Thought for the Day:
“It isn’t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do.”
Jane Austen
Question for the Day:
Are you proud of our country?
Well, well, well! I don’t know about anyone else, but this past election week has been an emotional rollercoaster that has felt like the last episode of “Married at First Sight” and it was up to us to make the final decision as to whether or not we were going to stay married to America or get a divorce. Though I believe in fighting for relationships, America was starting to come off like that one wayward child that’s just gonna take you down and through it regardless! For me, the country has basically been on punishment for the last four years and the morning after election night, I was about ready to call DHS and ask somebody to come pick her up before things got sticky.
It still boggles my mind that millions of people voted for the hatred, division, intolerance, chaos, instability, and disorder we’ve all witnessed since the election of Donald Trump. I guess I may never understand how people who claim to love God can throw their full and unconditional support behind a man with a revolving door administration and mafia style handling of anyone who dares challenge his disrespect, incompetence, and dishonesty. There have been plenty of instances that suggest Trump could benefit from a psychiatric evaluation, but the die hard Trump fans still hung on his every word and NOT ONCE allowed themselves to face the truth. I need to know the brand of blinders that completely erases the memory of “grabbing p***y,” “moving on her (a married woman) like a b***h,” mocking the disabled, several marriages and divorces, multiple bankruptcies, adultery, stripper hush money, insulting the military and renowned war heroes, alienating allies, becoming best buds with dictators, millions of dollars in debt to foreign entities, tax fraud, struggling to denounce White supremacy, refusing to attend daily White House briefings, and incessant Twitter trolling. Listen, whatever extra dense, bifocal strength blinders Trumpsters wear would come in handy the next time I’m in a bathing suit. I need that type of blind optimism in my life, or…. perhaps I should just accept that I may be in denial and do something different, which thankfully, America FINALLY decided to do.
Had this election gone a different way, those of us who were on our last ounce of faith would have had no choice but to do what we’ve always done which is accept the unacceptable and just deal, cope and survive. Pain, disappointment, discouragement, rejection and exclusion is the story of America for many of its people, particularly the poor, immigrants, Native Americans, Mexicans, descendants of Africans, the disenfranchised, communities of color in general, and women. Even the assertion that Donald Trump would “Make America Great Again” is a statement rooted in privilege as it assumes that our country was in fact always great for everyone when that has never been the case.
I guess America would be great for a white man who inherited millions of dollars in generational wealth. Yet, the descendants of slaves who had to claw their way to success with no financial leg up would likely disagree. The five young men accused of rape in Central Park who lost years of their lives to prison despite DNA evidence proving them innocent, would probably not agree that America was great. Native Americans who were victims of mass murder and forced to live as intruders on their own land would surely not agree that America has been great to them. Parents of children who are undereducated by underfunded schools and who must raise their families in economically deprived communities, also know America isn’t great. And families who’ve lost loved ones to police brutality or the uncontrolled pandemic that is COVID-19, are certainly not cosigning the assertion that our country is as great as 45 made it out to be. Where Donald Trump and the super rich seek to return to the days when growing wealth meant that marginalized people of color lived in subordination as slaves, servants, sharecroppers, field hands, maids, and entry level laborers, the people who suffered under that oppression just want to know what “great” actually feels like. Perhaps then, we’d want to experience it again.
As a woman who values good people and good character, I was almost ready to chuck my relationship with this country up to deuces. Yet, in the 4th quarter, the United States came through like Michael Jordan and delivered a decisive slam dunk that may not have shattered the back board, but certainly shattered glass ceilings. The election of Joe Biden means that his running mate Kamala Harris will become not only the first woman, but the first woman of color to ever hold the position of Vice President of the United States. An achievement like that by a Howard University educated woman (HUUUUUUU!!!! YOU KNOW!!!!!!!!!!), gives hope to all children of immigrants and black and brown girls who now have a living example to follow. It also demonstrates hope in the idea that a white man and a black woman can come together and be a demonstration of unity and collaboration that could potentially heal our country which has been infected with hate and division at a higher rate than COVID-19.
The bottom line is, this time last week, many people who look like me were literally fearing for our lives and questioning the likelihood of our survival. But today, we are breathing a collective sigh of relief. To know that there are still more moral and ethical people in our country than not, gives me renewed hope for my black children. It also gives me joy on behalf of our ancestors who may be looking down on us and rejoicing over a fresh opportunity for us to take hold of all that they rightfully earned for us. So, it’s with a grateful heart that I celebrate America today for being mature enough to own up to some of her dysfunction and take a step in the right direction. I’m still gonna have my eye on her (cause you know how she do…lol) but, you’ve earned another chance with me. America, you go girl! Now get in there and clean up that White House!
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Romans 12:21
