Anniversaries

The heroism of D-Day reminds me fascism can be defeated. But the tragedy of Kalief Browder reminds me there's a war that still hasn't been won.

Today is the anniversary of the single most important day in the history of fighting fascists:

On June 6, 1944, Western Allied forces launched Operation Overlord, the massive Allied invasion of Normandy, France, to liberate Nazi-occupied Europe.

According to the National World War II Museum:

Operation Overlord required two years of planning, force and logistics build-up, and extensive training by the United States and Great Britain in the British Isles.... Allied assault troops gained a foothold on the Continent of Europe on D-Day and fought to gradually expand their beachhead. By the end of June, the Allies had landed over 850,000 troops, 570,000 tons of supplies, and nearly 150,000 vehicles across the beaches of Normandy. There would be months of hard fighting in Europe before the Nazis finally surrendered in May 1945, but the D-Day invasion gave the Allies the success they needed to initiate the campaigns that would lead to the liberation of Occupied Europe.

America fights its wars slightly differently these days, of course. We don't bother with planning or talking to our Allies.

Another thing that's different: Eighty-two years later, Team USA's biggest battle with Germany is in a friendly soccer match taking place this afternoon at Soldier Field in Chicago as both teams tune up for the World Cup that starts on June 11.

These days, the most dangerous Nazis Americans encounter are seen on the streets of U.S. cities or at Trump parties.

It's now a given that modern policing — especially in the age of Trump — uses tactics, such as the use of tear gas, that have been described as "frankly fascist in character" since the 1930s.

One recent example of "frankly fascist" modern policing went viral over the past few weeks as Instagrammer Jamari Khalif shared video of an encounter in which "MPD and Undercover Agents in Unmarked Cars jumped out on me in broad daylight 10 deep for no reason!!"

As Atlanta Black Star described it:

In another case of Walking While Black, a Washington D.C. cop with a history of violating people’s civil rights, named in two pending lawsuits, was captured on camera violating the rights of a Black man doing nothing but walking down the street.

Metropolitan police officer Anthony DelBorrell was captured on video detaining a Black man who goes by Jamari Khalif on Instagram for doing nothing more than swinging his satchel bag to the other side of his body as he was walking down the street while looking back at the cops.

Jamari Khalif's story highlights the ways that racial profiling has become even more rampant since the Supreme Court gave the practice its blessing in September 2025.

But Khalif's experience resonates even more strongly with me today, because June 6 is a reminder that none of this started with Trump.

Today is also the anniversary of an Obama-era tragedy: the suicide of Kalief Browder

Wrongly arrested at age 16 for a petty crime he didn't commit, with his family unable to make bail, Kalief Browder endured 3 years of torment and torture while imprisoned at Rikers Island in New York City before being released with no charges ever being brought against him.

On June 6, 2015:

Ten days before Donald Trump descended the Trump Tower elevator in June 2015 to launch his 2016 Presidential campaign, Kalief Browder killed himself.

Jennifer Gonnerman wrote about the case in The New Yorker in 2014.

A six-part documentary TIME: The Kalief Browder Story is available on Netflix.

I keep two anniversaries on my calendar for June 6: The heroism of D-Day reminds me that fascism can be defeated. But the tragedy of Kalief Browder reminds me there's a war that still hasn't been won.

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