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Trump Press Secretary to American woman in Apple Store: "Such a great country that allows you to be here"

While shopping in an Apple Store, an American woman took advantage of a chance meeting with Donald Trump’s Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, to ask him some questions about his and the Trump administration’s actions: Asking @PressSec questions in Apple Store since he doesn't like the press. https://t.co/l493z2gG4x — Shree ✊🏾❤️🇺🇸 (@shreec) March 11, 2017 Notably, […]

By Leah McElrath - March 12, 2017
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Sean Spicer

Notably, Spicer responded to her questioning by saying, in part: “Such a great country that allows you to be here.”

That’s right: He told an American woman of Indian descent who was literally “born in the USA” that the United States “allowed” her to be here, apparently because her skin is brown:

https://twitter.com/AnandWrites/status/840979437399212033

When I asked this young woman, Shree Chauhan, how she interpreted Spicer’s remark — whether “be here” was in reference to her being in the Apple Store or being in the United States — she confirmed that she felt he meant allowed her to be in this country.

When Chauhan received feedback that her approach to Spicer was somehow harassment, she was ready for the criticism:

The Islamophobic rhetoric of the Trump administration has resulted in an environment of heightened anti-Muslim hate, and Chauhan also makes note of the fact that many Indian-Americans — or “Desis” — are often targeted due to the color of their skin:

This is one example of what everyday resistance looks like: Treating ascendant authoritarianism and its representatives with the polite respect normalizes the abnormal.

Chauhan is using her right to speak truth to power while she still has the right to do so. The challenge is for the majority of other Americans to do the same.

In Chauhan’s own words:

I hope my action allows others to gain the courage to take their own. If someone is already resisting, I hope it will give them energy to resist harder. If someone has not resisted, I hope it inspires them to get involved. We will only win if we resist together for liberty, justice and equality. This is our shared America.


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