What Comes Next

Last week was filled with much anxiety, hope, fear, uncertainty and frustration and I ended up staying off social media and not watching the news for much of it. We weren't entirely unaware of what was going on but opted to just check once or twice a day because we knew the election results wouldn't come in right away. I spent a lot of time riding our exercise bike as a stress coping mechanism and prioritizing sleep. By the time Saturday rolled around, we felt like it was time to turn on the news and found out in real time when MSNBC called it and declared Joe Biden our next President and we have our first female Vice President Kamala Harris and she is a POC. So many emotions followed and we ran out onto our terrace to the sound of cheers and cars honking as they were going by. A little later, there was even dancing in the streets. And these types of celebrations broke out across the city, the nation and other countries as well. 

We spent the weekend happily texting and talking to friends and while we allowed ourselves a little moment of reverie, the fact is that nothing has changed yet as our new administration won't be inaugurated until January 20 2021 which is still 70 days away. This isn’t over. The country is deeply divided and there is still so much hate and racism as evidenced by the over 70 million who voted for the current administration. While I feel some sense of relief and hope,  I can’t say that I feel any safer than I did before the election. The orange terror hasn't conceded and he and his fascist regime can still potentially do a lot more damage to undermine the structure of our government not to mention he’s trying to steal an election. Oh and we're still in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic that is getting worse by the day.

I'm trying to focus on what I can do and this means spreading the word about the two Senate seats in Georgia headed to a runoff in January. A Democratic sweep is extremely important to attain a Democratic majority in the Senate otherwise that toad Mitch McConnell (who has enabled trump’s hateful rhetoric as well as all his graft and corruption) will once again be in control and stonewall any legislation the Biden administration tries to put through just like he did with the Obama administration. If we are to see any progress towards meaningful change, it is imperative this happens. Only then will democracy and decency really win.

Reverend Raphael Warnock is currently the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. He is running on a platform to advocate for struggling Georgia families by focusing on issues like quality, affordable health care and better pay for working people. His opponent is Kelly Loeffler who profited off the pandemic while spreading lies about it's existence. She has also been endorsed by QAnon.

Jon Ossoff is a former journalist and national security aide for a Georgia congressman, responsible for handling defense, foreign affairs, intelligence, and economic policy. He is running against David Perdue who also profited off insider trading on the pandemic while denying it's existence and he willfully mocked and made fun of the name of Vice President Elect Kamala Harris.

If you live in the state of Georgia and will be 18 by January 5th, you are eligible to vote in this Senate runoff election.

You must register by December 7, 2020: https://registertovote.sos.ga.gov

To request an absentee ballot: http://ballotrequest.sos.ga.gov

We made donations in support of both candidates which you can also do if you can/wish to.

Reverend Raphael Warnock: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/senatecirclegas

Jon Ossof: https://electjon.com

If you prefer, you can also donate to Stacey Abram's Fair Fight which was formed to fight voter suppression as well as encourage voter participation in the US. The PAC is splitting donations three ways to fund its own efforts as well as both of these campaigns. The impact of this organization can be felt in Biden/Harris currently leading the vote in Georgia with the possibility of flipping the state blue. 

I have to admit I was never really all that politically active before these elections, but seeing the disturbing deterioration of our society, the rise of hate, racial inquality, and the lack of regard for human life in these last four years filled me with a sense of overwhelming despair at times. My priorities have been shifting and I knew I wanted to contribute towards making a change. And honestly taking action has given me a sense of empowerment whether it was speaking up, donating money or phone banking for the Biden/Harris campaign.  The way I see it, the betterment of all of lives are on the line here. Help spread the word about Georgia! The work is not done!

Photo: Esquire Korea