Trump must answer for racist Obama video that denigrates entire Black community

I have lived long enough, preached long enough and walked these streets long enough to know when America is moving forward and when it is sliding backward. We have seen moments where this nation reached for its better angels, but we are also witnessing, in real time, a dangerous return to the darkest chapters of our racial history.

The viral video posted by President Donald Trump depicting former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as apes is not merely offensive — it is racist to its core, dehumanizing in its intent and dangerous in its impact. This is the same imagery used for centuries to justify slavery, segregation, lynching and the denial of Black humanity. You cannot separate this act from that history. It is soaked in the same old poison.

That this occurred during Black History Month makes it even more tragic and revealing. At a time when America should be reflecting on the long road from chains to change, from cotton fields to the Oval Office, we are instead confronted with a reminder that racism is not dead — it is digital, it is viral and it is being amplified from the highest platforms in the land.

To blame an unnamed staffer is not leadership — it is cowardice. Leadership requires accountability. Leadership requires repentance. Leadership requires the moral courage to say, “I was wrong.” Silence and deflection only deepen the wound.

Friends, this is not about partisan politics. As our local-based Leaders Network continues to say, this is about the soul of America. When a president normalizes racial mockery, he licenses hatred. When he refuses to apologize, he legitimizes bigotry. And when millions watch without consequence, the nation itself becomes complicit.

Black people are frustrated because we recognize the pattern:

No apology.

No accountability.

No consequences.

But I remind America of this truth: Progress has never come from the comfort of the powerful — it has always come from the pressure of the people.

We marched before.

We organized before.

And we will not be silent now.

We are not apes.

We are not jokes.

We are Americans.

We are human beings.

We are children of the most high God!

And no video, no lie, no racist trope — no matter how viral — will ever strip us of our dignity. Mr. President, God is not mocked, and history will record that you used the highest office in the land to traffic in the lowest form of racism.

Rev. Ira Acree, lead pastor, Greater St. John Bible Church, Austin

Opting in for fed tax credit should be no-brainer

Illinois leaders face a choice: Put families first or continue ceding education policy to powerful special interests. So far, they’ve chosen the latter. (“Pritzker still deciding if Illinois will join federal program that funds private school scholarships,” Sun-Times Jan. 28).

A new federal scholarship tax credit offers states a chance to expand educational opportunity at no cost. It requires no state spending and does not reduce public school funding. The governor simply must opt in.

Under the program, taxpayers receive a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit of up to $1,700 for donations to nonprofit scholarship organizations. Those organizations can support students in public schools, private schools or home schools. Scholarships would be available to families earning up to 300% of their area’s median income and could be used for tutoring, tuition, books, testing fees, dual enrollment courses, special education services and other educational expenses.

Opposition to the program is driven largely by special interests and advocacy groups, particularly teachers unions, which have long resisted policies that give families options outside the systems they control. Union leaders have vowed to fight the federal scholarships — in part because of their association with the Trump administration — even though the money could very much go to the public schools they serve.

But refusing to opt in will not stop Illinois taxpayers from donating. Donors will still receive federal tax credits. The only result will be that scholarship dollars flow to children in other states instead of Illinois students.

Student outcomes make the stakes clear. Only about half of Illinois students in grades three through eight read at grade level, and just 39% are proficient in math. Results are even worse for low-income, Black and Hispanic students. The new federal program could help these students access tutoring or cover fees for standardized testing.

It could unlock vast new potential funding sources for booster clubs or educational foundations that serve students. The legal language makes it clear public schools can benefit. But unions don’t want to acknowledge that.

The question is simple: Will state leaders continue to prioritize union demands, or finally put students first?

Paul Vallas, adviser, Illinois Policy Institute, Palos Hills

Minority rule

I don’t take too much solace from columnist Mona Charen’s recent analysis that only a quarter of the population is full-on MAGA. The American electoral system is so full of quirks that a determined group of roughly 25% of the voters, particularly in favorable geographical configurations, is enough to have elected Donald Trump and cowed otherwise sane Republicans from facing the obvious, indeed inescapable, conclusion that this man is an abomination to the core principles of the rule of law and universal value.

It isn’t just how those 25% behave. It is how serious the other 75% take the issue.

Mike Koetting, Fulton River District

Trump branding that will take off

Rename Dulles International Airport to Trump-Epstein Airport instead. Maybe that will fly.

Tom DeDore, Garfield Ridge

Bravo Bad Bunny

Bad Bunny's message of love and unity was beautiful, unlike MAGA's message of hate and division.

Tommy Dziallo, Lockport