November 26, 2020
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| My Madam Vice President-Elect |
Former President Barack Obama and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris are not the norm for the Black experience in the United States, they are the exception. Madam Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is not the norm for the experience of women (especially Black women), she is the exception. I am excited about the possibilities of what these two milestones mean for the United States, People of Color and women. Yet, I struggle to celebrate. In my heart I know we have not arrived.
If we truly have arrived in 2020, things that
should be norms would no longer be exceptions. For me, the following are not
norms...
●
No longer having trepidations about
my eldest son making it home safely
●
Not having others associate my success solely with affirmative action
or charity, rather than being tied to hard work
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| A Chuck-full of peace with my Hurd 3rd Crew |
●
My daughter constantly feeling beautiful outside our home and not be
dehumanized because of her passion
●
Brothers and Sisters of different
pigmentation and cultures to stop denying the intentional
and systemic
oppression of Blacks
● My wife's passion expressed in her to not be seen as angry when she is not. (What she is often doing is gracefully attacking the false sense of supremacy tied to white fragility.)
The elections of 2020 have shown us that the
USA is still divided. We still have citizens who believe changes in laws
mandate changes in the hearts of people. That's not how it works. We can make
all the laws and execution orders. This only addresses part of the problem.
Heart issues defy logic. Heart issues require an embracing of the truth for
lasting change. The humanitarian and attorney Bryan Stevenson spoke about the
United States having a racial bias legacy. He said, “We haven't really talked
much about the legacy of racial bias...I don’t think we can be free...until we
address this problem. But to get there, we’re going to have to be willing to
tell the truth.” We cannot arrive as a country until we deal with the truth.
Ignoring the truth keeps exceptions as exceptions, and stops the expansion of
norms we all deserve to experience.
2021 is coming soon. We can hit the reset button, or make 2021 a new version of 2020. I say, "Do better!" Deal with the truths of our country...the good, the bad, and the ugly. That is how we do better! Are you ready?!
-
Elgrie J./Prof. H.
