Where Do We Go From Here?

(Sigh) It's only seven days into 2021, and we're already off to a bad start. You know what I'm talking about. On a gray, chilly January day, members of Congress gathered to do the task that has been upheld by the Constitution every four years, and that is to certify the incoming president's electoral votes. It was a tumultuous election season, to be sure, and it was only hampered further by two events that were out of the ordinary. One event was a group of GOP senators and delegates objecting to the certification of the incoming president. Usually a debate lasting for several hours is in order by at least one or two people. There was at least 12 people who wanted to contest this election, and that could've lasted for days. The other event that was out of the ordinary is one that's on the minds and hearts of all of us today, no matter which side of the political spectrum you are on. A pro-Trump demonstration was being held in downtown DC with many of them protesting the results of the election and calls for Trump to not concede the election. What happened next is nothing short of horrific and disheartening. Trump, Rudy Guliani, and several more of the leaders from the GOP incited the crowd, which caused them to march straight to the Capitol, bypassing the police and law enforcement, walk right up to the doors and smash windows and allow themselves inside. All the while the certification process was going on. Many of them were armed with guns, when they were specifically told they would be arrested for carrying armed weapons. They overpowered the police forces, and some of those members of law enforcement took selfies with the agitators. They shot at the barricaded doors where the members of Congress were located, and everyone had to be evacuated from within in order to be protected. Some of the senators found themselves down on the floor in hiding places in order to escape and evade the protestors. And that included the votes. Once inside, those people tore through the Senate floor and offices, destroying and dismantling everything in its path, and not giving a damn of what the consequences would be. It took hours before the National Guard was called, and even longer before the demonstrators were cleared away from the Capitol. And only 69 were arrested for their heinous crimes thus far.

I have so much to say about what happened on 6 January, and I'm usually kind in my blogs, along with being transparent and sincere. What I'm about to say next is anything but kind. It's probably blunt. What happened yesterday wasn't a protest. It wasn't a demonstration. It was an insurrection. An insurrection that was incited by someone who doesn't know how to lead and bow down gracefully after losing an election. An insurrection that was flamed into a fire burning out of control by someone who only thinks of himself and not others. An insurrection that was made deplorable and sickening by someone who is a bigot, sexist, homophobe, and many more adjectives which perfectly describes his lack of character. An insurrection that bled with lies, hatred, fear, division, and anger. These weren't protestors or demonstrators. They were DOMESTIC TERRORISTS. There, I said it. I have so many questions surrounding what happened on 6 January, but the biggest one I have is this: Why??????? To the 70 million + people who voted for this man, why? Why did you vote for someone who time and time again has said that blacks are "dumb," have "a low IQ," and only sees them as property? Why did you vote for someone who is a coward and can't even defend himself without going on Twitter and constantly put down others who speak the truth? Why did you vote for a male chauvinist who only values the physical appearances of women, and not their inner qualities? Why did you vote for someone who doesn't care about anyone but himself? Why did you let your anger, hatred, fear, and division rile you to the point of attacking the Capitol and the very democracy that this country has been founded on by the certification of an incoming president? Here's another question I have for all of you who voted for him: What are you so afraid of????? Are you afraid of people like me, who are black, or Asian, or Latino, or Hispanic, or indigenous, or any other minority known on this earth? Are you afraid of women who persist, stand up for what they believe in, and aren't submissive? Are you afraid of affordable healthcare for all, regardless of who they are and what their income is? Are you afraid of other religions that are allowed to be practiced in this country? Are you afraid of "progress"? Are you afraid of affordable education for everyone? Are you afraid of people being able to have a roof over their heads, food on the table, and their utilities and rent paid regardless of their status? Are you afraid of equality for all, regardless of religion, gender, and race? Are you afraid of allowing women to have rights over their bodies? Are you afraid of this nation losing meaning of what it truly stands for? I wish you could tell me in coherent terms without the yelling, attacking others, and being just plain cruel people. But after what happened on 6 January, I've come to accept a sad truth about those who voted for this man and all the horrific things he stands for. (He's not even a man; he's an idiot.) You don't deserve my sympathy. You don't have a place in my heart to seek out the good in you. You aren't worth my time trying to reason with you any longer. Anyone who turns a blind eye to the injustices going on in this world that began with this coward isn't worth my time anymore. Anyone who refuses to condemn the words and actions of this monstrosity of an administration led by this demon is no longer a friend of mine. Anyone who sees me, my fellow blacks and African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Latinos, indigenous, and other minorities as the problem in our country is no longer welcome in my life. Anyone who views