Woo-Hoo The Nightmare’s Almost Over!
Woo-Hoo, the nightmare is beginning to come to an end. We have named a new President who will take office in 2021. Joe Biden and his accomplished Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris will orchestrate a kinder, gentler, greener, inclusive, and more scientifically based America. They will focus on unity rather than division. They will lead by example and wear the mask until COVID-19 is under control. There will be no more Russian roulette to see how many presidential aides can contract the virus. Jokes about reporters or supporters doing the right thing by wearing a mask, will cease. False claims of magic potions that will cure the virus or supersonic speed to release COVID-19 vaccines that are not quite ready for prime time will be no more.
The Numbers do not lie
I think we knew President Trump saw the writing on the wall when he started trying to stop the vote counting. The numbers don’t lie. The last counts I saw Senator Joe Biden had 74,915,998 votes to President Trumps 70,790,500. This was a good whipping. However, there were still too many red states, particularly in the south. Does that say something that Trump won most of the southern states and the nonhomogeneous northern states?
We know about Florida’s severe racist roots. History tells us that Texas (red) continued the enslavement of Black people for two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Does it tell us something when the southern border of Texas, populated heavily with Latinx still voted for President Trump as Mexican babies were separated from their mommas and held in cages? President TRUMP is dangerous. He is unstable, unhealthy, and certainly not very presidential.
A Historic Year
2020 has been a historic year in many respects. The election was no different. We had the highest voter turnout ever. As COVID-19 cases were reaching an all-time high (118,000 single day case count on Thursday) the crescendo of the presidential election kept me up late many nights this past week. Each night I would go to bed praying that we would have a change. Four states laboriously spit out their ballot results as myself and others anxiously awaited some shred of hope for a new day. Friday I went to bed disappointed that no antidote to the dreaded current presidential poison was announced.
Then Saturday morning I flipped on the television and there was Van Jones fighting back tears as the announcement had been made about Joe Biden winning the election. It was a hard fought battle. They did not think that Biden was tough enough, but we know that kindness shouldn’t be taken as a weakness. It too can kill.
Joe Biden will be the oldest man in U.S. history to be elected president. Kamala will be the first BLACK and woman vice president. She will also be the first of the vice president to be a graduate of a historically Black college and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She will also be the first woman of Southeast Asian decent to be a vice president. God is good all the time. We need this just about now!
COVID-19 Don’t Care About no Election
In between counts the news reporters would mention that COVID-19, though in the shadows of the election, was still alive and kicking. COVID-19 remained busy as the current president spent his time talking about rigged elections and how he had won before the bell even rang. COVID-19 clearly did not care about a U.S. Presidential election.
This long drawn out election process in some respects was a welcome relief from the COVID-19 tragedies. However, when I dragged into the office after only a few hours of sleep, I was reminded that the virus was taking a toll, taking a disproportionate toll on some groups but still affecting every group. I heard:
“ My mother died last night from COVID-19.”
“My momma’s caretaker had COVID-19. What should we do? She wasn’t wearing a mask.”
“I was tired so I made this appointment, however I just received a call saying my COVID-19 test was positive.”
“I was exposed to COVID-19, but I’m not staying home, I have to go to work.”
Will There be a Difference?
President-elect Biden spoke about Black Americans helping to seal the deal in this historic election. Black Americans were warriors for Biden early on in the battle and on election day in many urban centers, where their votes were crucial. Will we see fruits of this labor?
Though our current President claimed he did more for Blacks than any other president, this was pure hyperbolic rhetoric. A few folks drank the red Kool-Aid.
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Black people voted in this 2020 election to kill the pain and inhale the hope that we will be able to breathe again. We voted so that sacrificial lambs that we saw die from COVID-19, social injustice, and racism would not have died in vain. Blacks are banking on not having to witness another 8:46 that sparked civic unrest under the current President. He chose to pour gasoline on the fire rather than seek justice.
What is the President-elect Going to do?
The Biden team plans to tackle the most pressing issues that are impacting the Nation. Front and center is COVID-19, but also the economy, systemic racism, and other health care concerns. The new presidential team is already talking about reconvening a COVID-19 taskforce. The taskforce will have scientists that advise the Biden team on best approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic. They will keep the American public apprised of what is happening. We have to find a way to break the vicious cycle of this deadly virus. We need a NATIONAL strategy. Defeating this virus will require collective cooperation not solo free will.
How do you sum up This Election in one Word?
What one word would you use to describe the 2020 Presidential Election?
I am going to say E-M-O-T-I-O-N-A- L. Waiting for the count, myself and others expressed anxiety and stress, just wanting to know the outcome. We wanted to know what fate lay ahead. Finally when the winner was declared there was so much display of emotion and people in my spheres crying, screaming. There was tweeting, texting, tap dancing. I saw many reporters just not being able to contain the emotion. It was like all the suppressed emotions now had permission to be unleashed- tears to wash away the last four years. Some Trump supporters were emotional as well. He had them convinced that his way of leading had been indelibly stamped into the soul of the Nation. He felt he had done a very fine job and was unbeatable. But, WE the people spoke, which our democracy allows us to do.
What a Year!
Emotional indeed! I felt like this last year was stressful enough in itself. Black people still having to fight for basic rights, being harassed, and killed. The debates over whether Black Lives Matter should trump All Lives or Blue Lives Matter. Black people had to be cautious about walking, running, driving, and breathing, while Black. Thanks to our soon to be ex-president even Asians were ostracized. Many people in our communities of color and health care workers had to worry about contracting COVID-19 during work exposure. The pandemic led to increased loneliness and depression as people had to be isolated and indoors. Children were in and out of school- missing their teachers and friends. I could go on and on, but will stop there. We were all in this on one level or another.
Trouble so Thick
Fires, hurricanes, just trouble—- so thick in the air this year. Seeing our leadership so cavalier about everything that was important and mattered, just added another layer of tension. What this last four years has taught me about politics is to learn more and do more to hold our leaders accountable. Our sanity and way of life depends on it. It also reminded me about what living in the UNITED States means. WE don’t all have to be great friends or give up our own cultural ways, but we should support and uplift our fellow Americans. We need to rise to the heights that this great nation is capable of. President Trump had to go because rather than raising us up, he was nothing but trouble and was going to take us to HELL.
Teachaser:
What is the next chapter of this Nation’s existence? Start with once upon a time.. and tell me the tale of our future.
Dr.TeaNT 