Power, History, and the Fight for Democracy

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When a Nation Forgets Its Past: Black History Month

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Martin Luther King Jr, Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1963).

As we enter the month of celebration and commemoration, it is important to stress that what we are experiencing as a nation is not unique or new. 

We, as a country, have a strange relationship with history. This goes as far back as the Transcendentalist movement and the American Revolution which gave us our own foundational theory–The city upon a hill, manifest destiny, “American Exceptionalism.” We believe that the rules of history do not apply to us simply because we are, as Lincoln once put it, “an almost chosen nation.” Post-Cold War, these ideals were only strengthened as the U.S. helped rebuild Europe and establish a new order of international collaboration. 

But, this ahistorical approach to our own nation has left us vulnerable to threats that many saw coming. From the Trail of Tears of the Jacksonian era, to the Japanese entertainment camps of the Roosevelt presidency, to Jim Crow of every president between Hayes and Lyndon B. Johnson, to even the George Floyd protests of President Trump’s previous term–we have always struggled with what it means to be a citizen of a country that mythologizes freedom while under-serving on its promise. We are not exempt from history.

Larger than the American eye, we as a people–no matter creed nor nationality nor race nor gender–have always fought and revolted and sang and danced and survived together. We tell stories of the hubris of man to warn of overconfident ambitions. No matter your religion, you may have a story of your own. Trump, and his officials, are perhaps no better than Macbeth–an arrogant, cowardly leader who will fall as they all often do. Remember your history, remember our history, or be doomed to repeat it.

There is much to be learned from the lives that have already survived, from the lives that have already been lost. History hums the same tune, but it is for us to learn the rhythm. So, let this month be a time, not only for reflection, but a time to strategize. Black History Month is about celebrating strength, resilience, and liberation. That will always be true in the face of ICE, in the face of transphobic legislation, in the face of Civil Rights repeals, in the face of authoritarian administration. Fight, until we “will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” 

Happy Black History Month from us to you.

The Faces and Images of Resistance

(JOHN LOCHER/AP)

Six Years Later: Trump, the FBI, and the Fight Over Georgia’s Elections

Six years later, Trump is still insisting that the 2020 election was stolen and fraudulent on the behalf of the Democratic party. Last Wednesday, the FBI led a raid on Fulton County’s main election facility to seize 2020 Presidential election voting records. This comes just a few days after a federal judge in Macon dismisses Trump’s Justice Department case to obtain sensitive Georgia voter information. Along with Georgia Republican, Brad Raffensperger, choosing to uphold the dignity of his position and not cave to Trump’s demands. However, the raid isn’t the most surprising event in the last week.

On The Dan Bongino Show, led by Trump’s former FBI director, President Trump made alarming comments suggesting that Republicans “take control” of majority Democratic-voting areas, along with nationalizing elections. According to the Hoover Institution, “nationalizing elections” would require voters to vote for the party, instead of the person. Moreover, the Republican party is pushing for a vote on the SAVE Act, which tightens citizenship requirements. The MAGA loyalists are fervent on undermining the 2020 elections and upcoming elections, deeming them “untrustworthy.”

Trump’s efforts and comments to undermine the very foundation of American politics continue on with no consequences. He will continue to push the limit until it can’t be pushed anymore. When will the federal government step in and check his powers? Our country was designed to fight tyranny, fascism, and monarchical behavior. Our government was designed to check each other. When will the loyalists realize his wrongdoing and work for the people, not the president? When will our own state legislature here in Georgia stand up and protect voting rights and the integrity of our elections? Democrats, led by Representative Saira Draper, powefully met this moment with a strong condemantion of the Trump Administrations actions. When will Republicans do the same?

What do these names have in common?

• Arnold Schwarzenegger

• Codie Sanchez

• Scott Galloway

• Colin & Samir

• Shaan Puri

• Jay Shetty

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