6 years ago I wrote
6 years ago I wrote:
"And what I love most right now is the fact that you are growing up in an age where the first black President was sworn into office this week, and you are not even going to be able to comprehend how or why that is even a big deal.
4 years ago, you two were still smooshing your cuteness together to make ovaries explode everywhere...
4 years ago the idea of a black man as President was so ridiculous it was literally almost unthinkable. 4 years ago we were all trying to contain our collective depression as the world geared up for another term with another Failure of White Privilege taking office again. 4 years ago we'd never even heard of Barack Obama.
And then I blinked and 4 years were done. And then I blinked and the unfathomable had actually become reality. And I had to learn, yet again, the power people have to amaze and inspire. And that life continues to surprise and sometimes in truly awesome ways. And that nothing is impossible. And that where there's life, there's hope.
4 years ago I worried so much, I honestly did, as I watched the two of you learn and grow together and I couldn't wrap my head around how we were going to navigate a world that would look at you two differently, and bestow different opportunities and insults based on nothing more than the colour of your skin. If we can come this far in 4 short years I can't wait to see what the next 20 will bring.
And he may falter, and he may fail and he may even die trying and so might you. But you are growing up in an age when all of this is possible."
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6 and a half years later and Kay is more afraid to let her son go to the corner store to get a bag of skittles than ever.
That's all Trayvon had in his pocket when he was killed. And they let his killer walk free. How many more black lives have been lost? How many more white men have been exonerated?
I know I don't spend as much time reading about American politics as I need to. I had my own pussy-eating, crack-smoking mayor to distract my eyeballs for a while there. But it really seems like the Tea Party would rather burn America to the ground than to let Obama succeed. In all our hope we underestimated how much evil was out there and how hard it would fight to keep change from happening.
I have little faith that they'll elect a woman next time around and even less faith that they'll let her accomplish anything if that miracle does happen.
So may Steubenvilles. So many Rehtaeh Parsons.
I know things are changing. I can feel it. We live in a world where Jian Ghomeshi was arrested this year.
Do we live in a world where he will be convicted yet? Where Freddie Gray's killers will actually do any time?
I'm weary.
I'm fighting it with all I've got. I'm heading back to class at Second City in a hour in fact.
But fuck, I'm weary. I need to get that feeling of hope back. That feeling of possibility. Is this what she was talking about in Breakfast Club, how we grow older and something inside us dies?
Fuck that noise. My nails are sparkly. The sun is shining. Second City awaits. Its a bit hard to reach but I WILL kick my own ass as needed.