I, Too, Am American
No Me Digas. Op-Ed: Keith Price
“Well, the concern is misplaced because if you look at the statistics, African-American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans.”
– Sen. Mitch McConnell
Those words sparked a social media flurry, especially Black Twitter, Facebook, AND the Gram. Sen. Mitch McConnell had the nerve to say that after making sure to spearhead the demise of voter rights in this country, while recruiting his traitorous Democratic colleagues to seal his plans. It also confirmed something that almost every sane, politically savvy Black American knew all along: Mitch McConnell appears to be one old, racist ass, white man.
Listen not only to what he says but watch what he does, too. The laundry list of racist crap disguised as legislation that Mitch McConnell has enacted and cosigned is long. People act as if every word of contradictory and ridiculous mouth garbage that man spews is providing some new insight into who the man actually is. I am still trying to figure out what more they are still trying to “discover.”
The backlash is interesting because it still feels as if the needle has not moved at all. McConnell’s chosen words were exactly what his subconscious holds to be true. You can only sidestep saying what you really want to say for so long until you run out of combinations and permutations to say it. As with liquor, the truth will eventually pop out.
Since 1619, the plight of Black people in this country spans from being bought and sold like livestock to when given the opportunity to be seen as humans, only 3/5th’s of us counted. Then after being freed from governmentally sanctioned slavery, we were left to be traumatized by our fellow “citizens”, because our country still did not see us as humans. After many lives lost and beaten, we then get to have a taste of “equality” by voting like “Americans.” And after all of that, the country’s Chief Senatorial Obstructor, has firmly planted his seditionist sympathizing, jumping jowls in the path of true Democracy. He is blocking arteries like a jiggly piece of cholesterol, and he most definitely is causing this country to have a stroke.
And can you believe with all of that bravado, I am reminded that I am not American? I am another?
Being separated from the type of “Americans” that Myrtle the Turtle truly represents is actually a good thing for me. However, for all of those white Americans who are being “lumped” in that pile and do not want to be, this is your time to speak up and show yourselves. We know that you mean well and would like an easy peaceful transition to make all of this go away. We all would. However, your inaction and failure to be present and accounted for make it hard to know where your allyship lies. Start by clapping back at those crazy relatives and their nonsense, because charity begins at home. Research and support diverse candidates that speak to your core narrative as a human.
If you do not distinguish yourselves, then we won’t know who to trust when stuff goes down. During the Vietnam War our soldiers were told to fight the North Vietnamese. The only problem: How do you distinguish who is from where, when they all share a common look and carry weapons? Hence the dilemma and distrust for everyone involved.
As we watch our rights being snuffed out by some insane minority rulers with a little help from our former friends, we are going to have to continue fighting this madness legally and publicly. Florida has made it ok to be run down by cars during protests. Soon other states will mimic this, too. Try protesting for voter rights now when the state says it is okay for folks to run you down. The Kyle Rittenhouse trial also ensured that you could be killed at a peaceful protest, especially as an ally, and the killer will walk away. So, African-Americans, as well as every BIPOC, LGBTQIA, women who want to own their health choices, and every American who Mitch thinks agrees with him because they simply look like him, need to show him what “type” of Americans we all are, since he’s drawn the line. We are D.E.V.A.’s (Decisive Exhausted Voting Americans) You KNOW how I love that.
