Our country is having its own “bedpan” moment. Our lives have felt broken during the Trump presidency. An administration that has proudly and firmly rooted itself in anti-Blackness, xenophobia, transphobia, aporophobia (hatred of the poor), etc. Trump and his advisors’ policies and rhetoric have been violent in countless ways to many Americans, with COVID-19 serving as the apex of their complete and total disregard.
Americans have voted in record numbers via early voting and mail-in ballots as a civic response to this administration. As we process how to move forward in the days ahead, I think about my own lessons regarding healing.
We’ve got to be honest about the breaks. Most of white America will try to frame Trump’s presidency as an anomaly. Black folks know that Trump isn’t the exception; he’s the rule. If we are to collectively move forward, we must recognize Trump is more than just a symptom; he is the manifestation of America’s racist roots. White America didn’t have on a pair of beer goggles in 2016 and just now decide to sober up (what a hangover). This is who white America is.
We must remember the smallest of fractures create life-long impacts. In the first winter after my surgery, I became one of “those people” who complain about acute pain somewhere in their body and predict that “a storm’s a-commin.’” The titanium screws in my foot respond to atmospheric changes, a post-surgery effect I will have to live with.
Likewise, there will be changes in our society that will remain in a post-Trump world. In fact, some pundits have argued that Trumpism will outlive the Trump presidency. We will have to deal with the aftermath of his legacy, regardless of whether he is re-elected. This means that Black people will have to deal with the violence and trauma caused by this administration for years to come…if not the rest of our lives.