Trump won and a message from my niece

I was shocked, appalled, disgusted, hurt, and downright angry when, at 4:30 this morning, I read that Trump had won the election.

After reading reactions on Facebook and watching a few minutes of a Christmas movie, I drifted back off to sleep. When I awoke around 7:30, the angst had passed, and I resisted the temptation to re-engage in the endless television coverage for the rest of the day.

Still, I am deeply saddened by the underbelly of hate and vitriol that was revealed and characteristic of Trump’s campaign. It also saddens me that America is now a laughingstock. Maybe she’s getting some comeuppance for her years of duplicity at home and her “righteous” and unwelcome interference in other countries, huh? And if anyone thought hate and racism were dead in the USA, Trump’s campaign and his subsequent victory are a reality check. CNN’s Van Jones referred to it as ‘whitelash’ against a Black president. He nailed it.

I’ll take comfort now, though, in the fact that before deep wounds can be healed, they often have to be reopened and cleaned first. That’s been my experience anyway. And while the process might be excruciatingly painful, it is undoubtedly worth the effort.

As disappointed as I am, I’m heartened that more of us are awake and are endeavoring to make a difference. My niece Ceilene penned her feelings about Trump’s victory in the following poem. She’s only 13.

Trump Wins – A Message✊❤️
by Strangefruitcc

Anxiety feels my body
I feel the fear in the air
I feel like I could be shot down right now and nobody would even care
The color of my skin is seen as a threat
So if I’m killed justice will never be met!
But brothers and sisters don’t even fret
We’ve been through worse let’s not forget
We are at war but it will not be won by fist
We need to organize and come together and I promise we can and we will get through this!