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The 2020 election has often been referred to as the election that would define the soul of our nation.
Many on the left saw the elections as something that would provide the answer to a simple question: Would our nation choose intolerance or progress? Would white supremacy be a deciding factor for the majority of voters? Or could they bypass a candidate’s past of praising white supremacist groups and locking children in “detention centers” at the border if it meant there was a chance they could pay a few dollars less in taxes? Would people vote for an overtly homophobic vice president for a second term? Would we accept the leadership of a president who has already been impeached?
This year there were more voters than any other year on record. People lined up for more than six hours (even in the rain) to make sure their voices were heard.
Given the stark contrast between the two candidates and the extreme polarization and steep echo chambers that the internet allows, everyone seemed to believe that their side would win outright.
But on election night, when the nation sat ready to uncover its new president, local leaders, and more intensely, the soul of its nation, the result was shocking, disturbing, and unsettling: the race was closed.
This is not talked about often because people are so focused on what the end result was, which is fair.
But even though President-elect Joe Biden ultimately ended up winning, it’s still unsettling that the race was so close. It is disheartening that so many Americans have voted for white supremacy, fascism, and division. In fact, more people voted for President Donald Trump this year than in 2016.
On a positive note, more people once again voted against Trump in 2020. In the two elections in which he ran, Trump lost the popular vote by the millions, which is reassuring even though he is at a slower pace. dramatic than many would expect.
The next most surprising and disturbing thing to happen on Election Night, or, let’s be honest, Election Week, were some of the new sentiments that emerged from Liberals regarding the activism efforts that needed to occur.
Some let out a sigh of relief and said “Ugh! We are finally done! “while others were enthusiastic about the virtue signal that they were” awake, “so they said,” Biden is barely better than Trump, so this is not a victory at all. “
The key here is in balance. We can simultaneously celebrate the victories of this election alongside the defeats. We can also choose to simultaneously acknowledge that while it is a victory that Trump has been rejected, Biden may not be the most ideal president.
Another set of beliefs that we can hold together is gratitude for finally being able to have something to celebrate in a year that has felt like a whirlwind of bad news, and at the same time understanding that this is not the finish line: there is still work. to do. done before fairness is truly achieved
While it is true that Biden may not be the most ideal and progressive president, he is the most progressive president Americans were willing to vote for. He’s the realist Democratic candidate in an America that doesn’t seem ready for a woman in office yet, or someone with such progressive policies as Bernie Sanders.
We in the New Oracle of Paltz I think this post-election celebration is well deserved, but it certainly doesn’t mean this is the time to get complacent. Activism efforts cannot be shut down simply because racism, bigotry, and homophobia have been removed from the Oval Office; these problems still prevail in our country.
If you’re not sure, check out this map of where the KKK and Proud Boys were still active in 2019, even before the escalation of hate crime activities in 2020. In a modern documentary about the prominent Ku Klux Klan hate group, the leaders said the day they received the more The calls asking to join the hate group were when President Barack Obama won the election.
This is not the time to neglect social justice efforts or attempts to support and uplift marginalized groups. This could be a time when they are especially vulnerable to hate crimes.
If ever there was a time to keep an extra foot on the gas, it would be now, since Biden is more likely to succumb to external pressures to shift. As someone who promised to listen to the concerns of the people of America – not just white Americans or cisgender heterosexuals, not just those who voted for him, but everyone in America – it’s extremely important that we make our demands very clear, especially now. , when there is someone in the office who could really listen.
Of course, this does not mean that we should blindly trust that it will deliver on all (or some) of its promises.
When President Trump was elected, many people pledged to stay informed about exactly what was happening in the White House and what political decisions were being made. It is important to maintain this same energy of monitoring what elected officials are doing, because even if we don’t read about the changes, the changes will still affect us, especially the less privileged members of our society.
People, when united, are one of the least taught, but most critical, components of the American system of checks and balances.
As Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez put it, “We are choosing who we are going to work with and hold ourselves accountable, not our saviors. Work and activism must continue whatever happens ”.
They have listened to the campaign asking that the people have a clear voting plan for November 3. But another sentiment being pushed by young activists is that having a plan for November 4 and beyond is so important. What will you do to advance the fight for equity under the next president? What cause will you be most focused on finding a solution?
As mentioned above, the election also brought a lot to celebrate even beyond the presidential race. This victory is personal and could not have been done without the power of the people.
As influential educational historian Blair Imani tweeted on November 4, “I am proud of each and every one of the organizers. & every person who had a difficult conversation. and all the people who voted to improve our reality. and each person who was activated towards positive and progressive action. “
We in The oracle We believe that the results of this election deserve celebration, but that the celebration should also highlight the main proponents who made this electoral victory possible. This celebration should focus on grassroots organizers and the role that Black women and minority communities have played in the success of this election.
Record voter turnout could also be partly attributed to the work of some people who never celebrate as much as they should. We cannot celebrate this election victory without celebrating Stacy Abrams, for example, a politician and voting rights activist who alone registered 80,000 voters.
Beyond the presidential elections, the 2020 elections made history for the diversity of who will join Congress.
A record number of Native Americans will join Congress, as will a record number of women. Some other victories, just to name a few, include: Sarah McBride became the first openly transgender state senator in Delaware, Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones made history as the first openly gay black men elected to Congress (the Bronx and Rockland County, respectively) and Cori Bush became the first black woman. Missouri elected to Congress.
May this election be a reminder that the power of the people can be one of the most powerful, albeit underrated, forces in a democracy. May this power continue to grow with strength, fury, and fuel to achieve justice.
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