Photo Credit: New York Public Library

 

Dissent

Kamala Harris is the choice for VP! And I am proud and hopeful and can almost see the light at the end of the very dark tunnel that has held us captive for 3 ½ devastating years. Kamala Harris is smart, strong, experienced, knowledgeable, wise and forthright. She also takes no BS. She is a prosecutor. She is the voice that can cut through this perverse silence of Washington that has kept us frustrated and confused about what truth actually means, anymore.  She can cut through the BS like only a Black woman can. Yes, I said it. A history of being told that you won’t, can’t, shouldn’t, won’t be able to, garners this kind of, dare I say, Chutzpah that Kamala Harris embodies. She is elegant, graceful and has a large vocabulary. And, she is gorgeous. It is a big day for all Americans. I say, rejoice! It is a choice that shows our better selves. Sure, she was chosen to diversify the ticket. She was also chosen because of her fierceness which is what Joe Biden lacks. Together, they are the perfect balance of presidential experience and guts that will  lead us out of hell.

 

In all of my excitement, rose the cynic. Through the tears and pride,  I’ve been waiting for it… The harsh sound of a dissenter; a racist or white supremacist who just couldn’t let us bathe in the warmth of Kamala Harris’ victory without undermining it.  I knew the joy couldn’t last longer than hour. And then here it came….from a BLACK WOMAN! Whaaaaat? A Black woman from Black Voices for Trump. A Trumper! Her complaint?  Kamala Harris isn’t Black enough.

 

Preposterous. Sad.

 

Oppression is the new Black. It doesn’t really matter what your DNA make-up is, but there are just some finite truths among all people of color. We all know these truths and we embrace the struggle and thrive or we turn our backs, assimilating our hearts; believing things that we were never taught. It’s a sickness. Like this particular African American Trumper (an oxymoron indeed) who suffers from the worst kind of ignorance.: she has chosen to forget.

 

What she has forgotten is the pure fact that most people with Brown or Black skin are descendants of pain. People who were not allowed to read, write, worship their own God, or even vote. They were dehumanized by being called 3/5 human. Some of our own parents fought the worst kind of fiery hatred with dogs, battalions , hoses, assault and lynching. Many of our parents and grandparents sat in segregated movie theaters, drank from colored-only water fountains and because they survived all of that, many of us can stand here today with college degrees, careers and a society that is somewhat free enough to make Kamala Harris VP.

 

For the nitpickers, I will disclaim that not all of us have had that experience…but in some shape or form, we all did.  Even those who are in adjacent denial.

 

People of color have been taught slightly different things about ourselves, our possibilities  and our hopes and dreams than white Americans. We have been taught to fight and defend our brilliance, value and beauty at every step of  the way. I don’t care how much you have achieved, how many degrees, how many books, mansions, boats you have acquired, it is hurtful when a person of African descent can find any love or respect for a movement that values money above all else. It is shameful and disrespectful to our very history. A history that was born of traditions, rituals, spirituality and most of all, love. I would call this turncoat amnesia, the most deadly kind.

 

To her and all of the dissenters of Kamala’s moment, I say:

 

“Black pride was born from oppression, persecution, genocide, slaughter and persistent pain. It was not born out of narcissism, nor the purpose of declaring superiority. Black pride is a celebration of life. As though to say, “We’re here. We’re alive. We’re resisting.” It is a way of honoring the past and challenging the future.” Unknown.

 

Leaving you to be proud that Kamala is our future.