If He Wins
If He Wins
If Trump wins, I will not proclaim election fraud, but instead look at this great country with a frown stretched along my brown face. Reminded that we stress making America great again, but fail to see the greatness in the present as well as the future. I foresee an America where we embrace progress, instead of one where we seek to roll back the clock of democracy. An America that doesn’t try to restrict the reproductive rights of women, an America that doesn’t try to demean members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and an America that doesn’t ostracize and otherize Black and brown peoples.
If Trump wins, I’ll be reminded that no matter how qualified you are, no matter how successful you were as Attorney General, no matter how legislatively successful you were in the Senate, you will always be overshadowed by one big error; you’re a Black woman in an America not ready for you. You are a woman, but you are strong, and being strong isn’t a trait that men are predisposed to possess. To me, being strong is being able to accept defeat, staying consistent in what you believe in, and not compromising or bowing down to any one man or woman, or despotic ruler. If Trump wins, I will not be surprised or shocked, but disappointed. Disappointed in the millions of Americans who cast their vote for belligerence, ignorance, and incompetence; our voice and protest would be made in vain. If Trump wins, I will not be filled with anger, but a deep sadness that precedes me, and be punched in the chest by gloom. Kamala Harris ran an excellent campaign, but rural voters believed her to be too weak. Kamala Harris is not weak, she is not stupid, she is overqualified for office. As a Black woman, she had to work twice as hard to achieve and overcome. If Trump wins, I’ll be reminded that this country still votes blindly; many say they are voting for the economy; they in fact are voting for outrageous tariffs. I’ll be reminded that this country would rather cast their vote for an aged white man than vote for an energized, and connected woman. This has two meanings: in 2020, voters rushed in droves to elect Joe Biden; in 2024, they are choosing a bully, a felon, and a wannabe despotic leader. 36 felony convictions, flurries of sexual misconduct allegations, a man who proclaims “when you’re famous, they let you do anything……grab ‘ em by the pussy”, is seen as presidential. I have a question for the plethora of Trump supporters; would you want your children to act and talk like Donald Trump? He touts Christianity while embodying the antithesis of the practices of Christ. A man who lets his pride overfeed him, who lets his greed overcome his disposition, and a man who lets his lust get in the way of his supposed holy matrimony. This is not a man who has found the light of God; instead, he has found the light and promise of power and has emboldened a new generation of misogynists, racists, and homophobes.
In America, we are supposedly united, yet we are broken in our values. We say we want a government by the people for the people, that we want small government while standing by as women’s rights are stripped from them. As a man, my heart breaks for the millions of American women who will feel the wrath of angry men who want no more than control. My heart breaks for the 60 women a day that go through the dehumanizing process of sexual abuse, who will be denied health care in some states. I fear for the millions of women who are at the hands of evil, the grips of Lucifer, and the despotic rule of a pretend tough guy. I hoped, going into Election Day that America would turn the page of a chapter of unprecedented levels of unprofessionalism, but my hope grows into pessimism. From what could’ve been triumph, it now sits disembodied from my blissful optimism that made up my mind and heart along the days leading up to election. The election of Donald Trump is a microcosm of the United States’ view of Black women, unintelligent, loud, obnoxious, and unfit; I detest these claims. I hoped for a dissenting class of Americans who despised corporate America; this hope now sits gloomy, overcast by the dark shadow of ignorance that fills the streets and halls of states and capitals across the United States of America. As I anxiously await America and Black people’s fate, I am reminded that each setback is a wake-up call, and the foundation for redemption. The results of the election should not end in upheaval, nor should it end in violence; America has spoken. Kamala, you tried, and you went out swinging. The little Black boy inside me that watched as Barack Obama got reelected in 2012 is proud. I am so proud of you; you defied all odds and became the nominee for the highest position in the land as a Black woman, and you represent a generation of Black women who are strong, resilient, and strong-minded. My heart aches at the thought of a Trump presidency, but the American people have spoken, and that is something that I can never deny or undermine. From Brat Summer to the polls, I’m proud to say that Kamala Harris fought on such short notice; but saddened at the lack of action on account of my community.
Kamala Harris is no Barack Obama, but they have one thing in common: they fight. To be Black is to be resilient and never back down, no matter what. Whether that be the dehumanizing act of enslavement, or the humiliation of Black lives that was broadcast for millions of Americans to see, to the revolution that could not be televised, to freedom, and now, the White House. Black people will never back down without a fight, because no matter how many times we lose, we get back up again. To freedom and above, for the enrichment of my people, I pray, I hope, I cry, I bleed, but today, I grieve. `I am truly disappointed in America today, but even in defeat, there is triumph. Amendment 3 in Missouri was passed to ensure and enshrine a woman’s right to choose; this remains the glimmer of hope in a tunnel of 4 years of restraint and despair. What I have realized is that we are not exceptional because we are Americans; we are exceptional because we are human, and the fact that we are here alive, breathing, and seeing, is nothing but a miracle. America, we are not exceptional; we are human, and that is okay; there is nothing greater on this planet than life itself, and the freedom of choice that comes with it. Even if Kamala Harris has lost, my hope is not. Kamala is the quintessential presidential candidate, but she is stuck to cope with the paradox of foolishness that overshadows this country.
Together is the only way forward, and although I strongly disagree with the election of Donald Trump, we must fight together, forward. What makes America so great isn’t our whiteness, or our Christianity, or our bigotry; what makes America so great is that we are all different, different in beliefs, values, and traditions, but we all stand in solidarity to continue the tradition of democracy. I believe in America, but tonight I have been let down.
copyright © micah hill 2024
