Uniting the Minority Communities - Why the Black, Jewish, LGBTQ+, Asian, and Native American Communities need to stand together.

 This is the story of a flag so faded, long in flight

Upon which, after years of silence, blue and red have bled to white.

So, to those in power and your sycophantic thrall

You've raised your tower, but castles fall. 

They think we shout because they made us. 

No! We revel in our noise. We are the devil they're afraid of.

For we fight this war with joy

Lay down your guns, sing out in unison.

Come! Fight! The inside us, dies in silence.

Red lines, streaking up the pavement. See the road beyond. 

White lies, creeping up their faces. We keep rolling on. 

We rise, even when the pain is all we know. 

Well friends, we stand against an army.

And alarmingly, they've made their minds up. 

But we can't survive that way

We tried that before, we wised up. 

And no amount of shouting in the streets or at our screens

Is going to make them rise up with us. 

And see the forest for the trees that burn

And further light the fire in our eyes

- Red Lines, White Lies by Age of Madness released in May 2022

There is so many lies and so much hate going around about the whole 'woke' movement.

Before we go any further, let's define this movement...

Aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues - especially issues of racial and social justice.' - Merriam Webster

'Of or relating to a liberal, progressive orthodoxy, especially promoting inclusive policies or ideologies that welcome or embrace ethnic, racial, or sexual minorities.' - Dictionary.com

Why is any of that a bad thing? 

Why are the conservatives and the MAGA's so threatened by the Black Community, the Jewish Community, the LGBTQ+ Community, the Asian Community, the Native American Community? What do they think we are going to do? 

And why is it so terrible that we want the same rights and freedoms as they enjoy? I mean, what is that? 

Honestly, if we all united and supported each other and fought back, we would be unstoppable. And we would achieve so much. 

Maybe that's what the MAGA's and Conservatives fear. 

I really don't understand how anyone can listen to Trump or Desantis or Taylor-Green or Boebert or Gatz or Jordan and be okay with anything that comes out of their mouths. How can they listen to them spew hate and lies and just be like 'Oh, hell yeah!' 

Don't give me that Christian bull, either. I may not be religious, now, but I grew up in the Christian faith. What these people are saying is the exact opposite of what Christianity is. Or used to be, anyway. 

What these politicians are now are Christian Nationalists. They have turned Christianity into something that is pure hate and ugliness. 

I am pretty sure Jesus would consider them blasphemous. If I remember my New Testament, correctly, Jesus was all about love and acceptance and helping the poor and sick. It was about loving everyone, unconditionally. He despised the rich and powerful and what they stood for. Even going so far as flipping the tables they had set up in the court yard of a church. 

What the aforementioned political people worship is the rich and powerful. So, how did they manage to convince so many people that they are doing 'God's work'? I mean, have none of these people ever read the Bible? Or maybe they never got past the Old Testament. 

And let's talk about Jesus for a second. He belonged to the Jewish Community way before the Christians came and appropriated him. Hell, the guy was Jewish, himself. So this image that people have a white man with long hair is a made up fantasy. I hate to break it to you - wait, no I don't - your Jesus was a brown, Jewish man. 

Let me be clear, this is not directed at all Christians. I know many amazing and loving Christians that did read the New Testament and remember Jesus' actual teachings. They do their best to live as he wants them too. As I've said before, Christianity is not my religion, but these Christians I respect with all my heart. I love you guys. 

Then you have politicians like Booker and Brown and Fetterman and Harris and Biden who do their best to care for ALL Americans. These guys follow the teachings of their Jesus far more closely than the others do. And they do not use their religion as a weapon. 

How can anyone one listen to him speak with love and concern about all of humanity, every community, and think he is ridiculous? 

And don't give me that copout about his age or mental capacity. He and Trump are within 4 years of each other, in age. Biden is old not incompetent. I'm not saying that I have agreed with everything that Biden has done, but his capacity for love and acceptance makes it easier to deal with. At least he is not spewing hate and lies. 

I want to ask when did hatred and judgment and privilege become the priority, but I already know the answer. It always has been. Trump just gave these people permission to start saying it out loud. 

The sad thing is all these straight, white women don't realize that these men are coming for them, also. Are you that blind? Or that scared of these men? I know straight white men that can see the truth better than these women. 

People are dying because of what these MAGAs are saying and doing. Innocent children and women and men of all races and faiths and lifestyles. How anyone can support this and not see how wrong and terrible this is, just makes me sick to my stomach. The fact that my son and I live in a town of people that support and participate in all this hate - people I have known for all or most of my life - makes me sick to my stomach. 

The world has gotten so scary for those of us that belong to one or more of these communities. I know too many LGBTQ+, Jewish, Blacks, Asians, and Native Americans that worry about leaving their house. We stand at our front door, stomach in knots and trying to breathe deep, wondering which of our communities will face the most hate, that day. 

I have heard, from too many straight, white people, "It can't be that bad." and "You can't think what happens on the news will happen to you." and I just want to scream. It must be nice to be so sure of your place in the world that you can ignore the terror and hate and tyranny that is so clear around you. 

I am a Queer, Native American woman with a beautiful and amazing Mixed Race Son. Maybe that is one of the reasons we have always shared such a unique bond - knowing, on some level, that we are both looked down on by certain parts of society. He and I have had to learn, together, how to travel this environment safely. We have stood beside each other through the fear and the insanity, supporting and protecting each other. 

This is exactly what we all need to do, as united communities. So, this is a call to all the Blacks, Jewish, LGBTQ+, Asians, and Native Americans - let's unite. We must stand together, support and protect each other. Let's make it impossible for Trump and all his robotic minions to touch us, to hurt us. It's time to use our fear and anger and turn it into power of our own. 

Originally posted June 18, 2023

UPDATE - Things just keep getting worse for us. There is so much hate and discrimination out there aimed at all of us. The world just keeps getting more scary. And I just get more and more angry. I have ended more than one friendship because they support the MAGA party. We have longed passed the whole 'we can agree to disagree' era. There is NO agreeing when the rich and powerful are trying to dominate the country and trying to make hate and discrimination the normal. When they are trying to deny us our right to live and be free and be who we are - trying to set America back hundreds of years - that is NOT OKAY! MAGA politicians have said - OUT LOUD - that they want to criminalize LGBTQ+, that we should be in prison or even killed. Trump has admitted that it is his goal to make this happen. He has admitted - OUT LOUD - that he wants and plans to be a dictator should he be re-elected. This is NOT OKAY! And anyone that supports this party, is not my friend, not my kind of people, and not anyone that I want in my life. So no, we CANNOT agree to disagree, anymore. If being 'woke' means that I care about humanity and that I fight for the rights of everyone, then hell yeah, I'm woke. I'd much rather be woke than asleep and allowing myself to be brainwashed by hate and the people that preach it.