You thought this was a Democracy? Well, do tell
After this 2020 election, I feel like Lin Manuel Miranda in the Hamilton production. I can imagine him singing about the dying days of this “error” / era. I feel like we can write a political musical on what the Republicans and their supporters are doing now in their denial of truth and reality. It’s more than that. Republicans hijacked democracy in an attempt to salvage power for themselves. History will show it.
And, as I am watching the many commentaries in the days since the election, it is a reminder of what happened when Brown v. Board of Education as decided. Remember how long it still took school integration to occur after that court decision? Remember how even with a 1954 Supreme Court decision, white politicians in the south were still determined to defy the courts, they weren’t going to be told that Blacks were going to go to school with their children, sit at the same desks, eat at the same cafeteria tables. Southern white people protested and tried desperately to stop progress of integration. Of course we know they ultimately failed but they spent many, many years protesting, outright going against the ruling. Shall we look at that for a lesson now? Yep, do tell.
Nikole Hannah-Jones, The New York Times Magazine Correspondent on Racial Injustice (renowned for the 1619 Project) says “white conservatives are willing to suspend democratic values if they think minorities are coming into power.” That is indeed what we’ve witnessed from the 2016 campaign throughout the entirety of Trump’s only term as President. Republicans have been hypocritical but more than that, they have lied freely, often and deliberately thrown out democracy because the rise of “other” Americans surely spells their ultimate demise. Non-white Americans are increasing and there is little Republicans can do about it, just like ultimately there was little they could do stop school integration.
But, Ms. Hannah-Jones notes even more a connection to the Hamilton musical production. During an appearance on Ali Velshi’s show on November 15th, 2020, she remarks that our country was not founded as a true democracy as we think about “democracy”, it was founded as a democracy for “landed white men.” She says the United States of America didn’t become a true democracy until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. That was the completion of this country’s democracy when all people of color and genders could actually vote. Ms. Hannah-Jones notes that other than the civil war, the only known, recognized coup in America occurred in Wilmington, NC where white conservatives overthrew a democratically-elected multiracial government. So, we don’t have much experience in coups.
Given these premises, it is not surprising that a broad coalition is responsible for the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. It was a coalition of diversity that finally brought about democracy for America. And now, it is a coalition of Blacks, Latinos, Indigenous, Asians, women, whites … it is this type of diverse coalition that represents a true democracy that is ending the hypocrisy, lies and abandonment of democracy by a white Republican party.
America is a democracy … do tell. This country was actually created as a republic but we make it a living, breathing democracy where the majority rule but that has to be fought for every day by every citizen. Take nothing for granted as we know that some will abandon democracy for power.
