I woke up this morning, after a night of minimal rest with a huge pit in my stomach. My heart is heavy and I am honestly terrified for today. I am terrified for the potential future of my life..of my three year old sons life. Of every woman's life, Black persons life. I am just feeling very anxious and uneasy of the inevitable rioting, hate, and outcome of today regardless of which way it goes.
I feel like it is a pretty fair statement for me to say that if you have ever even spent 10 minutes with me, you most likely know which way I lean politically. Though I am not fully one way or the other, I do tend to lean more to one side than the other.
I am not sure at what point our world turned so ugly. so hateful. so divided...about every damn thing. But it is sickening. It is dang near impossible to teach my little sponge of a toddler about kindness and acceptance when he hears people making nasty comments in stores to someone else who is minding their own business but are Black, gay, trans, whatever. When we are driving and people are hollering nasty things at us because we aren't honking at the people on the side of the road holding hands for a candidate. When people in general have just lost their sense of humanity. Raising a child in these years isn't easy.
In 2012, I voted in my first presidential election at 21 and got to choose a Black man to be president. Now I am 29 and a mixed woman who is half Black, like I am is on the ballot to be vice president. This is the America my ancestors wanted.
Today is an important day. Possibly one of the most important days I will have lived to see. I am usually pretty quiet when it comes to politics and even current affairs but this year I have found it pressing and needed to share my voice.
As a woman...as a Black Woman in 2020 it is imperative that I vote and I use my voice to educate those around me. This has been an exhausting year (or 4 years) for the Black community. As a Black woman I am not privileged enough to hate politics and ignore it. Instead, I hate politics but I still have to involve myself to some degree for myself and my son's future.
Breonna Taylor can not vote.
George Floyd can not vote.
Rayshard Brooks can not vote.
Daniel Prude can not vote.
Atatiana Jefferson can not vote.
Stephon Clark can not vote.
Ahmaud Arbery can not vote.
&so so so many others can not vote.
But I can.
and I want to preface the rest of this by saying,
It isn't that I am anti-republican. It is that I am anti trump.
I am anti racism, anti misogyny, anti fear-mongering, anti homophobia, anti fascist.
This election isn't about getting along with people who have different views. I respect and understand a conservative stance and mindset. The people who want everyone to get along this election, have a large amount of privilege. If you are choosing preach that everyone should be able to get along regardless of political belief, you do not care about the Black people, Hispanic people, Muslim people in your life...if you are even lucky enough to have such a diverse circle. You do not care about your family, your friends, your co-workers. You do not care about your daughter, wife, sister, aunts, mother, grandmother.
you. do . not. care. you don't care because after all is said and done, you will still have the luxury of your privilege-that you have always had. you don't care because no matter who is elected, the policies won't impact your life. wow. now that is some privilege.
I am aware that my opinion on this isn't going to sit well with some and to those, I bid adieu. I have zero space in my life for people who have zero space for human rights and human life in theirs. I can not be friends with people who do not support my reproductive rights and aren't livid when people are being killed in the streets by cops. People who don't sympathize or support medicare, medicaid and other social programs because for whatever reason they can't work or need additional help to get what they need to survive. It is important to me to vote for someone who will help not raise the prices of insulin. I care about other people and I am voting for someone who cares about other people.
It is fine if you don't want to vote the same way I am. But I said what I said.
I am terrified. My rights as a woman, and a Black woman, are on the ballot.
This is no longer republican vs. democrat. This is pure evil vs. democrat.