On the Election Results: The Good
By Tasha K
It was always more than an election.
Videos filmed across the country show dancing in the streets, fireworks in the yard, and cheers mixed with the sound of banging on pots and pans through open windows. It reveals that this was always so much more than just an election.
I have gone back and forth on how to present my analysis of the announced Saturday victory for the new president-elect and vice president-elect. I’ve settled on a three-part series entitled The Good, the Bad, the Ugly. I’m also noting here that it is always the hardest for me to focus on the good because there is so much work to be done. In spite of that, I will do my best.
THE GOOD
My first thought when we all found out that Biden won was, “Today we celebrate, tomorrow we work.” I took the advice of a friend and rejoiced with one of the Blackest meals I know: fried catfish. I took a deep breath as I turned on the television to watch the victory speeches. I felt so much ease as I watched a white man say “coronavirus” instead of calling it the “China virus,” or as I heard the tone of hopefulness and healing in his voice, or--most of all-- as I saw the thankfulness to the Black community. I didn’t even realize this huge weight lifted off my chest until I climbed into bed.
There was so much joy in the streets and so much goodness ahead. Anti-racism--what I would now call my life’s work--was deemed radical by the current administration. This label is off the table in January for the Guide and our future work. The future president and vice president both mentioned systemic racism, the power of Black womxn, and the diversity of this nation.
Other good things of the day include: the record-breaking voter turnout, poll workers, grassroots organizations, Twitter, every single gif, the ongoing remixes of Paula White’s African angels, and the amazingly well-labeled Sister Act 2 scene. Not to mention our new favorite news anchors, and the ability to name almost every county in Georgia.
People are happy. Most of my people are overjoyed because it was always more than an election.
We can have an ongoing round of applause and send all the flowers to Black womxn. They showed up in all states--years and years of grassroots work for a moment such as this. Philly, Detroit, ATL, and--may we not forget--Omaha forever changed. The years it takes to do this work well is not lost on us. Given the work was largely registering folx to vote and eliminating barriers of oppression, we aren’t surprised it was led by Black womxn. But may we not forget the Latinx and Indigenous activists: movers and shakers who made things happen in the Middle West and the West. I have a lot of other data to look through, but it seems that these folx really made things happen for Wisconsin and Nevada wins.
The future is brighter. The youths have spoken, and will continue to change this country for the better. We will continue to shift things until systemic racism is eliminated, and it will be uncomfortable for you to be racist or supremacist in American culture and church pews.
And last, but certainly not least, Kamala Harris, a Black South Asian Womxn breaking all sorts of ceilings as she joins the new administration in January. I can’t explain my thoughts and feelings in entirety around this, and I understand if you are a white womxn you may never fully grasp this, but the significance of this moment truly has me undone. Representation matters and not just for the littles.
Special thanks to folx who continue to give me space as needed, and all support for the continued work of this Guide. There is a chance to make things right, and an even bigger chance that the government will be a part of this work.
I do hope that the Obamas stop by often because they were just “in the area” like our aunties do. Stay tuned for the Bad: Back to Combating “Get Out” Racism and the Ugly: America wrote THE OTHER SEVENTY-ONE...