The 2020 presidential election has been a nail-biter of a race, especially as those of us hoping desperately for a change collectively held our breaths as mail-in ballots were counted. Some called it carry-over trauma and anxiety from 2016 when poll after poll showed Hillary Clinton leading Donald Trump in key states. Despite poll after poll showing Joe Biden ahead of Trump in purple, battleground states, we were too anxious to even be cautiously optimistic. And with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris now confirmed as the winners of the 2020 Election, we are again hearing a chorus of Democrats saying that we owe Black and brown voters, especially Black women, our thanks for pulling us through to the finish line. This is especially true in Georgia, where Stacey Abrams, the first Black woman to become a major party’s gubernatorial nominee in 2018, founded an organization to fight voter suppression after losing to now-Gov. Brian Kemp. Already, we are seeing images, memes, and praise of Stacey Abrams making the rounds on social media and the news....
Read More The 2020 presidential election has been a nail-biter of a race, especially as those of us hoping desperately for a change collectively held our breaths as mail-in ballots were counted. Some called it carry-over trauma and anxiety from 2016 when poll after poll showed Hillary Clinton leading Donald Trump in key states. Despite poll after poll showing Joe Biden ahead of Trump in purple, battleground states, we were too anxious to even be cautiously optimistic. And with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris now confirmed as the winners of the 2020 Election, we are again hearing a chorus of Democrats saying that we owe Black and brown voters, especially Black women, our thanks for pulling us through to the finish line. This is especially true in Georgia, where Stacey Abrams, the first Black woman to become a major party’s gubernatorial nominee in 2018, founded an organization to fight voter suppression after losing to now-Gov. Brian Kemp. Already, we are seeing images, memes, and praise of Stacey Abrams making the rounds on social media and the news. … Read more
If my forgiveness must be demanded, perhaps it isn’t deserved
I am being told to forgive. I am told that I need to reach across the aisle, shake hands, put my political differences aside, and join in becoming one country again. I am told this is very important because I, as a Black person, not only had to use my vote to save this country … Read more
A dark graduation for those who deserve better
Dear graduates of the never-ending 2020 election nightmare, thank you for being here, on Zoom, for what should be a momentous occasion, but will forever be remembered as the year we nearly, almost, kinda, but not really rejected fascism. I think we, the generations before you, fucked up big time. We should have been working … Read more
The coup and you
So, let’s not mince words: Donald Trump and his GOP enablers (that is to say, most of the Republican Party) are trying to carry out a coup. If you can’t see that, then I wonder about your discernment. I’m not saying it’s going to be a successful coup or that it’s the most well-planned coup … Read more
If my forgiveness must be demanded, perhaps it isn’t deserved
I am being told to forgive. I am told that I need to reach across the aisle, shake hands, put my political differences aside, and join in becoming one country again. I am told this is very important because I, as a Black person, not only had to use my vote to save this country … Read more
Trump empowers whiteness: The good, bad and ugly about the election
Ten great things happened across the country on election night. Like really wonderful. I’m going to tell you about them and I want you to hang onto them and let them lift you up and help you understand that this country is not as rotten as it can seem. But first, we’ve got to talk … Read more
It ain’t political to say Black Lives Matter
This past year—as the racial tensions rose across the country in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of the police—organizations for a moment were quick to jump on the Black Lives Matter bandwagon and express support for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Black Lives Matter signs were the hottest new trend, only … Read more
It’s not voter ignorance that keeps him in power…they know exactly who and what he is
With less than two months to go until the election, the president’s approval rating is holding steady. In fact, despite his blatant corruption, incomprehensible disdain for American citizens and even his pitiful stupidity, his approval ratings have held steady throughout his entire term. This confuses a lot of people. It confuses some people so much … Read more
Where is your pain? Musings on ancestral racial burdens
It’s another week in American where Black pain is on display while we grapple with the aftermath of the Kenosha, Wis., shooting of an unarmed Black man—Jacob Blake. Reports are that Blake was breaking up a fight between two women, and at some point the police were called for a domestic incident. The video that … Read more
A pause in racism due to COVID
Like many of you, I have been sheltering in place at home since mid-March when I shut down my Boston office. Though I did spend late-May to late-June in Chicago when my Dad was dying, upon my return to Maine after my Dad’s death, I hunkered back down in my house. To date, I have … Read more
INTO THE ARCHIVES
A warning: Democrats should not take Black and brown voters for granted
The 2020 presidential election has been a nail-biter of a race, especially as those of us hoping desperately for a change collectively held our breaths as mail-in ballots were counted. Some called it carry-over trauma and anxiety from 2016 when poll after poll showed Hillary Clinton leading Donald Trump in key states. Despite poll after … Read more