Can this time be the reckoning America needed but never wanted?
Tiny thoughts on remembering that which we want to move past.
With vaccinations underway and the booking of trips commencing, the world is on the cusp of a time that will define the new age, the liminal space which encompasses the nuance between “pre-COVID” and “post-COVID,” holding the beginning of a reckoning that America has never had. We have seen over the past year the ways in which health priorities have been jumbled at best and unethical at worst. America, from the time of inception, has been a nation defined by her individual freedoms and rights. This makes it nearly impossible to reckon with any shortcomings as a society, making it simpler to forget injustices and move on to the bustle of the future. I’ve been thinking about this conversation between Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen on the second episode of the podcast, Renegades: Born in the USA.
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: How do you hold the same country that sent man to the moon with being the same country of Jim Crow? You don’t make peace with that obviously, but… how do you sort of hold that being the same America?
BARACK OBAMA: I think that… it is…partly because we never went through a true reckoning, and so we just buried one huge part of our experience and our citizenry in our minds.
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BARACK OBAMA: And it goes back full-circle to everything we’ve been talking about. The bridge between America as it is…and as we mythologize it to be. The only way that you can bring those two things together is to do an honest accounting and then do the work. I’m not willing, and I know you’re not either, to abandon the ideal because the ideal is worthy.
To reconcile our America is to perform a deep meditation on where we have been, where we are, and where we would like to go. This requires an honesty so brutal that we have avoided this very act for decades, institutionalizing our fears. I thought this was explained so acutely in these parts of the podcast:
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: “It all starts with fear. Hatred comes later, but it all starts with fear. Everything that we’ve got going in our systemic racism we have here in America today, where does it come from? People are scared. What are they scared of? Demographic change. They’re scared of the country becoming some place where Black and brown voices become louder, more influential, more powerful, more equal.”
BARACK OBAMA: [On how people rationalize hurting someone] “I may be poor. I may be ignorant. I may be mean. I may be ugly. I may not like myself. I may be unhappy. But you know what I’m not? I’m not you.” And that basic psychology that then gets institutionalized, is used to justify dehumanizing somebody, taking advantage of ‘em, cheatin’ ‘em, stealin’ from ‘em, killin’ ‘em, raping ‘em. Whatever it is, at the end of the day it really comes down to that. And in some cases it’s as simple as, you know, “I’m scared I’m insignificant and not important. And this thing is the thing that’s going to give me some importance.”
Reckoning is remembering, reflecting, accepting, and acting. While staying inside in isolation, America has witnessed Black individuals killed at the hands of police on camera, experienced the health care and public health system fail its own standards, and seen a tyrannical president reject science. While feeling this so immediately and viscerally, we have started chains of movements that have extended beyond America’s borders. Can we continue to reckon once the world starts breathing again? Once we’re working in an office or traveling to new countries? When we cross over to the other side of this period and just want to move on and forget, can we make the promise that we will continue to reckon with all that we have witnessed? Wrestling with truth cannot cannot be seen as an aspiration, but a necessary act.
Things I’m keeping an eye on (and you can too!):
SA SPICED (@sa_spiced): Priya Seetharaman and Nazra Amin are two individuals in Northern Virginia leading a grassroots effort to achieving social, political, and economic justice. SA SPICED is a multigenerational, community-led organization dedicated to amplifying progressive values within the Northern Virginia South Asian community. They’ve already hosted one incredible virtual event bringing together the Northern VA community + others who are seeking to learn from this model. Check out and follow the Insta page to learn more!
I hope you’ll check out my friend Neela’s Instagram page as she raises awareness for fundraising efforts towards COVID-19 relief in India after losing both of her grandparents in the span of days. Her words are powerful and her words are true; the loss this week has been personal, community-wide, and nationwide. As India faces shortages in supplies and climbing rates, dollars to help acquire more resources can make all the difference. This page of mutual aid fundraisers has been one of my favorite resources. Anything would help, and I hope you’ll consider joining me in donating more today.
Community Center:
The spread of COVID-19 is not over yet, but I’d still like to ask: what are some lessons/realizations/practices that you want to keep with you as we move forward once there’s some “normalcy?” What are some things you want to let go of? Would love to hear your thoughts on the community thread. For any personal comments, feel free to reach out via Twitter, or by email. Hope you and yours are safe and well. Sending lots of love during this precarious time.
This is good writing and worthy of people's time and attention. I will not move on from or forget the last few years in my adopted America.