So it happened. No this is not a drill, no this is not a test, this is real life! What most of us took as a joke really happened. Donald Trump is now the President of the United States; OK, so now what? Despite your personal feelings regarding our new Commander in Chief, the reality is NOW is the time to prepare for the unpredictable events that may come within the next four years. As African Americans and people of color, as a segment of the population we understand that many of the Trump policies and platform may not align to the best interest of our communities. A Trump presidency may even put a financial, educational, and cultural strain on our communities; however, none of this remains to be seen for right now.
Right now, our culture is suffering from some sort of weird paranoia that stems from the disappointment of electing a racist egomaniac. However, let’s just get some of our comrades to complete their five stages of grief first (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance); and after that’s over, let’s mobilize!
Once we have arrived at acceptance. There are many things in our control that we can do to prepare! Many people are on social media saying that this election may have been the best thing for the black community – claiming that this may motivate many to do the things they need to do to get our of being complacent. Others say, if the election of a BLACK PRESIDENT couldn’t motivate black people, then one can’t be sure that folks are going to get motivated now. However, as a hopeless, glass-half-full lover of my people – despite the monkey wrench that has been thrown our way – still we rise!
Here are some tangible things we can do to prepare ourselves, families and communities to get through, at least the next four years:
Be Proactive!
Don’t let these results get your down, we still have battles to fight. There is an attack right now against our immigrant sisters and brothers and now is not the time to become silent simply because we lost a fight. With immigration being the hot-button issue right now, we must remain vocal and active within our communities. We must hold our locally elected officials accountable – and that means (hold it on their asses)! Locally, this is where we hold the most power and where we can make a difference.
Stay Informed!
Now this one is a tough one. Even Peter Wehner, a Republican who served on the White House staffs of Reagan, Bush, and Bush #2 said,“I don’t think he knows what his presidency is going to look like, either in terms of policy or in terms of style or attitude or temperament. There’s never been a president in modern history, or maybe in American history, where trying to predict how his presidency will unfold is so unknowable.” With that said, one just doesn’t know what direction The Donald will go – including The Donald! However, what we are smart to assume is that Trump will take many actions that are sure to benefit the rich – simply because this is what he knows best. We have to pay attention to what laws are passed, what actions taken by Obama have been reversed, and what discussions are underway on the Senate and House floors. If we stay informed about what is being done we can maneuver in other ways that help us benefit from these changes. As a community, many people have a tendency of finding out about issues after they have already been decided; this behavior cannot happen under a Trump presidency.
Limit Your Exposure to News Organizations – They Will Make You Paranoid!
It’s already started! Here are the headlines:
“The Mike Pence (Donald Trump) Assault On LGBTQ Equality Is Already Underway”
“Is Donald Trump already walking away from campaign promises?”
“Donald Trump Protester Shot During March in Oregon”
Now, I know this blog is telling you to Stay Informed; BUT as consumers of information we have to start knowing the difference between viable information and click bait. Click bait leaves consumers of news drained, paranoid, excited, anxious, mad, angry, worried (insert adjective here). Click bait may not even provide accurate or viable information, it is simply used by news organizations (both legit and sketchy) to get readers to read/view their stories. Don’t fall for the hype – this is the fastest way to get people unfocused and the fastest way to get people to make emotional decisions.
Do You!
Although you have those that claim nothing happened, especially for black people during the Obama administration – guess what… many of us have done/achieved some great things within the last eight years! Within eight years, we have seen African Americans and people of color open businesses, become CEOs and Presidents of companies, and simply excel at alarming rates! We have seen more artists going platinum without a deal, writers hit the best sellers list without ever having written books before, and more young black politicians than you can shake a stick at! And none of these achievements had anything to do with a President of the U.S.
With that said, one of the most important aspects of excelling under a Trump Presidency is to continue on this path. This isn’t the first time in American history where people of color have been represented by a President who may not care about their interest, and we have still been able to rise above all the madness.
If you have gotten to work – now is the time. If you don’t know what to do, start surrounding yourself with people who are doing something! It’s a new day, new opportunities are ahead of us – let’s get it!
Syllabus Magazine, the Carolina’s source for Music, Culture and Fashion
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