Vishavjit Singh, a Washington-born cartoonist who dons the costume of his public alter ego, 'Sikh Captain America', said he saw the mood of Trump's America up close at the Republican National Convention.
"It was clear to me I was not going to change any minds," Singh told The Washington Post.
“The feeling I left with was of a very passionate, vengeful voter base. That is a feeling I have not been able to shake off — and now we have this man as our next president," Singh said.
Singh, who is in his mid-40s, began actively fighting bigotry after the 9/11 terror attacks.
Scrawled on a Sikh American's car window: "Sand Nigger: Trump 2016." pic.twitter.com/nipvB6DAVe
— Simran Jeet Singh (@SikhProf) November 13, 2016
Today, he sometimes walks the streets in the star-spangled attire of Captain America, and some passersby are struck by the fact that the man in the iconic super-suit also sports a beard and a turban.
With President-elect Donald Trump's rhetoric during the campaign targeting many minority groups, Singh said he is witnessing a shift in daily discourse.
"I have seen and personally felt a rise in bigotry directed towards Sikhs, Muslims, Latinos since the beginning of Trump's presidential campaign," Singh said, noting that he is still processing "the gravity" of Trump's win.
"We are seeing incidents being reported hours after this election, where those perceived as the 'other' are being targeted. This 'other' encompasses Muslims, LGBTQ, Sikhs, Latinos, blacks — essentially majority of people of colour,” he said.
More than 200 incidents of hateful harassment and intimidation across the US have been reported since Trump won the presidential election, according to a group that tracks hate crimes in America.
Singh, who speaks at campuses across the nation, said Trump's words have pulled back a national veil on such hate.
"Donald Trump ran this campaign with a marketing strategy to focus on the fear and anxieties of many Americans," he said.
"He insulted a broad swath of Americans as part of this strategy," he said.
As Singh writes and draws work that plays with how we perceive other people, he sees danger in what Trump promotes in that regard.
"He has opened a Pandora's box of acting out our raw, stereotypical snap judgments towards fellow citizens of this country," Singh said.
"What it means to be an American has taken a vigilante persona. We are being vetted down by fellow Americans. This is what scares and motivates me the most at this hour," he said.
A Captain America who just happens to be a Sikh, a woman, LGBTQ, Latino or Muslim is needed more than ever, Singh asserted.
"Superheroes are all around us, offering selfless service to humanity. Their stories are what we need to extract, to emulate in our own lives and create a new generation of comics to fuel our imaginations. I hope to be part of this creative process," he said.
