By Lauren Díaz Quintana, Sociology, M.A.
From Tuesday to Friday, I paced anxiously around my apartment with the fear that we would have to face four more years of Trumpism. By Friday night, I had given up my hopes for a brighter future. Saturday came and D.C. seemed different. I peered through my window and saw people popping champagne. Even with masks on, I could tell they were smiling. I walked outside and the day felt nice and warm. It felt like Summer and I could hear so many horns from cars. I knew what this meant. Finally, we defeated Donald Trump and it wouldn't have been so if it weren't for the Black women who voted. I thank you.
On November 7, 2020, it was declared that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are projected to be elected for the United States presidential administration of 2021. Biden and Harris gave a speech honoring the Black and Brown bodies that helped him to be elected, and I find that to be fair and just. Joe Biden gave credits where credit is due. Black women deserve that. Now, on the other hand, Donald Trump can’t keep his twitter fingers still. He states,
“MOST FRAUDULENT ELECTION IN HISTORY!”
“We won’t let a RIGGED ELECTION steal our Country!”
“I WON THE ELECTION!”
And more, and more, and more…
Historically, this type of energy and rhetoric has been used as a tool for social control and manipulation of the populations and the masses. Just this past weekend in Washington, D.C. one million Trump supporters protested because of their belief of a rigged 2020 election. I say belief because there is no evidence... We all know this. Donald Trump really has millions of people socially controlled. He is encouraging them to march for him during a pandemic. There is a big difference between protesting against issues that have historically and systematically affected your whole community and protesting for YOUR racist, rapist and fascist president's loss.
Hopefully, we won't have to focus on Donald Trump anymore soon. So, yes! Let's celebrate our victory of defeating Trump, but this does not mean that the work is over though. There are so many things that still need to change and a president and vice-president elect is not going to change that.
So, 1. Trumpism is (hopefully) over. 2. We still have a lot to work to do in regards to dismantling colonialism and systematic racism, because this was more than a close race. Only four percent difference and if it weren't for that four perecent difference, we would have had Donald Trump for another four years.
"But, how can we create these changes and decolonize a whole nation that was built on nothing but colonization and exploitation of Black and Brown people?"
This is something we need to think about now. Our other task is to keep Joe Biden and Kamala Harris accountable. These two do not have a clean record. Biden has been openly racist, oppressive and exploitative towards other parts of the world, and more. Kamala has been known to have passed discrimiantory laws against individuals in the LGBTQ+ community and be "tough on crime." That means, a supporter of mass incarceration - a tool to socially control Black and Brown people. They both have been people who have hurt our Black and Brown communities through passing of legislations and enforcing laws for social control.
We must keep our eyes open, and especially our third one.
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