I'm voting for my children, so they will better understand what it means to be a man.
Joe Biden demonstrates that being a man is about the strength to care, the strength to love, and the strength to understand. It took strength for him to keep moving after suffering an unthinkable personal tragedies. Committing himself to his family isn't easy and working to have a balance in his life between a career and his family was difficult. Still, he never gave up on the idea of being a present and loving father. When faced with the tragedy, he was ready to pick his family over his career. So many men would have prioritized their career in his generation, as so many men still do today.
Joe Biden understands that feminism is the idea that women are, in fact, human beings, equal in deserving the same respect and dignity as men. He co-sponsored the Violence Against Women act and collaborated with President Obama through his feminist work, including the Libby Ledbetter Act. He is committed to his wife and his daughters and elevates their work and their humanity.
The people who think all men cheat and all men engage in "locker room talk" are wrong. There are plenty of guys out there who are sexist and misogynistic, but the real men are not. How you talk about women and treat women in your personal life reflects policy decisions and hiring decisions. I want my sons to live in an America where women are freer, and that will not happen if the person at the top expresses through his words, actions, and policies that women are sub-human. My boys will be men of character who treat women well, but they need the support of leaders who refuse to accept the subjugation of women.
I'm voting for my children so that they will be a less racist society.
trump has never stopped his anti-Asian racist language to describe the pandemic. Three days ago, he once again used racist language to describe the virus. Racism doesn't stay static. It gets worse, or it gets better, and anti-Asian racism is getting worse in America. Anti-immigrant language may have ebbed, but it never disappeared from trump's language and ideology and embedded in all his does, and all he says is a disdain for other races.
Labeling trump as a racist is not an opinion, it's a fact, and the existence of systemic racism is not a debatable subjective opinion. It's a fact backed up by research like the molecular makeup of water and the air temperature on a given day.
Many People of Color have persevered and triumphed in the face of racism, though many more have not. To love my children, to make sure they grow up healthy and happy, I need to make sure they healthy food, are bather, go to the doctor and live in a less racist society. A less racist society is essential to my children's health and well-being as clean water, clear air, and access to health care, things that trump and many Republicans don't view as basic human rights.
Joe Biden served, supported, and was number 2 to a Black man. He has elevated a mix-raced, Black women to the role of Vice President. When addressing racism in America, he listens, learns, tries, and has evolved. He is a model for how White-ness can become anti-racist, how older generations can be better than their upbringing, and how privilege can be used to serve others. Yes, Biden is fighting for the soul of our nation, and with empathy across racial barriers, he can win this battle.
I'm voting for my children so they can be proud to be American.
In the past four years, I have felt less proud to be an American than at any point in my life. I am ashamed of trump, his administration, his enablers, and many of his followers. I'm angry at the racist people he encourages, the ignorant people he leads, and the callous people who dehumanize others in trump's vision. I am disappointed that our country continues to "turn his head and pretend he just doesn't see," while we wonder, "how many years can some people exist before they're allowed to be free."
I am not proud to be an American right now. I'm okay with that. I'm glad that the myth of American exceptionalism has been demolished so that we can more clearly see the American that has always been, not the American myth far too many of us have believed to be true.
Pride is something that is created through hard work with others. It is not a flag that is waved or a song that is sung. Pride is not looking at past myths of accomplishments and celebrating them through fireworks. It is fostered by great leaders who challenge us to be the best of who we are for ourselves and each other. Pride is seeing mistakes, working hard with others to address them, and making a more perfect union built on empathy.
It is an America that Joe Biden believes can be built back better by all of us because if we come together, there is nothing we can't do.
I'm voting for my children, so they can know years that I did my part in this dark time, acting out of love for country, love for myself, and love for them.
No comments:
Post a Comment