Between the Election and Me

"I have never had so many emotions coursing through my Black body at one time...it's hard not to view life through that lens, especially now, as a Black man who will watch as our first Black president laves office and hands over this country to the worst possible option. And the majority of the people I work with, walk past in the store, smile at in courtesy, hold my toungue when I try to help them as part of my job and they lash out at me, meet on the street through friends who just want to see the good in everyone, even some people that look like me, voted for this man. They voted for what he stood for, they voted for the hate, they voted for the disgusting things he said about womenm they voted for what he said about immigrants, they voted for America to be 'great again'. I can't help but feel like they voted against me and the people I love and care about. They voted against our children, born and unborn. They voted against equality, they voted against tolerance, they voted against progress. The women who voted for him voted against themselves, white and non-white. These are the people who say they want to make this country great again but the act of voting for a man who only ever did what was best for himself is not great or admirable. It's arrogant, it's ignorant, it's scary and it is sad. We had the choice of two evils, there is really no way to look past that. But this country voted for the greater evil in a manner that came across as vindictive, almost in a manner of vengeance for having to endure a Black man in the White House. They voted for a man because his opponent was a woman, with political credentials, mind you, even though this man had no political history at all. Because he was the only white male to chose from. There is no way I can look at this any differently because this man has dominated headlines and news programs for a year or more, clearly stating his views and never backing down from them. THIS IS THE COUNTRY MY BLACK BODY LIVES IN. I AM CLEARLY SEPARATE, UNEQUAL TO THE AGENDA OF MANY AROUND ME. I see that clearer than I thought I saw it before. I am not disappointed, I feel commissioned. I'm burning with intent and purpose. I am forever changed. More to come... #speakonitwithmaxlit #speakingdownbarriers #preparation #ready #willing #able #here #comeforme (facebook post 11/10/16, the day after Election Day).



This started out as a facebook status update but when I finished, it morphed into something more in my mind. Could it be a new spoken word piece? I don't know. But as I read it, I felt power behind the words. They were empowering. They expressed exactly how I felt, not just about Trump but also about those individuals who, seemingly, found a way to justify voting for him. I came across an article later on in the day and I felt that my feelings weren't off in any way, shape, form or fashion. It was an  open letter to the Evangelical Church from a Black, middle class Evangelical Christian woman. Now I am not an Evangelical Christian by any means, but her sentiments helped me sift through some of my own feelings about what has just transpired with this election. One comment in particular stuck with me:


"Today is not the day to try and compare your feelings of eight years ago to their feelings today. Your life, your citizenship, your very existence was not minimized, marginalized or under attack; and it is not today."

 

I remember watching the election results with friends and realizing our feelings and reactions being very similar to the feelings and reactions of a lot of white Americans when Obama was elected in 2008. They felt like because a Black man was taking office, a socialist according to many of them, that their castles were about to come crashing down. They felt threatened by the power that he had been given and they felt betrayed by their own government. Before Obama was elected, it was improper to speak against the office of the president. It became trendy during the Obama administration. Today, we have Black people saying that we have to respect the office of president, despite who holds the seat. And that we do. But I cannot respect a man who doesn't even respect those who actually voted for him, let alone those who didn't. The outrage on this side of things isn't based on theory of Trump's citizenship or his hidden agenda. It isn't based on misquotes and conspiracy theories regarding his religion. And it isn't even wholly based on Trump as an individual, even though that carries a huge amount of weight. The outrage is based on the fact that this man ran on a platform of white American elitism, unabashedly. And won.

 

As of recent numbers, Hillary Clinton's popular vote lead over Donald Trump is around 1.7 million votes. But as we all very well know, that means absolutely nothing when it comes to winning elections. The telling numbers in that popular vote, though, at least to me, is the split between white Americans with college degrees and those without. According to the Pew Research Center, two-thirds (67%) of non-college whites backed Trump, compared with just 28% who supported Clinton. This resulted in a 39 point advantage for Trump among this group. This, again, may not mean much to most people but, to me, it says that even among those who wouldn't seem to be the type of people that a legitimate elitist agenda would be for or inclusive to them, they chose Trump over Hillary because of biases and prejudices. Whether it was because Hillary was  connected to the Obama administration as Secretary of State or if it was just because she was a woman can't be legitimately determined. While there were concerns over her using a private server for confidential documents, her handling of the Benghazi situation and funding concerns with the Clinton Foundation, she was a legitimately qualified candidate. Very flawed, but legitimate. Trump's qualifications, or lack thereof, can't be overlooked. And neither can what he stands for. And a voter stands for, at least some of, whatever it is that the candidate they voted for stands for, whether we like to admit that fact or not. And what does Trump stand for? The laundry list is well known.  

