"Our nation is one of men using violence - against Native folks, against Black folks, and against women - to build and fund "a grand experiment in democracy."
~ Brittney Cooper, Eloquent Rage
With the events of this week, I felt it vital to share Amber Ruffin's latest on my professional blog as well, because, well, too many folks are sticking their heads in the sand. Too many folks are shocked at something that's been coming for a long time. Too many folks are claiming this is something new. Too many folks are acting like it's only 45, the people who broke down the doors (or walked right in thanks to some of the cops who assisted) and the congresspeople who contested the election results are responsible.
The fact of the matter is, everyone who voted for him is complicit. Everyone who has claimed colorblindness is complicit. Everyone who has equated peaceful protests with rioters is complicit. Every manager who has claimed to embrace diversity but done nothing in their role to hire more representative teams are complicit. Every company who posts tokenistic photos on their website of the one or two women and/or BIPOC on their staff and then claims they "embrace equity and inclusion", while consistently falling to improve demographics year after year is complicit. Every CEO who posts an oh-so-timely expression of empathy while their companies sell products and/or services that contribute to the violation of human rights and/or our environment is complicit. Every employee who turns a blind eye to bigotry is complicit.
But here's the great thing: no one needs to STAY complicit. We all have the ability to be better humans, to love bigger, to stand up against injustice. We all have the power.