Humans Of Planet Earth (HOPE)

On the morning after Donald Trump announced his Presidential victory, my Uber driver is from Iraq. I tell him, this is a scary day for America.

No he says, here I am safe. In Iraq they kidnapped my daughter and make me give money to get her back. So I leave next day to Jordan. In Jordan they say you can’t stay here. Your family is too big. Do you want to go to America they ask me? I say yes. And I am here 3 years now. Under Saddam there was security and food but no money and no life. Now there is no money, and no security. I am refugee.

What about Donald Trump? I ask.

Donald Trump is not good not bad. The one good thing is he is big businessman. So I think he bring more jobs to America. But he also say bad things about Latino, Muslim, Blacks. If they didn’t work who would do all the jobs?? I work so I am OK. In America if you work, if you have money you are ok. If not, you have no life here.

My 2 sons are born here and they are American. But my two daughters were not born here. My wife and me were not born here. So my sons are American but we are not American. What will Trump do with that???

I ask him if he has met many Jews in Milwaukee.

I don’t care about Jew. Or Muslim or Christian. Someone smile at me I smile at them. Someone help me I help them. I tell my children you don’t care if Jewish or Muslim or Christian. They are person. They are man, they are woman. If they no believe in my God that is not my business. If they need believe in their God that is their business. That is between God and them.

Welcome to this country I tell him: You are going to make a great American.

As I am leaving I tell him that my girlfriend speaks Arabic. You must tell her, ok “habibi”. What does it mean I ask? It means loved one. All day you say habibi, habibi, habibi…. my love.

Goodbye my friend. Good luck.

-Jake

p.s. We must have these conversations. To have HOPE.