Desecration is the act of depriving something of its sacred character, or the disrespectful, contemptuous, or destructive treatment of that which is held to be sacred or holy by a group or individual.
We have heard this term thrown about a lot in the recent days to describe what the angry mob did to our capitol. And it works, they did desecrate it and us. But what I have finally woken up to is that the desecration has been happening for a long, long time.
Stacy Abrams understands desecration. The WNBA understands it. Any person of color understands it...because they have all seen the sanctity of human life desecrated over and over and over again forever.
What must it be like to wake up every day and wonder if there is some person in power that is going to find reason (which will likely be supported by the law) to take you out? To end your life, take what they will from you?
For me, the recent desecration of the Capitol building stands for something else - the last straw. It is time to end the disrespectful, contemptuous and destructive treatment of others. It is time to call out the desecration of others when I see it. No more silence. No more white privilege that goes unchecked. No more participation in the desecration of human life, or any life for that matter.
Today, I want to say how much respect, admiration and awe I have to the black women who fought for and brought about change. And they did it without violence despite the deep seated (and justified) anger they feel. They did it without name calling (even though I am sure they have a lot of names they would like to throw out there). They just set about doing the work that brought about the change. They delivered the first black senator from Georgia. The Dream WNBA played a large part in getting Rev. Raphael Warnock elected. What happened in Georgia happened in large part because of black women and their efforts toward voter activism.
I am humbled by their efforts. I am grateful for the result. I fully support and encourage a Congress that is representative of all the people, by the people, for the people...not just white people. I see the inequality and realize my silence and lack of willingness to say things that might be considered unpopular allows the status quo, the racists status quo to continue. If these women (and men) can bring about this kind of change in a few short months, think what we can accomplish if we work together.
I hate politics. Too much time in Washington, DC has left me forever jaded. But I believe in what happened in Georgia. I believe in the power of the coming tide. I believe in Kamala, in her elevation of our country’s highest office. For me, Joe is fine. But he is more representative of how it has always been. I know he has fought hard and has endured great suffering. I pray that he is able to use his own personal knowledge of pain to see the deep, festering wound that lives in the emotional fabric of our country and work to heal it. But, if I am honest, I am looking to Kamala. I want what she brings. I crave her leadership. She is woman. She, to me, the one capable of bringing veneration and respect back to a government that has been so sullied that it became seditious.
I look to the black women for my cue, my opportunity and my next steps. They have shown me in Georgia how it is done. Thank you ladies. Now, please, tell me how can I help you continue the fight? I have been on the bench, a little too long now.
