And We Waited…..

By Dave Devereaux

Changing Our Narrative

We waited four days to hear the words, “Joe Biden is elected the 46th President of the United States”.  Tuesday, showed voting in record numbers. The final tally to date shows over 140 million Americans voted in this election, either by mail, early election or poll attendance. Yet still, 45 refuses to accept his loss. I continue to shake my head at his arrogance and willingness to cheat at any cost. Much of that was very evident when Trump declared himself the winner Tuesday night and attempted to demand that vote counting stop in states he was ahead, but continue in states he was behind. The baffling number of Republicans still on the bandwagon of supporting Trump’s ridiculous conspiracy theories is another issue for the record books. His baseless claims to send the results to the Supreme Court, thwarting the will of the people is yet another demonstration of his character. 

My last article focused on African American males and our voting power. Unfortunately, that focus was blurred by the willingness of high profile rappers who embraced Trump and were willing to speak out about it. Statistics show that black men have increasingly moved away from the Democratic party since 2008 and support for the Democratic presidential candidate saw the lowest numbers according to an NBC News poll. But to be fair on that statistic, 80 percent of black men did support Joe Biden. However, it is now evident that we as black voters, men and women did in fact deliver the election for Biden in major cities, and did so amid blatant voter suppression, threats and intimidation. And might I say, we performed brilliantly. 

For Your Consideration: https://www.reelurbannews.com/the-importance-of-the-black-male-vote/

Some real leaders have been born in this election season. None more prominent than Stacey Abrams. Her coalition of colleagues and ideals, combined with her tenacity and ability to organize proved very influential in Georgia, a key battleground state. Also, let us not forget that she is a lawyer who has served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007 to 2017. She is no stranger to politics, voting rights, and interacting with the good ole boy establishment that continues to prevail in Georgia and the rest of the country. After losing her run for Governor, she founded Fair Fight Action in 2018 in response to observed improprieties in the gubernatorial election that same year. She did not slink away to nurse her wounds, she went into action. In some ways, she is more powerful than the present Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, having been accused of voter suppression. Abrams has been on countless news shows and sought for her understanding of minority voting rights and trends. She is an author and has been listed as one of the 100 most Influential Georgians by Georgia Trend for 2012 through 2017. The woman is a trailblazer and it would be great to see her in Joe Biden’s Cabinet in some capacity or as the Chair of the Democratic National Convention. 

Biden’s team will have a tough road to travel while trying to work across party lines to repair some of the blatant ills created by Trump. It is incumbent  upon his team to set a tone of reconciliation while hearing the concerns of the losing side and addressing issues within the Democratice party. He will have to immediately try to repair some of the relationships that were damaged by the past administration and focus on areas that will place America back in good standing with so many that were alienated during the last four years. Perhaps we should pull away from countries that have tried to subvert democracy for their own exploits such as Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia. We have to get back on some reasonable accord with our allies as quickly as possible. While I believe that China does pose a threat to technological properties, we still need to establish a different relationship with them in 2021. I am yet to see any viable relationship with ́́North Korea. Being part of the Obama administration, much of what I just said was what he worked to do and Biden was a big part in implementing those ideals. So this should give him a base to work from. Trump has proven that the Senate and Congress are incapable of being bipartisan, so should Democrats remain a minority in the Senate, challenges have to be met and that means Mitch, McConnell will have to be a key player in the new era. 

President Biden’s responsibility to the American economy has to be in unison with his plans to address Covid-19. I have previously stated, without a healthy America, there will be no economic recovery or growth right away. We cannot continue to shelter in place and expect businesses that rely on the sale and exchange of goods to be in an economic upswing. Without bodies, not enough money changes hands to fuel small business in America. To see neighborhood businesses close is heartbreaking and leaves us with little hope for a robust economic future within our communities. Also, with the first woman, Kamala Harris, elected as Vice President, we have a great opportunity to address racism in America from a lot of different perspectives. I am aware that it is not incumbent upon this administration to do so, but the moment is poised for discussion with greater action.  The election of Kamala Harris, being the first African American, and the first South Asian American is of greater significance because she is a woman. It demonstrates so much possibility for young girls, not to mention the fact that girls of color now see greater opportunities. She has made history or rather herstory. It would be great to think that change is here to stay, but there are those who still have issues with minorities in positions of power let alone a woman of minority status. But this is a huge milestone and must be recognized as such. I appreciate her strength of character and willingness to sacrifice her personal peace for the good of this country. She will be an enormous success as Vice President. Her experiences as a minority and a woman will lead the charge in possible discussions of race matters and gender equity on a much broader scale.

What has been really interesting and enlightening is to hear young, first time voters talk about the process and their experience during this election season. I took my niece Téa, a senior at the University of Southern California and two of her housemates, Camryn, a young man from North Carolina and Simrin, a young lady from Arizona to lunch on Saturday, the day of the announcement. Their discussion of politics was brief, but clear. They took the process seriously as they all voted in this election and made a clear distinction of who they wanted to see in the White House. Their discussion and demeanor left me with great optimism that our young people have a voice and act to be heard. A car drove by with a Biden-Harris flag, honking and waving at people and these kids actively engaged that moment. Older people may have been less obvious of who they may have voted for. These young people spoke openly about the issues that they experienced coming from three different areas of the country. Yet, one huge takeaway that I got from them is,  despite the partisan behavior of revelers throughout the campaign process, they don’t make color and difference an issue even if you see things in another light. They are open minded and want the same thing most young people want, an opportunity devoid of race and stereotyping. While they thanked me for taking them out, I felt incredibly honored that they allowed me in, for but a brief moment of their very busy day. I shared my concern with my niece two days earlier that they have been cheated of a carefree senior year, void of parties and outings and other activities that make up your final year in college or university. But I reassured her that because of youth, they will get that time back in a more meaningful way. 

The year 2020 has not been one of mankind’s best, but from the losses and readjustments that we have all collectively suffered, I hope that people remember that all things come to an end. 

Whether it’s a devastating and dangerous virus or a contentious and nasty election. We have to learn from those moments that have affected us the most and make an effort to carry on. A new president may be just what this country needs to pull itself back up and continue on a positive more amenable trajectory. I had spoken to so many people who stated that they were tired and just wanted the election to be over, but there will be a next crisis to face. Let’s just hope that a more kinder and gentler America is waiting to face it together.