 

How can minorities and women as a whole not feel marginalized today? How can we not feel like America being "great again" doesn't include us? How did some women and even some Black people, in some cases even Democratic voters, vote for Donald Trump? What does that say about where we have come as a nation? Again, this isn't specifically nailing Donald Trump to the wall, even though that would be very easy to do. And it isn't me chafing at people's right to vote for whoever they decide to vote for. This is recognition of what the majority of the most of the white American public feels "American Greatness" is, even if it doesn't actually include them. And it is obvious that a white male heterosexual dominated society is what everyone who voted for Trump, of every race, color, creed and gender, feel this "great America" should be.

 

Is that last comment too extreme? No, and I will tell you why. The election of Barack Obama to this country's highest office could have and should have been a turning point in our American history, a history that has been riddled with gross injustices, indecencies and crimes against its own people, not to mention the slaughter of the indigenous tribes of this land and the enslavement of Africans and the placing of Japanese Americans in interment camps during WWII. The fact that it polarized our country is not surprising but it seemed as if maybe the thaw of white male supremacy in this country was, at least, beginning. But as racial and social issues were moved to the forefront of the American consciousness, as more marginalized groups began to speak out, as more and more people began to reject the American elitist agenda and began to embrace a more inclusionary one, the racist agendas of what was once thought to be an old ideology came roaring back. Black American men, woman and children became literally caught in the crosshairs of police and ordinary citizens (not to say that this started then, it just became more visible, as did the lack of justice to those responsible). Religious groups stepped up their shunning of those who didn't fit their warped agendas, American citizen or not. Children and adults that were struggling to find and establish their sexual identities were attacked, in some case violently and fatally, in ways we hadn't seen in decades. And finally, the line was drawn in dramtic fashion on Election night 2016 when Donald Trump, a man completely unqualified in many people's opinion to run the country, was elected to do just that.

 

Does anyone now still have issues with Colin Kaepernick or anyone else NOT standing for the national anthem?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We Ain't Ready: For THE Revolution

First off, I want to thank Marlanda "Sapient Soul" Dekine for putting me on to this:


Killer Mike #ABNC All Black National Conference


Second, I came across this as well:


Killer Mike #ABNC All Black National Conference/ Black Banks, Gentrification, etc.


Third, in light of the election results last night, I had to preempt a current blog post that I am working on to say a few things here on this particular topic.


America failed last night.


I am not saying this in reaction to those who voted for Donald Trump and those who may not have voted at all. I've long been wary of the electoral process and I was not too enamored with either candidate. But as a country, America failed last night because of the system that is set in place and the direction the citizens of this country has vocally, and now electorally, said that it wants to go.


Fuck every "American" that doesn't look like us (the white majority) or worship like us or live heterosexually like us or has money like us.


So we now know what the American "public" wants. Not that we didn't know already. In 2008 when Barack Obama was elected, we knew then. We knew in the crying faces of white co-workers who we may have watched the election results with, who we may have thought we were cool with. We knew it from the rhetoric that took off that moment and has continued through to this day. We knew when white people began to feel like America had failed then. We knew as our lives began to be marginalized, with killing after killing of unarmed Black men, women and children by police officers and others. We knew when Donald Trump actually became a viable candidate and we knew when all this shit that came out of his mouth was not disputed by those who supported him. We knew as some of us went to the polls yesterday and voted. We knew as we watched the results, a lot of us in disbelief. We knew as we drove home, wondering what tomorrow would bring, what it would be like at work or at school or just at the gas station or grocery store. We knew when we woke up this morning and turned on the news. We know now.


