The Church Readiness Ministries
P. O. Box 5042
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
January 12, 2018
President Donald J. Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D. C. 20500
Dear President Trump:
Reference my letter dated February 4, 2017, I stated that you were due a one-on-one course in race and human relations. Here is a quote from page 12 of the referenced letter.
“Mr. President, listen carefully, you are due a one on one course in race relations and human relations. I am sharing in love; it is apparent that this is one of your weakness; however your heart is right, but you do not understand the full impact of discrimination on minorities and how to properly manage race relations and effective human relations. This is not about political correctness; however it is about more effective interpersonal communication. President Trump it is imperative that you recognize this weakness. Your first response may be, I don’t receive it and I do not want to hear it. However, I want you to think about it for a moment – On the campaign trail you made the statement of words to the effect “Look at my African American!” There is a serious problem with that statement. I am sharing this with you because I want you to succeed and most of your advisors will not share with you this candidly. In fact, some will try to keep this from you because they find it to be offensive. However, this is not designed to be offensive; again I am sharing in love because you need to know this truth.”
Mr. President, now it is apparent to all that the comment that you made yesterday regarding Haiti and other nations was inappropriate and insensitive. When you wore a different hat as a billionaire, sitting in Trump Towers, you classified nations as “Shitholes” when you were looking for investment opportunities. Mr. President, I am writing to assist you. I pray that you will allow this to be a teachable moment for you and your staff. Moreover, if you should follow these instructions it will be a turning point in your administration in bridging the racial divide.
Do you know about the race and human relation problems within our military during the late 1960’s and the 1970’s? We had some major racial incidents; some of those incidents should have been classified as racial riots. For example the incident at Travis Air Force Base; below is a news account of that incident.
“TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE — Like a storm on the horizon, the first signs of trouble came in the form of a loud stereo in the dorms and a black sergeant known as “Chief” in late May 1971.
When the storm broke late on May 22, 1971, resentment over the arrest of Chief erupted into a full-scale race riot that ended with one dead, 89 imprisoned and a building partially burned on the first night.
By the time things died down two days later, 135 military personnel were arrested – 25 whites and 110 blacks, of whom 89 were first-term airmen, according to a 1981 Air University Review article by Maj. Alan Osur.
The aftermath changed how the Air Force dealt with discrimination and race relations.”
President Trump, we had racial incidents throughout our military during that time. We had some insensitive commanders and some people with the same type of attitudes that the protestors demonstrated in Charlottesville. They were interwoven within the fabric of our military which was a mirror of what was going on in our society outside of the military bases. The bottom line, racism, discrimination and poor human relations impacted our ability to accomplish the mission. The Department of Defense developed race relations programs to help create human relations climates that were conducive to accomplish our missions. The Defense Race Relations Institute was founded at Patrick Air Force Base to train Race Relations Instructors. There was 16 weeks of training for these instructors. In addition to Race Relations Instructors, each branch of military services developed training for Equal Opportunity and Treatment Personnel that worked human relations concerns at the local base level.
Consequently, every member within our military had to attend a 21 hour course in race relations. The 21 hours were well spent because it gave military members the real opportunity to become aware and to appreciate the culture of others, recognize their own prejudices, and discover the resolve of the Department of Defense to totally integrate the military and create an environment that ensured fair and equal treatment all of its members, an environment that helped to ensure mission accomplishment. After that it was Phase II for 14 hours and then Phase III for 8 hours. After these phases were completed, training was integrated into the various military schools and members first duty stations.
President Trump in 1972, you did not attend any of these training courses. You may have never discovered a need for this training; however it is beyond being politically correct. Now you are experiencing the affects of not being fully integrated in the changing nature of America; An America that was working toward creating respect and the appreciation for all of its citizens. Now you are Commander-In-Chief, the President of the United States of America. In this position, it is imperative that you improve your human relations skills and demonstrate you appreciation for all.
I have worked with and for some insensitive commanders before that needed some real help in race relations and human relations. President Trump you are a very wise man, listen carefully, race relations and ineffective human relations are two of your weakness and you must address them now. It would not serve any useful purpose to list all of the negative affects of racism and poor human relations skills because your reply would be that I do not know you and what you have done. Yes, President Trump you have helped a lot of people and you have demonstrated concerns for many and their racial background was not a factor. However, now you are in a position to really make America great again and you need people to work with you to that end. Therefore, it is essential to have the support of all to include the blacks and other minority groups within the nation. As of this date, you have not earned the support of most blacks because of some of the comments that you have made. Of course the “fake news” has also contributed to a lack of trust factor. However, this communication is not about the role of “the fake news.”
Mr. President, I strongly recommend that you ask your staff to prepare a briefing for you regarding the military and the problems of race relations and human relations during the late 1960’s and 1970’s. Moreover, I recommend that you ask them to prepare a training course in race and human relations for you and your cabinet members. February is Black History Month, prior to the observance of Black History Month, address the nation and recognize your weakness in the area of human relations and your resolve to fully appreciate all regardless of their racial and ethnic background. Let the nation know what you are doing to address this weakness. Make a commitment to work to improve human relations throughout America. Share with the nation the resolve of the military during the early 70’s and pledge to work to create that spirit of decorum for the nation. Encourage all Americans to take advantage of Black History Month’s activities to learn more about one another.
Mr. President, it is also important to recognize that we cannot force people to stand for the playing of the National Anthem at football games. However, you would like for all to stand and respect the flag. Reaffirm your belief that standing for the flag should be an honor. Therefore express your resolve to discover the reasons of any American who does not wish to proudly stand up and pay their respects. Make a commitment to identify the reasons and to ensure that they are properly addressed.
In respect to our military – God has recently revealed to me that there are some serious race relations problems that are brewing today; remember the military is a reflection of our society. You must be prepared to address this real threat within our military and the racial concerns throughout the nation. In addition, to addressing our military the problem of police and community relations is still at a crisis. I have made recommendations to the Department of Justice to help address this problem; reference my letter dated November 3, 2017.
President Trump, you are in my daily prayers.
Sincerely yours,
Elmore Richmond Jr.
A Prophet of God in the name of JESUS
