Where Do We Grow From Here?

When I speak to a new chamber member, or community leader or partner, and we set an agenda or plan for next steps, I always end with ‘I look forward to growing from here.’ Not going. Growing. It’s an intentional direction to move upward. Going doesn’t determine a direction. Growing does. America needs to grow from this. We can’t continue going this same direction. We won’t survive.

I have never had this feeling about an election. Is this what it feels like living in a country with corrupt leadership? If Trump is re-elected, will I feel like I will become a refugee in another country because I had to flee for my safety from the only country I know and love? When he was first elected, I found it silly that someone would think to leave the country because their chosen President wasn’t elected. We live in America. A country people migrate to because of the opportunities and freedoms we have. We are one of the safest and strongest nations in the world. Why would you want to leave just because Trump was elected? I mean, come on. He’s the primary leader, but he’s not king.

Well, here we are four years later, and he’s acting like a king, working to dismantle or change American values to reflect his. Voting for a president has never felt like this. Before, it didn’t matter if it was a Republican or Democrat, Bush or Cinton, Dukakis, McCain, Romney (God, I wish Romney ran again. I would have voted for him against Hillary Clinton). I’ve never leaned one way or another. I always looked at the person. Did Obama have an advantage for my vote because he’s Black? I can’t deny that. But he isn’t Kanye West either. He’s intelligent, eloquent, and educated. He inspires when he speaks. He gives hope. While not everything he wanted to accomplish was achieved, the country recovered well from a recession. Things were looking up. However, police brutality became visible again and there was the senseless killing of Trayvon Martin that ignited the Black Lives Matter movement. Then we saw the division grow. As much as most wanted, America was not ready for a Black president. I learned the terms unconscious bias and microaggressions during his presidency. I had no idea what those terms meant before his term. The actions were more visible when a Black man led the nation. Things people would say or what they would accuse him of would baffle me, but it wasn’t hard to understand why people would act that way towards him. Obama’s presidency uncovered what’s always been simmering since desegregation. Racism never died. It’s been simmering. Some people really thought racism died when Obama became President. His term turned up the heat up on racism. 

Here we are just four years after his term with Trump as the new president, and the heat on racism has turned up to a level I have never experienced. People I thought I knew closely, I now see their perspective, their biases, and their racism more visibly. I guess I didn’t know them as well as I thought. It’s unfortunate they don’t understand or refuse to understand their racist behavior. Through posts and comments I see on social media, I have become uncomfortable with these associations and have debated whether or not to remove them/unfollow them. But I can’t. I have to keep myself informed of their perspective. I want to keep trying to understand their viewpoints and try to understand how they can support someone who is visibly racist, facist, sexist, and a xenophobe. Someone who struggles with communication, inconsistent in his messaging, and denies any mistakes or takes responsibility. I don’t understand how people thought it was a great idea to elect someone who has no experience in politics. I would never want an accountant to be my dentist or a mechanic to do my surgery. Yet, we elected a real estate mogul to lead our nation as the President of the United States, the highest government ranking in the country? People thought it was a good idea because of his business mind, and we saw how well that mind worked during this pandemic. This year shows what happens when you choose power over people. People are hurting financially, mentally, and physically, and he shows no empathy. There’s a huge movement; the largest civil rights movement in history, and not only are the voices being ignored, the attention is going towards the violence, which has only occurred less than 10% of the protests. Most of the protests have been peaceful. Yet, no words. No empathy. Just ‘law and order.’ Just recently, Trump banned any diversity training that discusses critical race theory. Understanding systemic racism in our country is how we grow and unite. But Trump denies systemic racism exist. It was plainly visible during this pandemic, when Black and Brown people were disparately impacted by the virus testing positive, and more of the Black and Brown businesses have been shutdown and not to reopen than white businesses. Their businesses also had more issues in gaining access to the loans and grants that came available through the CARES Act. When there’s a certain group of people that represent the same race, negatively impacted by a system, that’s called systemic racism. And it’s not just during the pandemic. It’s in housing, education, healthcare, corporate, and throughout our government, including law enforcement. If there was no systemic racism, there wouldn't be a need for a Black Chamber, diversity officer of an organization, and other organizations like the NAACP, Human Rights Coalition.

When you hear the phrase ‘history repeats itself,’ I never expected this. Martin Luther King, Jr. led peaceful protests, yet much of the images you see of the protests during that time are law enforcement beating and killing citizens, using water hoses, tear gas, and other weapons of excessive force. All we want our leadership to do is listen. Just listen. Please just listen. Just let us share with you our perspective and our pain. Let’s come together and find common ground to discover solutions to unite us and grow from this experience. But it can’t happen when a leader thrives on division and bullying. It can’t happen when we are continually being asked to be silent, ignored, and portrayed as thugs. How will this solve anything? It should be common sense to bring leadership together for a discussion to hash things out. In most cases, there’s progress. When there’s sincere curiosity and seeking to develop an understanding between both parties, common ground can be found and solutions will be developed. But in this leadership, we are not given a chance. Without this opportunity, the nation will always be in this place. We will never grow. It’s time for a change.

When sports teams fail to succeed or have issues leading a team, management fires them and looks for another coach. Same with corporations. When a CEO or President can’t meet expectations, the board decides to go another direction. Trump has had four years to prove himself. Each year, it got worse. This year has shown his true leadership experience. He can lead his business. He can’t lead people. I wish his followers would see this. I don’t understand how they don’t, which further shows the ideology of his followers. Followers who support this type of leadership. Followers who either unconsciously or consciously follow his vision of Making America Great White Again, meaning white people are still superior and everyone else, whether from here or not, are not as valued. They must abandon their culture, which was told was welcomed and adapt to a system that is not built for them. His followers don’t care to hear or understand. They are excited to see this kind of leadership. Leadership to show this kind of power. Leadership that aligns with racism, the Confederate flag, and an American flag that was desecrated by changing its colors to black, white, and blue to support law enforcement that has racially profiled and killed black people without consequence for over a century.

In the past, I couldn’t tell if someone was republican or democrat. It didn’t matter in conversation. Even when they admitted their party alignment, the conversation or demeanor didn’t change for me. It’s a lot different today. It’s sad that I feel safe in my neighborhood because I haven’t seen any Trump signs and see Black Lives Matter and Biden signs all over. I am uncomfortable around Trump supporters. They are empowering hate because of either ignorance or they just support this kind of power.

America has lost its values. I will always love this country. It’s almost like an abusive parent. I don’t know anything else. I’m born and raised here. The love is unconditional. But I am struggling to show my love. I will always support, always work hard for it. But I’m embarrassed to admit I’m an American right now. I remember attending an international conference in 2016, and people from other countries were sincerely concerned that we are going to allow Trump in office. I told them it wasn’t going to happen. We’re not that crazy. Now, these same individuals see that we are that crazy. We have lost our minds, and maybe they are embarrassed for us and may even have some pity. America is not the same country any more. We are not the dominant nation we once were. And as long as we continue this culture, we will eventually have American refugees from a civil war escaping to other countries. Sounds extreme, but I never imagined us being in this space either. I pray for our nation, our citizens, and our leadership that it won’t come to this, and that we find a way to come together and grow from this.