I recently finished reading The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. Sue Monk Kidd, also the author of The Secret Life of Bees, attempts to discuss racial tensions and slavery during the eighteenth century, as well as, female rights. Both topics, in light of our current presidential election and the #BLM movement, are relevant and I couldn't help but be in awe at my fortune for finding yet another avenue of thought regarding these subjects. It seems that nowadays we, Americans, are entrenched in controversy. It is not foreign terrorists threatening our safety, even though the incident linked to ISIS in Florida where many Americans were shot to death happened less than a year ago; No, it is division within that is shredding our faith and debilitating our peace on a daily basis.
Cops are afraid to go to work and give any perpetrator the benefit of the doubt because cops throughout our nation are being shot to death and sought out as enemies.
We have two candidates for presidency that are mired in controversy upon controversy. Conveniently, or ironically, Donald faces charges for misbehavior against women while Hillary relishes in her position as the first potential female president. Meanwhile, Hillary's "strength" is that she has experience. Unfortunately, all that experience has taught her is that she should have a same-sex intern to protect her marriage, "C" means confidential, she will not be excused for accidentally deleting anymore emails, and very few men and women in the military believe she has their best interest in mind.
Finally, even though racial equality has supposedly been established in our country, there are those who still believe overt racism exists. I cannot say they are wrong. My experience is yes, racism exists. The same way that sexism exists. We could never account for why this is. ask almost any man and I am sure in his heart of hearts, he loves a woman. Whether it is his mom, a sister, an aunt, a cousin, his wife, etc, that relationship would lead him to conclude that sexism does not exist, NOT IN AMERICA! However, those who feel as I do might smirk knowingly, we would judge him to be a good man, but misguided, Let's be clear, there was a black president before there has been a female. Black males were given the vote, before women. If we look at our nation's history, the color of one's skin was not all that led to discrimination and the effects of that subjugation go deep. Little girls still know the inequality that exists, but the climate for change, for improvement has never been better.
It is the interweaving of the final two issues, female rights and Black Lives Matter, that the Grimke sisters battle in The Invention of Wings and it is what captures my imagination, as well as my heart.
Some may believe that the argument for black people being mistreated is separate from that of women, but I cannot abide that opinion. The representation of both groups has been unfortunate in the American media. We watch "Desperate Housewives" and the PlayBoy Bunnies in their mansion, picking orders of wives and selecting future "models." It is despicable and misrepresentative of what I want females to be known as. I can only believe that those who want unity for our country find the same negative representation of black people as irritating as I do. I believe it is that unjust representation that links us even more than before, not as blacks or whites, or even males and females, but as one misunderstood citizen to another, living in a country where anything CAN happen. We just need to come together and figure out the best way together. I hope we can all put our grievances behind us and press on, acknowledging that some changes have been made, and that not all representations of us or them are true. I'd say it is well past time to make those changes, and to make America great again.*
*That is not an endorsement for Trump.
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