Here’s hoping the doctrine of hate hasn’t gotten the best of us. The January 6th insurrection demonstrated hate’s audacity. People questioned the outcome of an election and chose violence. White rioters taught us again of the inequity of our policing and judicial systems; the fate of people of color would have been horribly different.
One out of five conspirators at the Capitol that day were retired military; thirty were police officers. Georgia’s newly elected congresswoman and QAnon believer is gaining in financial support and in kudos from the impeached past president, while signs depicting Trump as Rambo still appear on our landscape.
We’re being asked to pass on from this moment. We’re being asked to forgive and forget. We’re being asked to ignore the history of hatred that led us here and the fact that hate is still being preached. We are being told that for the sake of unity we must not allow justice to prevail.
Collapsing in this moment will be a big mistake. And while it appears the Grand Old Party has some internal business to tend to, this is really all of our business. It has moved out of the realm of politics. It’s about our humanity.
I received a hate filled message from a Trump supporting relative. I also get plenty of nasty comments from blue enthusiasts who don’t appreciate my critiques of the Biden administration. But we’re facing a pandemic that never had to be this horrible. We’re facing climate changes that we could mitigate if we had the courage. People are hungry and without shelter while we quibble over the word socialism.
This is not a moment to acquiesce. This is not a moment to allow a handful of people rob our dignity. Humans have risen before. We can and will do it again.
photo from Hate Has No Home Here FB page.
let kindness win 