January 6, 2021 was the culmination of many things, one of which is the truth many people of color have been speaking for a long time. And though there are many White allies that have been there all along, there are many White people who have chosen to willfully ignore the signs or who have blissfully joined the cult of hatred. What happened on the 6th of January was no accident, no abberation and no surprise. It was the first shot from a faction that has been waiting on the bench to get in the game. The coach (Trump) gave them their fourth quarter, 2 minutes left, one for the Gipper speech. The message: by any means necessary; and they heard the message loud and clear!
As a Black man what astonishes me the most is not that this insurrection happened or that Trump happened, it is that "good" White people in general apparently didn't see this coming. For as long as I can remember - and I am 51 - Black folk have been raising our proverbial hands and voices pointing out the injustices we've been facing at work, in our communities, and in our personal lives only to be called alarmist or over-reactors. People of color have been demonized for playing the race card and admonished for reading too much into an action of a White person, not giving them the benefit of the doubt. Time and time again we have been the ones to acquiesce, to forgive, to bend our perception to meet what White society wants/needs to be reality. All so White people could be comfortable, placated.
Just as the Confederate statues have been standing in plain sight, so have the racist, bigoted cultist who continue to empower Trump to desecrate and destroy America and the democracy it is supposed to be. These symbols, rhetoric and actions have permeated American society unabated for decades only to find a solid footing when a narcissistic demagogue was elected and emboldened to speak freely with impunity. Then and only then was it apparent to the disillusioned that there was perhaps a problem in America, something nefarious afoot, something sleeping next door, or perhaps, even in the bed next to them.
White America is Dr. Frankenstein and Trump is their monster. They have assembled him piece by piece. He is their white privilege, their hatred, their misogyny, their xenophobia, their antisemitism and their narcissism all stitched together into a living, breathing monstrosity of spewing vitriol. And no, I cannot apologize for generalizing by saying all White America because although I know that all are not responsible, I know that many are. As has often been stated: silence and inaction is complicit, and if you are complicit you are guilty.
Admittedly I am angry as I am writing this. I, too, am hurt. I have many White friends that I love and know love me. I know that they were not and are not complicit, and I do not mean for my words to hurt them. I am, however, tired of apologizing for the truth. We owe it to ourselves to be better to each other, to our children and to our country.
What I witnessed on January 6, 2021 was an abomination. For those who voted for Trump and fiercely support him and still continue to do so, I repudiate you and can only see you for what you are, a traitor and a cultist. There are moments in history that define who and what we are, and January 6, 2021 is an epoch, an indelible stain on America that will forever leave a scarlet letter on those who waved the Trump flag. For those who proudly did so, shame on you! And for those "good" White folks who didn't see the signs, didn't hear the cries, and refused to feel the palpable tension in the air building up to Trump ... well, I hope things are a little clearer now.
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Good White People - In Black vernacular this term connotes those White people who are not racists and although they may not have sided with or paid much attention to Black folk in the past, they now understand the historical, contemporaneous, and projected plight of POC and care and even perhaps feel compelled to act. Of course, this is a subjective definition and is not based on any scientific fact
S. McGill
One of the most powerful things in the world can be obtained and used liberally by anyone who chooses to use it. "If" can be the beginning of something great or the acquiescence to defeat. How will you use your "if"?
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