So here it is. Sighh. The post you’ve all been waiting for, or not. The post election post. I put it off as long as I could until I could come to some sort of understanding as to what has taken place. Until I could get to a place where I was less angry and hopefully to a point where I wouldn’t offend anyone with my words.
Yes, I too was one of those Americans who were in mourning that Wednesday when we learned the fate of our country. I slept restless the night before and woke up feeling hopeless. No sense of purpose. I unfriended, unfollowed and vowed to disconnect from social media all together. I debated skipping class and I dreaded returning to work. I feared for the safety of my family and friends and also myself. Fearful that we may be subject to hate crimes because let’s face it. The cat is out of the bag. The masks are off. There are those who feel empowered to show their true colors because they’ve allowed a man to play on their fears, giving them the okay to express a deep hatred that they’ve tried so hard to mask for eight years. Longer. No more hiding behind a computer screen. No sooner than the results were heard were swastikas plastered on buildings in my own city, the city of brotherly love. It just got real. This is not the feeling that I felt when President Obama first took office and I’m sure you’d agree.
We lived in utopia for that one moment in time. A world with no limits. An America with no racism. I mean how could there be racism ? After all, we’ve elected our first black president. Look how far we’ve come! Wishful thinking, as if one man could single handedly solve this country’s deep rooted issues, which we claim are non existent to begin with. The Civil Rights Act was only 50 some years ago. The only thing that changed in this country were the laws, not people’s hearts. They couldn’t wait until his two terms had ended so that things could revert back to they way that it once was. Everyone wasn’t ready for change. They weren’t ready for a black president then and apparently not ready for a woman president now.
So once I came to the conclusion that there’d be no fantastic voyage cruise ship back to Africa, I figured I could do one or two things; live my life in fear or live my life. I’m choosing the latter because living in fear is not living at all. God knows I do enough of this on a daily basis. Life doesn’t stop here. There’s still money to be made and bills to be paid. We cannot allow ourselves to remain stuck due to an unfavorable outcome. As for the future, I don’t now what it holds. But starting now, our President elect needs to take accountability for his choice in rhetoric throughout the entire campaign if he ever hopes to truly “make America great again.”
“So do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
-Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
A Black Girl About Town 
I mourned too, still am. Our collective feelings were about much more than politics. I’m living my life too, to the fullest. We can’t let them hold us down. This quote from my sis gave me hope: “Beloved, grieve and mourn. I am doing the same but take heart. We are on the precipice of a new freedom struggle. Keep your head and harness everything you are feeling right now in service to this movement.
We need you.
Giving into cynicism is easy and tempting given the times we are living in. Resist this urge. The joy that comes from Christ is impenetrable. Remember that joy is a form of resistance. Guard it with all your heart.
This is how we will OVERCOME.”
Yes, sis I feel you it’s very hard but we have to keep on keepin’ on as they say. That was such a lovely quote from your sister. I will definitely keep that one close to heart! Thanks for sharing that!
Of course, you’re welcome! And yes we do, blessings to you.