What Trump’s Election Says About How America Views Black Women
A photo from a rally featuring Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit, Michigan, on Nov. 4, 2024. | Source: DOMINIC GWINN / Getty
I never considered Donald Trump’s reelection a possibility. At 1:00 a.m. Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris had 210 electoral votes, and Agent Orange had 230. I decided to turn the TV off and go to bed, knowing I’d wake up to the joyful news of America electing our first Black, Asian-American woman as president. But when I rolled over at 7:30 am and saw the words, “Donald Trump wins,” on my phone, it reminded me of the deep-rooted hate that folks carry for Black women.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Did America just elect a convicted felon into office for the next four years? This was the most realistic fever dream I’d ever experienced. Still, as I scrolled on social media, I realized that my new reality involves a racist, homophobic, sexist criminal becoming the president of the United States for the second time. America, you’re in trouble, girl.
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My heart was heavy, and I didn’t know what to do with that energy. I couldn’t wrap my head around the election, and now I’m expected to work with my mind preoccupied with how this decision will impact my life over the next four years and beyond. While exchanging “WTF” messages on Slack with Shamika Sanders, HB’s Director of Beauty, she suggested I air my feelings out in a post. So here I am, vigorously searching for the words to explain the depths of my disappointment, while finding the strength to face our unfortunate reality.
Donald Trump’s Reelection Proves That America Hates Black Women
History consistently shows us that we are undervalued, but we rise up unintentionally, showing our powerful resilience to the rest of the world. It’s in our blood. We’ve learned to survive with next to nothing, an admirable quality that infuriates others because no matter how hard they try to knock us down, we pop back up swinging harder than ever. Our ancestors watched their partners suffer while they cooked, cleaned, and cared for the house. They were raped; forced to breastfeed children they didn’t bear; raised children that didn’t belong to them, and watched their own kids get groomed to become sexually exploited enslaved people. Despite their circumstances, Black women worked, revolted, and led revolutions all while carrying their families on their backs.That kind of resilience really pisses people off.
As a result, we adopted the “strong Black woman” archetype, which continued to perpetuate an unrealistic standard of strength and perseverance. We know how to save the day because that’s all we’ve ever done. But today we’re tired. I’m tired. This election successfully extracted any residual energy left in our souls when America decided that we were safer with a racist, homophobic rapist than in the hands of an overqualified Black woman.
The next four years will shine a blinding light on the true feelings of more than half of the country. Trump made it easier for people to wear hatred on their sleeves. We are witnessing the beginning of the end of our basic human rights. Our ancestors fought so hard for us to live in a “free” world, only for this election to set us back hundreds of years.
So, what now?
Trump feels invincible. During a Town Hall in December 2023, he openly said that he wants to be a dictator for “one day.” And when he was asked about it again, he doubled down. “[Peter] Baker today in The New York Times, he said that I want to be a dictator. I didn’t say that, I said I want to be a dictator for one day,” Trump said. “And you know why I wanted to be a dictator? Because I want a wall, right? I want a wall and I want to drill, drill, drill.”
According to Trump’s campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt, “he will now be able to launch ‘mass deportations’ of illegal immigrants, expand oil drilling in the U.S, negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine and impose sanctions on Iran to ‘stop the chaos in the Middle East.’” And that’s just the beginning.
In 2025, we will start to see our rights stripped away, one by one, from the educational resources needed to build our children up to our right to have complete agency over our bodies. We will watch our families struggle because they might be immigrants, members of the LGBTQ+ community, in need of IVF treatment, or in need of an abortion. We are in for a wild ride and the best way to navigate it is by protecting our peace.
Trump has made it acceptable for people to show their true colors, waving their hate disguised as an American flag. It is a reminder that this country wasn’t built for us, it was built by us. For me, protecting my peace means cleansing my timeline, unfriending people who support Trump, and being strategic in what bozos I decide to entertain. Those Trump folks aren’t my monkeys and this is NOT my circus.
Thank you, Madam Vice President
Source: Tasos Katopodis / Getty
To Vice President Harris, know that the election results do not reflect who you are and don’t negate your qualifications. There is nothing you could’ve done better. There were no alternative roads you could’ve taken that would’ve yielded a different result. No matter how many degrees you have or the amount of years you spent as a prosecutor, senator, and vice president, America’s hatred for Black women was destined to prevail. Thank you for being a stellar example of what is possible. Continue to smile broadly, laugh loudly, and show up unapologetically.
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