You Voted... Now What?
Today is Election Day 2018 and it’s one of the most intense mid-term elections of my lifetime. In Georgia, where I live, Stacey Abrams is set to make history as the first Black woman to become governor in America. There are more minorities and women running for office than ever before as a result of the 2016 Presidental Election and everything that’s transpired in the last two year. Everywhere you turn, someone is reminding you that your vote matters. Heck, I am one of those people.
But what happens after the election? I think that’s what we all tend to forget. In 2008 when we made history by electing the first Black president of the United States, many of us grew complacent. We thought we had arrived, myself included. We let our guard down and forgot that white supremacy doesn’t just magically disappear because there is a Black man in the highest office of the land. Two years later, we watched as white supremacy reared its ugly head and took over Congress. Eight years later, we watched as an actual white supremacist with no political experience was elected president.
We let our joy in how things looked on the outside allow us to forget
The reality is that even without white men in office white supremacy and patriarchy still exist. In many ways, we all still act as gatekeepers of both white supremacy and patriarchy. We do it every time we hold a Black business to a larger standard than a white one. We gatekeep patriarchy every time we blame a woman for her sexual assault. We train our children as mini gatekeepers when we tell our sons that they can’t cry and our daughters that they must wear a longer skirt. When we tell our Black children that they can’t wear hoodies or use African American Vernacular English, we teach them that they must mold themselves to be acceptable for white proximity.
So, yes I want you to vote but I also want you to think about what you’ll do tomorrow to uproot the system.
Me? I intend to continue the work I’ve already been doing but that I took a break from because I felt so hopeless. I’ll keep educating others and raising my children to understand that the only way to fix this broken system is to completely tear it down. I’ll continue supporting women like Stacey Abrams, who care about my children.
No matter who wins tonight’s election, the fight will not end. As long as white supremacy exists, we must fight every single day to burn it to the ground. This course can help you start the process Raising an Advocate 101 (Self-Paced).
