Grieving…
I stood in my kitchen this morning, & suddenly just began to weep.
There’s a lot going on in my life right now. Mom is not doing well, we’re still moving stuff from our old place here, I have to make decisions whether to renew my professional license or not, & the Corona virus has been diagnosed here in my county. Maybe that’s part of why the tears just started to flow. Perhaps not.
It hit me that I am really in a grieving process. Over what? The frightening political state of my country and have a little support Elizabeth Warren was able to garner.
How can that bring me to tears? It’s simple. There are times I wonder if there is a place for me in this country. I’m a child from an immigrant family, I’m queer, non-Christian, first generation to have English as my first language. Yeah, I present as white, but I am far from at home in America’s flyover country.
Elizabeth Warren spoke both to and for me. I found her incredibly sharp, remarkably wise, & ready to fight for all of us, to ensure we all have a piece of this American dream. From healthcare to financial security for the common people of this country, her message was simple and incredibly clear & yet, so few were drawn to it. That’s painful.
I canvassed for Elizabeth Warren here in California. Frankly, I dealt with a really sore and tender ankles, from many hours of pounding the pavement going door to door. It was worth my time and effort. My first day of canvassing, the very last door I knocked on that day, I was greeted by a young woman with whom I sparred for half an hour. Her thesis? America is not yet ready for a woman to be our standard bearer, our president. I countered that I was surprised & relieved that we were ready for a man of color in 2008. I countered that all the years of women’s progress had left us ready to hear the message from someone like Elizabeth Warren. I countered that we will never know for sure until it happens, but if the presidency of Barack Obama had taught us anything it was, “yes we can.“
Well, it looks like in some ways I was wrong.
When people asked me as I was out canvassing if I would support whoever the Democratic nominee was, I replied that, “if the Democrats nominate a ham sandwich to run this fall, I will not only vote for it, I will campaign for it. Hell, I will show up at the polls with mayo and mustard if I have to.” It is absolutely imperative that the current occupant of the White House needs to be turned out, along with his many of his cronies in the House & Senate and in state governments as possible. I honestly thought Warren was the right person with the brains and the message and the drive to head that ticket. I cannot help but sit here and think that had she been a man, her message would’ve been received and respected, that she would still be in this race.
However, had she been a man, she wouldn’t be Elizabeth Warren, the person she actually is. Her experiences have shaped her, made her the social warrior she is & recognizing she’s been discounted because of what she & not because of what she stands for, is worth grieving for.
There’s a lot going on in my life right now. Mom is not doing well, we’re still moving stuff from our old place here, I have to make decisions whether to renew my professional license or not, & the Corona virus has been diagnosed here in my county. Maybe that’s part of why the tears just started to flow. Perhaps not.
It hit me that I am really in a grieving process. Over what? The frightening political state of my country and have a little support Elizabeth Warren was able to garner.
How can that bring me to tears? It’s simple. There are times I wonder if there is a place for me in this country. I’m a child from an immigrant family, I’m queer, non-Christian, first generation to have English as my first language. Yeah, I present as white, but I am far from at home in America’s flyover country.
Elizabeth Warren spoke both to and for me. I found her incredibly sharp, remarkably wise, & ready to fight for all of us, to ensure we all have a piece of this American dream. From healthcare to financial security for the common people of this country, her message was simple and incredibly clear & yet, so few were drawn to it. That’s painful.
I canvassed for Elizabeth Warren here in California. Frankly, I dealt with a really sore and tender ankles, from many hours of pounding the pavement going door to door. It was worth my time and effort. My first day of canvassing, the very last door I knocked on that day, I was greeted by a young woman with whom I sparred for half an hour. Her thesis? America is not yet ready for a woman to be our standard bearer, our president. I countered that I was surprised & relieved that we were ready for a man of color in 2008. I countered that all the years of women’s progress had left us ready to hear the message from someone like Elizabeth Warren. I countered that we will never know for sure until it happens, but if the presidency of Barack Obama had taught us anything it was, “yes we can.“
Well, it looks like in some ways I was wrong.
When people asked me as I was out canvassing if I would support whoever the Democratic nominee was, I replied that, “if the Democrats nominate a ham sandwich to run this fall, I will not only vote for it, I will campaign for it. Hell, I will show up at the polls with mayo and mustard if I have to.” It is absolutely imperative that the current occupant of the White House needs to be turned out, along with his many of his cronies in the House & Senate and in state governments as possible. I honestly thought Warren was the right person with the brains and the message and the drive to head that ticket. I cannot help but sit here and think that had she been a man, her message would’ve been received and respected, that she would still be in this race.
However, had she been a man, she wouldn’t be Elizabeth Warren, the person she actually is. Her experiences have shaped her, made her the social warrior she is & recognizing she’s been discounted because of what she & not because of what she stands for, is worth grieving for.