women as a threat because of their assertion to belong in the resistance and not be submissive anymore is not allowed to debate with me. Anyone who believes that only a certain group of people should be afforded their basic civil liberties and not be extended to others has no soul. I've had it with the lot of you. I've had enough. You have no place in my life or mentality anymore. You are not welcome to hurt me or criticize me any more if you can't even see the evils that are occurring before your very eyes. What I'm saying to you is harsh, I know, but I'm fed up with this crap we've had to deal with for four years. I'M FED UP. This is NOT what democracy looks like, and you know it. This is anarchy, and it needs to stop NOW. Do you what's sad about this whole thing? If this were a Black Lives Matter or a Women's March protest, more lives would've been damaged or lost because of their race or gender. And there's proof of that. More than 14,000 people across the country who protested the death of George Floyd last summer were arrested. Only about 69 people were arrested on 6 January. Talk about double standard. It didn't have to be this way, and it shouldn't have to be this way. But sadly, it is. And that's due to over 400 years of white supremacy, greed, fear, and division. Indigenous peoples lives and rights were taken away by greed, blacks enslaved, disenfranchised, and even lynched because of their skin color, the old guard insisting that things have to stay this way in order for our nation to function, and so much more that has occurred throughout history. Our nation has been this way for over 400 years, and it may continue to be this way if we let these terrorists have their way. But that's not who we are. We don't have to stay this way. We are NOT what these terrorists want us to be. We are NOT what this administration has put this nation through for the past four years. We are NOT what fear drives us to become. We are MORE than this. We are MORE than hatred, division, anger, and fear. We are MORE than bigotry, sexism, homophobia, misogyny, religious intolerance, and other isms that come with this. We are MORE than the bad that keeps showing up on newscasts. We are MORE than what these terrorists wants us to believe in. The question is how can we move forward from this and truly start to heal again? You're already starting to do so. By acknowledging what happened on 6 January was wrong and know that we can be a better nation than this is an important first step. By accepting that this is what our nation is NOW but continue to make strides to what it COULD BECOME is big difference. By taking the time to truly learn, respect, and heal from what we've learned from history and get deeper into the real truths of what happened in our nation's timeline is an important realization and desire for change. By reaching out to others who are different from you and apologizing for complacency and ignorance is a true testament to your character and need to learn about the world around us. There ARE good people out there, and I firmly believe that they outnumber the bad. Focus on the good people and surround yourself with them. If there are those you encounter in your life who sympathize or even agree with what has happened on 6 January, it's time to let them go permanently. No matter what side of the political spectrum your on, this was a threat on our democracy and it's inexcusable. You don't have to put up with the excuses and explanations of those who blindly follow this administration and the man behind it anymore. You DO have a choice to cut them out, as hard as it is. Even if you're the only person who sticks by your convictions, know that I have your back 100%. And just one person who believes in you may be all that you need. We CAN be a better nation than what we are now, if we just take the time to finally break the pattern that was prevalent for over 400 years. It's not going to be easy, and it may not happen overnight. Nothing really ever happens overnight, to be honest. But I urge you not to give up or give in. That's exactly what those terrorists want us to do. We can get to where we want to be as a nation if we don't give into what these terrorists have stood for for the last four years. Showcase that courage, strength, compassion, kindness, equity, curiosity, hope, open-mindedness, and love. Don't wait for someone else to take that first step. Do it yourself. And do it NOW. No matter which side of the political spectrum you're on, what happened on 6 January was inexcusable and horrifying. But we shouldn't be defined by what the past 400 years of white supremacy and greed and the past four years of an administration who seems intent on spreading fear, division, hatred, and anger across the land. We are more than this, and we have to be more than this now. It's not too late to stand up for what you believe in, acknowledge past wrongs and misconceptions, and taking the time to learn in order to be a better human being. There are good people out there who are fighting and working hard to transform this country into the nation that belongs to everyone, not just a select few. There comes a time when you say "enough is enough," and that time couldn't be more clearer than now. We don't have to stand for this any longer. We will heal and recover from this, though it will take time. We will move forward and transform again, though it may take time and it doesn't happen overnight. We will finally remove the remnants of white supremacy, fear, division, and hatred once and for all, though it won't be easy. But we mustn't give up. Not by a long shot. The people are singing loud and clear. It's time to listen to them. Join our crusade for the nation and the world we long to see. Do you hear the people sing? Lost in the valley of the night? It is the music of the people Who are climbing to the light. For the wretched of the earth, There is a flame that never dies, Even the darkest night will end AND THE SUN WILL RISE.