Musings on the Presidential Election Results – Part 2

Last week I made an assumption based on incomplete facts.

These are easy to do – because although we don’t have all the information we think we know enough.
Assumptions are one of the things that undermine inclusion, connection and belonging.

So we have a new President  elect and a ground-breaking new Vice President elect coming to the White House.
The people have spoken.

While there is cause for celebration, let’s not hang up our social justice cloaks just yet.

Our collective role in shaping the future

What I wrote about last week is still important and still real.
The groundswell of awareness and activism will continue to be necessary.
Leadership is changing, and with that leadership comes hope for further change with regard to equity, but let’s not get complacent.

Anti-oppression work, inclusion work, anti-racism work all require joint-effort. Leadership is key, of course, in acknowledging concerns, and paving the way for change in policy and practice. But we the people have a huge role to play in raising concerns, demanding change and holding leadership accountable.

Leadership matters

We will now have a VP with a different intersection of identities and therefore a different lens than any VP the US has ever seen. Kamala Harris will bring that lived experience, who she is, and her lens as a Black woman to her work and role.  Those identities will therefore be represented at US governmental decision-making tables.
And…remember that Kamala Harris will be working within a system that is both white and male.
Because of who she is, she will continue to push against that, and her position will afford her a platform and the opportunity to use it and be heard. And the system remains.

Which is where we come in.

It can be tempting to rest now. To take a break. To assume things will be better.

And they may well be.

But the momentum that has started must continue: the awareness, the consciousness, the leaning in and speaking up are all fundamental to creating and sustaining a more equitable nations and dismantle systems of oppression like anti-Black racism.

Now is the time to be stronger, louder, and with an energy of hope because our voices have a better chance of being heard, and a better chance of making a difference. Let’s use the momentum and keep going!

Keep going!

So, let’s make time for celebration.
Let us be fueled by hope.
Let’s use the momentum and keep going!

And let’s continue to use our energy to demand and create positive change within the coming new context – with leadership that hopefully will hear and acknowledge the call and use their power to support positive transformation.

How will you contribute?

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