EnShanté

For the past two elections, my mother and I have trekked across the street from my childhood building to my former middle school, with a few neighbors in tow, to cast our ballots. This year, we were the only two present. I’m not sure about the others but I know one of them, a woman who seemed eager to vote in previous elections, is sitting this one out because “They’re both crooked,” she said, referring to Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

There was a point in time when I would have asked questions to dive deeper into that response; a time when I would have wanted to understand why she would equate Harris to Trump. Instead, I didn’t bother. I didn’t want to pry and I didn’t think the conversation was worth my time. I’ve been choosing to disengage with opinions that drastically differ from mine (except for those in written or audio forms) regarding topics that involve basic human rights. I could say I’m protecting my peace but the real answer is: I don’t have the desire or energy to debate. I’m not interested in changing anyone’s mind and I’m not interested in reaching across the aisle.

Anyways, tomorrow is election day and… I really don’t know what to think. I want to be optimistic but America is not about to elect a woman of color. They said “Hell no.” to Hillary Clinton so I can only imagine what they’re going to say to Kamala. I just hope Trump doesn’t run this place too far into the ground if he’s elected again.