Gary Franks, syndicated columnist

No, stop it! President Donald Trump is not the most racist president since the beginning of the 20th Century. That dubious distinction goes to President Woodrow Wilson, hands down.

What are the qualities of a racist?

1. Racists believe that God made some people (white people) better than others, especially better than Black people.

2. They did not want to include Black people in society other than in roles for them to serve you or entertain you.

3. They wanted separate facilities as they did not want Blacks to be integrated into society. White communities had to stay white while Black communities would stay Black.

4. They did not want Black people to have the same rights – equality was not accepted with regard to Black people as they would never be given the same opportunities as white people.

5. They saw Black voting as a major problem that had to be addressed as most of the South was either majority or near-majority Black.

6. They wanted to keep Black people in “black jobs.” They did not want Blacks to go to white schools and aspire to jobs held by white people. In fact, it was against the law for Black people to even be a mailman. It was crystal clear that for some jobs, “Black people need not apply.”

7. They use white fear to recruit more white people. This is based on the fear of what it would mean if Black people were given fairness, integration into society, or allowed to have the same opportunities – like to attend “white schools” or have “white jobs.” It would actually hurt white people. That became and is still their mantra. The use of Jim Crow and terrorism via the Ku Klux Klan allowed and enforced racism in America. It led to the Great Migration of Black people from the South to the North and West.

So, for a president to embrace all of the above in the 20th Century, that would make him certainly a racist. For others in the general public to do the same made and still makes them racist as well.

Today, when you see a Black person in a “white job” and you believe they got it because of affirmative action — and they are not “truly” qualified — then, you are a racist.

Whenever Trump is desperate or is rapidly losing support from the public he reaches into his bag of tricks to solidify his base, and stop his political bleeding. He does it all the time. So, I will not even address his latest race-based antics, as he is merely trying to boost his political support and solidify his base.

Back to Wilson. How has he “earned” such a distinction?

Wilson condoned, promoted and demanded segregation as he claimed it would alleviate friction between the races.

Wilson, as president of Princeton University, did not allow any Black person to attend the Ivy League school. Heck, if Albert Einstein was Black, Princeton would not have been in his future and the world would be a different place, with English possibly as America’s second language.

Wilson embraced Jim Crow laws. He supported and advocated separate facilities for Black people, including bathrooms and water fountains.

During his presidency, the Ku Klux Klan felt comfortable marching down the streets in Washington, D.C. During the Trump presidency, the Klan also felt comfortable marching unmasked on the campus of the University of Virginia.

Wilson refused to give Blacks an opportunity to advance. That was similar to the Trump administration’s demand in 2025 that the federal government could not even interview Black engineers at a job fair.

Yes, Wilson’s White House was all white except for its servants. The racist Wilson would be proud of Trump in this regard. Of the top 100 people in the Trump administration Trump has only one Black person – the HUD Secretary. (And that was a historic Black position. The HUD secretary has mostly been “reserved” as the “Black job” rarely held by a white person. Since 1977 nine of the last 13 secretaries have been Black or Hispanic, including the last four.)

Black people have demonstrated through the latter part of the 20 th Century and beyond, that if you tell them the rules and give them a fair chance to compete, Black people will win more than they would lose. Success would be measured by the degree of hard work and the size of their heart.

It took the Civil Rights movement which included peaceful protests and boycotts against white businesses to demand fairness for Blacks in public accommodations, employment, housing, and voting rights. Gaining these rights were the nails in the coffin of Jim Crow and a government that had approved segregation in America.

What was America’s greatest period in its 250-year history? I would argue that it was the post-Civil Rights era. No, do not take my word for it. Look at all economic barometers, social gains, and life span increases. America decided to use all its human resources, not merely those originating from European nations. After that time, all Americans saw open doors that had been previously closed. All Americans had opportunities to succeed or fail based on their abilities, willingness to work hard, and their vision.

Black History month is a time for all Americans to realize the significant added value that Black people have brought to America and the world in roles that were not “Black jobs,” but jobs held by competent and experienced folks. They gained their job in an arena that may have “tilted” one-sided but at least it gave Black people the opportunity to compete, allowing their hard work and determination to beat the odds.

Americans are a God-fearing loving people who believe deep down in the Golden Rule. The errant decisions from the Supreme Court that deemed Black people as 3/5 of whites per the Dred Scott court decision or the Plessy vs. Ferguson Supreme Court decision – a separate but equal society – have always been rebuked by most Americans as they prefer to treat people like they would like to be treated… improving their odds of going to heaven.

That is why the spirit of the most racist president in the last 125 years must be remembered so the hate and ignorance can never be repeated.

To date, Wilson is the most racist president. However, he must be concerned from the grave as Trump could surpass him as he still has nearly three years left in his presidency.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Gary Franks served three terms as a congressman from Connecticut’s 5th District. He was the first Black conservative elected to Congress and first Black Republican elected to the House in nearly 60 years. Host: Podcast “We Speak Frankly” www.garyfranksphilanthropy.org