As she checked into a recent flight to Mexico for vacation, Teja Smith chuckled at the idea of joining anotherĀ Womenās March on Washington.
As a Black woman, she just couldnāt see herself helping to replicate the largest act of resistance againstĀ then-President Donald TrumpāsĀ first term in January 2017. Even in an election this year where TrumpĀ questioned his opponentās race, held rallies featuringĀ racist insultsĀ and falsely claimed Black migrants in Ohio were eating residentsāĀ pets, he didnāt just win a second term. He became the first Republican in two decades to clinch the popular vote, although by a small margin.
āItās like the people have spoken and this is what America looks like,ā said Smith, the Los Angeles-based founder of the advocacy social media agency, Get Social. āAnd thereās not too much more fighting that youāre going to be able to do without losing your own sanity.ā
After Trump was declared the winner overĀ Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, many politically engaged Black women said they were so dismayed by the outcome that they were reassessing ā but not completely abandoning ā their enthusiasm for electoral politics and movement organizing.
I agree that white America needs to step it up but non-white America is gonna feel the hurt a lot worse. Waiting for us to ācome aroundā could take decades if ever. Enjoy the holidays, not much you can change right now, and then get ready to work. That goes for everybody!