Trump’s actions on race speak much louder than his words

Whether it’s Twitter or television, you likely can’t go a single day without hearing someone call President Trump a racist. This isn’t an uncommon accusation hurled by the Left against Republicans in general over the years , but Trump has been a particularly popular target.

He has admittedly made some comments that he would surely like back, such as his ill-advised initial comments after the 2017 protests in Charlottesville. But actions still speak louder than words, and his actions have been overwhelmingly helpful to America’s minorities and underserved communities.

On Wednesday, Trump held a press conference at the White House announcing his support for the bipartisan First Step Act. With African-Americans making up 38 percent of the population in our federal prisons but only 12.5 percent of the national population, that means the First Step Act is a chance for criminal justice reform that will have a substantial impact across the African-American community.

The First Step Act will address mandatory minimum sentences, which have disproportionately affected minorities accused of nonviolent drug offenses. This legislation will reduce enhanced penalties for nonviolent repeat drug offenders and allow already-convicted nonviolent offenders to petition a judge to review their sentences.

Another key aspect of the First Step Act is the focus on re-entry into society. The legislation will provide opportunities for prisoners to learn skills through vocational or other training that will give them valuable job skills to apply to their lives post-incarceration. The focus on job training, drug treatment, faith-based programs, and other steps will help prisoners more effectively re-enter society. At a time when we have more available jobs than skilled workers to fill them, the First Step Act will give those with criminal records a better opportunity to find success following incarceration.

Trump has also produced favorable results for minorities and underserved communities through his economic policies. We see numbers that benefit all Americans, such as the 4 percent GDP, 3.7 percent unemployment rate, and for the first time in more than a decade, a substantial increase in hourly wages. But his policies have also had a particularly helpful impact on minorities.

Since taking office, Trump has brought unemployment for Hispanic, Asian, and African-Americans to historic lows. This is the first time in history that the black unemployment rate has fallen below 7 percent. We have also seen an increase in the number of minority-owned businesses, an increase in the labor force participation of black Americans, and millions of people who have been able to come off of food stamps under Trump’s tenure.

What kickstarted much of this current economic growth has been the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. In addition to the positive impacts it’s had on our economy as a whole, the legislation itself contains provisions specifically designed to help low-income communities. The “Opportunity Zones Program” was championed by Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., a GOP Senator who was raised in a single-parent household in Charleston, S.C.

Included within the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, this provision provides tax incentives to businesses who operate in economically distressed communities that are designated as “Opportunity Zones.” This part of the GOP tax plan has helped create jobs and other economic opportunity in areas that are often underserved and contain a high percentage of minorities. While opportunities for minorities are growing because of these tax cuts, it’s important to remember that every single Democrat in the House and Senate voted against it.

Many have used Trump’s hardline stance against illegal immigration as a base from which to call the president racist. In reality, Trump’s stance helps minority communities more than anyone else. In 2008 testimony, the Center for Immigration Studies outlined how illegal immigration has a disproportionately negative impact on black workers. Illegal immigrants compete for jobs with American citizens and frequently drive down wages.

Further, many of the drug problems that plague our country are closely correlated with violence in our cities. And drugs end up in America after first coming through our porous border with Mexico in the hands of illegal crossers. Trump’s crackdown on illegal border crossings has and will continue to benefit the African-American community as much as any other group.

Despite what you read or see on TV about Trump, his actions do not reflect racism. Instead, they reflect a man who cares deeply about all Americans and who has done more to help African-Americans in two years than most presidents have done in eight.

Evan Berryhill a former communications staffer for Rep. David B. McKinley, D-W.Va., is a law student at West Virginia University.

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