Wall could mean greater racial divisions

In the past 55 years there's been three seismic shifts in racial relations in this country. In 1964 and 1965, Lyndon Johnson signed two Civil Rights Acts that prohibited racial discrimination in voting, prompting most southern Democrats to defect to the Republican Party.

In 2016, Donald Trump was elected president. Racism, being virtually subdued for 51 years, rose to prominence once more in conservative ranks. White supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan and other related organizations found their voices again.

Now there's a more radical shift on the horizon that may ensure an even more divisive separation between people of color in America - Trump's wall. If it's built, regardless of other achievements while in office, emboldened, he and his allies will boast that his presidency has been an astounding success.

Does this fulfill Lincoln's objective to keep the union intact?

James D. Cook

Schaumburg