis in Florida and Greg Abbott in Texas, display extraordinary stupidity and lack of compassion. Their respective states are experiencing new highs in cases of Covid-19 because of their obtuseness towards science, so people suffer and die. Through all this, remarkably, a hopeful trend has emerged: young people, of various colors and ethnicities are demonstrating positive guidance and leadership.

Protests over the vicious, racialized murders by police of George Floyd in Minneapolis et al, have included significant numbers of White, Asian, Hispanic and Muslim participants, who have joined their Black brothers and sisters. Finally, people from many different backgrounds are joining the battle for justice and racial equality. What are they teaching us?

First, that the Trump Presidency has finally devolved to where there is no tolerance for “business as usual” in America. The lying, overt racism, and increased levels of social and economic inequality, have produced a generation of young people fed-up with present-day America. While their parents may deplore what’s happening, they have done little to halt its further disintegration. It’s thus largely up to this younger generation to slow-down, and eventually halt, the process of decay of American democracy and the concurrent rise in authoritarianism.

After the Civil War, social and political inequality evolved into Jim Crow politics. Southerners became mollified by politicians—especially in Congress—that were willing to do their bidding in return for donations and votes. These practices largely continued until President Lyndon Johnson sought, and obtained, passage of significant civil and voting rights legislation. Further movement in a positive direction was episodic as Blacks other people-of-color remained significant targets of discrimination and violence.

In 2017, Donald Trump became the first American President to publicly support policies and practices that prop-up an overtly racist America. For Trump and his minions, White Supremacists and Neo-Nazis are “good people,” while Hispanics are “rapists,” and Muslims are “terrorists.”

The pandemic has produced a disproportionately  large number of Black and Hispanic victims. That reality has certainly added to the frustration and violence expressed by demonstrators. But, we must hope that the twin disasters of the pandemic and racial violence will catalyze America into a country that can adopt creative and significant approaches to dealing with rampant discrimination and inequality. If that is to happen, the first step is to elect new politicians in place of the racists and cowards that presently occupy political office. This effort must begin at the top, with the removal of our country’s racist-in-chief.