Photo credit: Noah Berger, AFP/Getty Images
I had to write TODAY! I had to express how I feel about a Black-Asian American woman being the first to be named the Vice President-Elect of the United States in Senator Kamala Harris. I had to write today to share my sense of being able to breathe again. I had to share the sense of relief I feel in seeing the possibility of decency being restored to this great country, America.
Today, I pay homage to the Black women and other Americans who chose decency over party and politics in an effort to try to restore some semblance of sanity in this beautiful country, the United States of America, the country into which I was born and have always been proud to call my home.
From the perspective of a Black woman, America seems to have been under a dark cloud of hate, division, despair, racism and utter chaos since the election of Donald J. Trump. With the promise of decency and bi-partisanship under a Biden-Harris presidency, I could hear and feel the collective sighs of relief as they echoed around me in my circle of friends, across the country, and around the world.
It is why I have chosen to pay tribute to women such as Stacey Abrams a Georgia General Assembly-woman who led the Democratic Party fight to have Georgia lead in the voting process and to lead the state to possibly flip blue at the time of this writing. I pay tribute to Atlanta’s Mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms who fought alongside her. These two women have become my sheroes. To The Squad in Washington for persevering. You know their names. Last, but not least, I pay tribute to my Black sisters and other women of color in America who always lead the way in politics to hold the realm together by staying at the helm no matter the cost. To my White sisters, you rock. I honor all of you.
Photo credit: Jonathan Kelso for the New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/06/us/politics/stacey-abrams-georgia.html
Many people do not understand the weight, pain, frustration, trauma and strain that many people of color have been under for the past four years. Having carried the burden of the country on our shoulders, we have had to navigate and survive the trauma that has been caused by Donald J. Trump being in the White House. Yet, we held strong. We are exhausted, weary, worn, yes. However, more than anything, we are fighters and survivors.
Though the weight is not totally gone, nor the scars, we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and the beginning of the lift. Maybe we can rest for just a short moment before jumping back in to make sure we do not lose ground. In all honesty, I held my breath until Joe Biden was named the President-Elect of these United States during the final vote count. I think I, along with many others, willed it to be. America would not let us down.
For the women who have been disrespected and called other than their names. For the mothers who had their babies ripped from their arms at the border and have yet to be reunited. For the Black people who have suffered trauma and death at the hands of police who seemed to be encouraged by hateful rhetoric from the White House. For the immigrants who have been made to feel less than human. For the gay and non-binary folks who have been denied their civil rights. For the true Christians who were spurned for standing for justice and what is right. For the white allies who were vocal, made themselves visible and jumped into the fight. For the people who simply love this country and all of her people, I salute you, and I thank you.
I believe the Biden-Harris administration will be one for “all the people.” It is my hope that they will listen to the voices and to the heartbeat of all Americans. I believe they will return a strong sense of normalcy, decency, respect, unity and civility to our highest office in the land. For, they have been sorely missed. America, we did that.
Dr. Pat