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 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 the 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 is lead pastor of Greater St. John Bible Church.
