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Was it the Racism or the Misogyny?
It was both. It was misogynoir — hatred of, aversion to, or prejudice against Black women. And the world witnessed it perpetrated on a national scale.
Upon learning that Vice President Kamala Harris would be the Democratic nominee for president, my gut reaction was: White America won’t elect a Black woman president because its racism and misogyny are alive and well and thriving in this country and donning MAGA hats. But the outpouring of support Vice President Harris and Governor Walz received throughout their campaign — even from “White Dudes for Harris” — gave me hope that America had learned from the rampant death, violence, and malfeasance the previous Republican president wrought during his term and had enough, set aside its racism, and was ready to move on and follow its better angels.
But that was not the case at all.
More of you than I suspected were still seething over Barack Obama’s two terms and did not regard this election as a choice for who would better serve the country but instead viewed it as a referendum on whether a Black woman or a white man should hold the highest office in the land.
For me, these past few days have been a blur. I suppressed my rage over the outcome and despair over the…