We need to also know that as a people, what Killer Mike said in the above videos is absolutely right. We aren't ready. We aren't ready for what is about to come. And we need to get ready, right now! As a people, we are on our own. This country has elected a corporate honcho with no political experience whatsoever. Remember when people said the same thing about Obama? That was supposed to be important then. People said the same thing about Hillary Clinton. It was supposed to be important then. Now, it's meaningless. Donald Trump is a money man and he has just been charged with leading our country. Some may feel that it isn't the office of president that is important, that it doesn't matter who holds the seat. Those would be the same people who thought it mattered when Obama was elected, twice. This country has put a person in office who doesn't even fake to have some sort of moral code or compass. And we all knew that already!!! That is what some have said makes him the perfect person to lead this country. Fuck diplomacy, fuck class, fuck manners, fuck morals, fuck values, fuck everything but money and fuck everyone who feels like there should be an even playing filed when it comes to race, economics, justice, education, etc. Fuck you if you aren't elite. Be poor, die, whatever. But fuck you and fuck off.


Here is something I feel we all have to be honest about. Putting all political opinions that I and the rest of us may have aside, Hillary lost to Obama and to Donald Trump because she is a woman. There are people in this country, male and female, white and otherwise who only voted for Obama because they weren't ready to see a woman of any race, political background, etc. as president of these United States. Think about this for a moment. There were actual racist white males and females who voted for a nigger because they actually felt better about a Black man being president than a white woman. This time around, across the board, people of all genders, races, sexual orientation, etc. voted for a misogynistic, racist, bigoted white male who didn't even have to have these facts outed. He touted them, reveled in the controversy and even mocked Republican voters that he knew would vote for him "just because". And now we here, a day after the worst possible scenario that anyone could think became a reality. Donald Trump is going to be the 45th president of the United States.


I saw this on a good friend of mine's facebook page a while back. I didn't watch it the first time I saw it but after watching what Killer Mike had to say about Black people not being ready, I revisited it. I'm glad I did. As a community, we really need to be on this. Take a moment to view it please.


Single Mom Grows Her Own Food and Provides for the Community


After watching that video and having seen the Killer Mike videos, I understand how unprepared I am. I am fully convinced that no good can come from what we are going to experience as a country and as a Black community over the  next few years. I could be wrong but I don't think I am. I am not wealthy, nor am I anywhere close to being wealthy. I don't have the skills nor the credetials or education that can plug me into a corporate environment or any non self employed environment that can net me over $30,000 a year. I have come to the realization that economically, I am going to have to find a way to survive and without wealth, considering what we are witnessing right now, that will probably very difficult. And if this is the case for many of us, then we need to realize it as well. It is going to be up to each and every one of us, very soon, to find ways to take care of ourselves and our families without looking to the machine around us. They will not be there, they won't want to be there and they won't even feel like they have to be there. It won't be easy to figure these ways out. As Mike was saying, we have to tap into Black resources, buy land, learn to hunt and grow our own food. But most importantly, we need unity as a community. We need to start with us, as Black people. We want our youth to excel and push through the glass ceilings that society has placed above us, but our youth also need to understand that we are going to need more than an institutionalized education to survive. We are going to need each other and we are going to have to be self sustained as people and as individuals. We are going to need our own financial institutions and our own streams of income. We are going to have to continue to create and support Black owned businesses significantly and, at some point, exclusively. I say this because last night's election was more than the wrong person being elected to lead this country. We were going in this direction regardless of who won last night. With Donald Trump being elected, that was a out and out declaration of "American Greatness" and exclusion. It was a statement against our Black lives and a condoning of police brutality against minorities. It was a thumb in the eye to those athletes who sit or kneel during the playing of this country's national anthem. It was a chin check to all of us who thought this country actually wanted change when we elected Barack Obama. This was a showing of who is "really in charge, in case you niggers didn't already know". This was a reaffirmation, a reality check and a notice to all that times are definitely changing back to when dissenting voices were handled with actions approved up to and including the deaths of those who dared speak against the system. Last night, America showed us all what it is and what it thinks of us as citizens and as minorities.


The question that stands now is this: Are we ready to get ready for what is coming? Now?