Inauguration 2021
How far we come and how far we have to go.
My mom is a delta, but for this occasion she was congratulating an AKA.
My mom also told me stories of pink and green Delta shirts. Apparently, people have been running around wearing them who are non-members. Oh boy. As someone who’s not a member of either organization and who still understand the protocol: Y’all don’t wear colors or the shirts if you’re not members. AVOID WEARING THE LETTERS. Omg, I’m not a greek member of any greek organization but I even know how bad this is. It’s one thing to be supportive of Kalama’s and her historic accomplishment. Don’t wear Greek letters or colors of the organizations you are not involved in.
For the first time in US history, we FINALLY have a WOMAN VP. A BLACK WOMAN. A SOUTH ASIAN/INDIAN woman in OFFICE.
As I saw her put her hand up I thought of some of the organizations that I was involved in during my school history.
Here’s my unfiltered thoughts.
We need diverse representation so yes. Kids can see themselves as the heroes of the story as well as kids seeing other kinds of kids as the heroes of the story.
Yes yes yes.
I’m going to take it a step further.
And no this is not foodie Alesha talking-to all my friends that known me for ages that happens to be reading this. This is the “hi, I love you enough to keep it real with you Alesha.”
We need diverse representation so some white people, like my so called friends more accurately “acquaintances” can realize that someone other than themselves can run organizations. Other kinds of people can run, develop, create, maintain, and thrive EVEN IF IT’S DONE IN A WAY THAT YOU DON’T CULTURALLY UNDERSTAND. Some of my beloved white friends have been so used to a world doing things the way that they want, and working for them, that’s it’s impossible for them to fathom someone other than them doing something. I love them to death. I’m not the one to start a race war, because usually when we hang out I’m asking about going out on a date with their refrigerator (please read past articles for more deets if you don’t know me well, because I’m definitely not one-sided and have various views).
The sad fact is I know FOR a fact that some of my white friends and relatives are shell shocked that a black woman got voted in over one of them? Omg.
Give Kamala Harris, A HUMAN BEING, who is now our Vice President, a chance. Would you be talking about Mike Pence’s “qualifications” if he got re-re-elected?. This is another way I’ve seen them nit-pick, and use artificial means to keep someone out of something or exclude them because in their minds, no one else but them can do things BUT THEM.
I watched voting patterns growing up and I know for a fact that my white friends did not vote for poc/bipoc. They went with people they knew, and sadly, didn’t want to give someone else a chance.
I watch the way how some of them act to this DAY. You are not fooling no one but yourselves loves. Other people might not see it the same way but I do.
Secondly, I notice a lot of people say that they need someone to look like them in order to do things. Sure, it would be great if companies reflected the diversity of the world we live in. And it would be great if this diversity moving forward is the norm. It would have been great to see black, Asian, native American, women leaders growing up (Reminder: I went to all white catholic schools, and diversity wasn’t strong, just being honest). My mom was a leader to look up to. Usually when it comes to picking mentors/people to look up to, they want you to pick someone other that your parents. White nuns, white teachers, were the only ones available to me, and some of them happen to be the coolest people. And you make due with the situations you are in. In many instances, I connected with people based on qualities beyond race. We either clicked or we didn’t.
And I have to be straightforward honest. Full-disclosure moment (seen in past articles also): There’s times when I’m the only black in the arena. I do not see many black people attending Gen Con or Comic Con. I do not see a lot of black people in entrepreneur, entertainment or real estate circles I run in. When I attend dinner parties/fundraisers/expensive events where tickets are $500 or more, I may see 1 other black, but usually I’m the only one. And it doesn’t bother me one bit. I can hold my own and handle the situations as they come. I’ve build genuine connections with the people that’s there in those spaces beyond race. Also, people also shouldn’t assume that we are going to automatically be friends because we are both black.
For me growing up, I didn’t necessarily have people that “looked” like me when I ran for president of various organizations. In recent school history, I didn’t have anyone that looked like me that was doing the things I was doing. Starting my own businesses starting out at 12, I didn’t have any examples. (It was my white religion teacher who was my first client.) Someone has to be the one to break through. And just go for it just because. There’s many instances where I don’t have the support of my friends and family, but I DO IT ANYWAYS.
And THEN, that person, that one change-maker, that decided to break out could be the ones that can inspire others because they look like them.
And for millions of people, it’s Kamala. There’s a generation of people that will see that a Indian/South Asian/Black woman VP is the norm. Thank goodness.
Hopefully we can get to the point where it (meaning seeing women, people of color, etc) is so normalized that it doesn’t make headlines.
Some of us have to be the pioneers, the trailblazers, the catalysts for change.
For many, this is Kamala Harris. Before Harris, there was Shirley Chisholm. Chisholm paved the way for many.
“I ran because most people think the country is not ready for a black candidate, not ready for a woman candidate,” Chisholm wrote in her 1973 autobiography “The Good Fight.”
“The next time a woman runs, or a black, a Jew or anyone from a group that the country is ‘not ready’ to elect to its highest office, I believe he or she will be taken seriously from the start,” she wrote. “The door is not open yet, but it is ajar.”
As Harris says, she’s the first but she won’t be the last.
I’ve been watching a lot of local news stations. I see a lot of young ladies on the rise that’s eying the President and Vice President spot one day. DO it ladies!
When Harris was reading her oath, it was the coolest thing.
I grabbed my dog, warmed up my pizza rolls and watched.
We’ve come so far but got so much more work to do.
As a friendly reminder, I do not speak for all black people. Or other groups. Everyone has their own opinion and can speak for themselves. Not everyone agrees with what I’m saying and has a right to think differently. If I don’t say this in these kinds of articles, some assume I’m the spokesperson for all POC/BIPOC and I’m not. (Even in my STEM major way back when, I told them that what I say is not the end all be all for all black people in the major. One size doesn’t fit all, and they need to ask EVERY individual their opinion, instead of assuming of what I said went).
And I’m trying to catch where I misspelled Kamala’s name. I accidently spelled it as Kalama several times through here. Spell-check assumes it’s spelled correctly, so help if you see that.
Third Bonus:
I wasn’t going to write this, but before I hit publish I’ll add this little tit bit. I like me some Joe Biden and Kalama Harris, but I still stand with my entrepreneurial blueprint: no one in the government is going to save you. It’s up to you to take responsibility for your own life and save yourself. I went to a Grant Cardone seminar and he said you got to take accountability for your own life and not blame anyone for your situations. You have the power to change your destiny. Since I was 22, that whole mindset has stuck with me. When the ’08 crash happened, I wasn’t expecting Obama to save me. Same with Bush. No matter who is in office, I plan on saving me.
I appreciate their ideas, and what they ran for in their campaigns. I’ve had way too many bad school and life experiences for me to depend on and trust people outside myself.
It’s interesting. I have people in my life with different political views, opinions, and experiences. They feel safe with disagreeing with me, and knowing that we can walk away from the conversations still friends. It’s ok to disagree, and see things from different perspectives. Because at the end of the day, no one in the government is going to save you. It’s up to you to take responsibility for your own life and save yourself.
It’s 2021!
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