Tag: Election 2024

Here Comes The Rain – (Part 2)

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“Racism has always had death in it.” – Rev. Dr. William Barker II

We are 5 months from the Election of 2024.

As of this posting, the man who was the 45th President of this Republic is a convicted felon. He is still the Republican nominee for President despite:

-His response to the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in the deaths of at least 1,000,000 people.

-His ties to Russia

-Being convicted on 34 counts of fraud

-Support of disinformation, persecution of scientists and scientific methodology.

-1500 immigrant children missing at the border in the what can be described as internment camps; children sleeping on the floor under foil colored blankets in cages!

-His excusing of the domestic terrorism in Charlottesville which resulted in the death of Heather Heyer.

-Inciting an insurrection on Tuesday, January 6, 2021 which resulted in the death of a Capitol police officer.

-his egregious behavior resulting in attacks on the FBI, and influencing the potential kidnapping of a sitting governor of the state of Michigan.

-His response to the relief effort in Puerto Rico after the Hurricane Maria.

-His sexual assault history, xenophobia, racism and support of police brutality.

Next issue drops in September.

This is by no means the complete extent of his involvement in what can only be described as the active effort to dissolve the American republic.

This is the best this party has to offer!

At a dinner I had with my cousin Jason last year, he always emphasizes how proud he is to be a Republican. He voted for Trump, but he identifies as a Regan era Republican. The same Regan who is responsible for the Crack Epidemic, the current healthcare crisis, and who wouldn’t even whisper AIDS?

That’s exponentially worse — and I will not explain why.

I told him to his face the only reason why I let him in my house is because he was my cousin — and I love him. And yet? I am aware he is not alone in his thinking, and not the only Black man (or Black woman) in America who feels this way!

Yet, on the precipice of the Election of 2024, love will not be enough to hold relationships, friendships, cookouts, and celebrations together.

Why?

Knowing all you know, you did it anyway. By no means am I saying President Joe Biden is perfect or infallible. He is now a father of a felon, after his son, Hunter Biden, got convicted on a gun charge!

What I am saying is the justification I have for voting the way I plan to — it is not based in the erasure of anyone’s humanity! It is not based in racism, xenophobia or the perpetuating of white supremacy or Christian nationalism!

I understand no one has to justify the way they vote — I get that. The crucial part is you vote! That’s your right in a democratic republic. What cannot be reconciled is knowingly voting for a candidate who participated in the things I mentioned — and your vote makes you complicit with his ideology or lack thereof!

And…you support it. Or you have no problem supporting it — as long as you benefit (or believe you will). We are at a political boiling point, and the kitchen might just be on fire in November! And there can’t be excuses, there can’t be “it’s just politics”.

As the old women I am descended from would say, “You can’t come ‘round here no more. And I can’t see no more of you!”

The playing in our faces is over. This is who you all are! The sadder part, is it took the world almost ending 3 times over to see it.

Note:

Part 3 will be up on Patreon.

Here Comes The Rain (Pt. 1)

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Click here to read Hannah’s essay.

Image taken from secure.winred.com

I was part of the 91% of Black women who pushed back this domestic wave of fascism in 2020. I am the mother of Black children, whom I have tried to put all of me into them so they don’t go into the world empty.

I have also been Black for almost 45 years on these shores, have paid attention to history and politics from the time I was about 12,13 years old. I remember watching Dr. Fauci on C-SPANN and Rachel Maddow when she was intellectually sparing with Tucker Carlson!

I am not in a position to not know what is going on. There is no gender that protects me, and no race that softens consequences.

In 2020, Hannah L. Drake wrote BLACK PEOPLE ALWAYS SMELL THE RAIN COMING. And this sticks out to me now as it did 4 years ago:

“Sadly, what I and many Black people knew was coming has now arrived in the form of Coronavirus-19. I knew it. I didn’t know how it would manifest, but I knew many in America had yet to feel the pain. Too many people were comfortable. They were okay with a little racism. They were fine as long as their 401K looked good. They didn’t care about kids being locked in cages. That wasn’t THEIR problem. But now you see.”

What I am aware of, perhaps more than I did in 2020, is there is a safety certain people have in whiteness— because they are invested into it. They have given up every social currency to participate in it— because they believe it is right!

I have a dear cousin, Jason, whom I am side eyeing, along with Black people who believe as he does that voting Republican is the solution. Meanwhile, these very same Republicans benefit from social advancements from Democratic policies.

Make it make sense?

Yet, the most glaring thing I see on the horizon is familial devastation— not just for me, but nationwide. In 2016, there were people who voted for Donald Trump as a joke. Voted 3rd party because “I just couldn’t vote for Hilary”. There were people who held to party lines and allegiances, voted for Donald Trump. There were people who didn’t vote as fire extinguishers as Guante said, and wanted to see this nation incinerate!

In 2016, no one took it seriously. Also, there White people who still were mad that there was a Black President. There were still people angry the nation looks less White, and there who were told people voting Democrat will send you to Hell!

And people excused it as political difference.

In 2020, there are people who were still mad the world is less White! Mad Black people aren’t going away — or even surpassing them! There are White people in the world who are still mad that they don’t own Black people anymore, and believe taking the country back 60+ years is the answer! That repealing everything that benefits anyone who is not cis, Het, White and male — and there are Black people who believe anything White people tell them! Compounded by the fact classes of Black men are using white supremacist talking points put in the political arena by Steve Bannon to stymie any political influence Black women could have?

Diabolical!

And now we are 5 months out from Election 2024.

Note:

This is the essay I was scared to write but needed to — it’s too dangerous to be silent. The third part of this essay will be on Patreon.