My Great-Grandfather Spoke Out Against Genocide in 1915. I’m Speaking Out Against MAGA in 2025
From Aleppo to America: My Family Stands Against Injustice — Then and Now.
To those of you who support MAGA:
This isn’t a debate. It’s a line in the sand.
As a lawyer, as an American, and as the great-grandson of Jesse Benjamin Jackson — U.S. Consul in Aleppo during the Armenian Genocide, I’ve been raised with a clear understanding of what’s at stake when people in power abandon truth, weaponize lies, and justify injustice in the name of nationalism, loyalty, or political gain.
My great-grandfather didn’t stay silent while a genocide unfolded around him. He didn’t look away when it became physically and politically dangerous to tell the truth. He took personal and professional risks to report the mass deportations, systematic killings, rapes and starvation of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire.
While others stayed quiet to preserve careers or favor, he called the Armenian genocide what it was: "without doubt a carefully planned scheme to thoroughly extinguish the Armenian race." He reported what he learned and observed to the U.S. government and the world. More than 500,000 Armenians were killed. He helped launch relief efforts that saved thousands of lives. He understood that silence in the face of injustice is complicity.
That’s the legacy I come from, and that’s the example I’m following.
So let me be clear: I will not be silent or look the other way. I will not engage with, do business with, or stand beside anyone who still supports the MAGA or it’s nationalist movement. That includes individuals, businesses, firms, and public figures. If you’ve hitched your identity, your platform, or your profit model to MAGA, then we have nothing to talk about. Period.
The MAGA message, driven by Trump and his enablers, is not just another political viewpoint. It’s a direct assault on democracy. It feeds on fear, hate, division, and the outright rejection of foundational principles like due process, equal protection, and the rule of law. And no, I’m not OK with the name-calling, the gaslighting, the lying. I’m not OK with blind nationalism being passed off as patriotism. I’m not OK with watching institutions crumble because people are chasing power, profit, and personal relevance at the cost of truth and constitutional values, locally, nationally, and globally.
You don’t get to claim love for this country while tearing apart what holds it together. MAGA is a threat. A real one. It’s a chainsaw to the hull of a ship already in dangerous and stormy waters. It’s tearing through our courts, our norms, our peaceful transfer of power, and the very idea that no one, not even a president, is above the law.
And no, this isn’t just about politics. It’s about integrity. It’s about decency. It’s about having the courage to do what’s right, even when it’s inconvenient. I’ve watched people I once respected twist themselves in knots to defend lies, cruelty, and lawlessness, all to protect their tribe, their profit, or their ego. At best, it’s desperation. At worst, it reveals exactly who they are. That’s not leadership. That’s cowardice.
My great-grandfather stood alone in hostile territory on the other side of the world to speak truth to power. If he could do that in the middle of a genocide, with no social media support, no protection, and every incentive to stay quiet — then I sure as hell can take a stand today, in my own country, against a movement undermining everything he and others fought to protect.
Staying silent? That’s not an option. Silence is consent. I’ve seen what happens when people choose to look the other way. That’s how democracies die, not all at once, but piece by piece, while good people tell themselves it’s not their fight.
So here’s where I stand:
I will not engage with or represent MAGA clients.
I will not support MAGA-owned businesses.
I will not collaborate with firms, politicians, or influencers who are silent or try to straddle the fence.
You’re either with democracy, or you’re not. And you don’t get to be silent, look the other way, and play innocent. You saw what happened on January 6. You hear the rhetoric and see what’s happening right now. You’ve seen the threats to judges, journalists, and political opponents. This is not a mystery. These are choices, and they have consequences.
We are shaping the future, for our kids, their kids, and generations to come. The legacy MAGA is leaving behind is one of hate, nationalism, broken promises, rage-driven policy, and authoritarian rot. I won’t be part of it. I won’t enable it. And I damn sure won’t pretend it’s OK just because it’s popular in your circle.
If you support MAGA, you’ve made your choice.
And I’ve made mine, guided by history, by principle, and by the bloodline of a man who refused to stay silent while evil wore the mask of power.
Thank you for reading, sharing and caring.
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This Letter is Just the Beginning. Learn More.
I shared a small part of my great-grandfather’s story. You’ve read or listened to the facts and my opinions in other articles posted here on my Substack. Hopefully, you’ve felt the fire.
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Mitch, you honor your ancestors with every step you take. Their spirit flows through you, shaping your path and guiding your voice. Keep sharing the wisdom of the ages—this is not just history, but a living, breathing legacy carried forward through you. Just as your great-grandfather faced adversity with unyielding grace, you carry that same fire—unapologetic in your resilience, unwavering in your hope. You are not simply a reflection of the past; you are its continuation, its evolution, its proof that strength endures and truth prevails.
You give eloquence and passion to what so many of us feel. Well said!
Thank you.