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  • Debbie 

Our History is Speaking

Our History Is Speaking

Are we listening, being a reflection?

John Lewis inspired so many of us, along with the legacy of peaceful humility leading til yesterday. He kept his humble way of – “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.” — John Lewis. 33 years of congressional representation-“the conscious of the congress.” Nancy Pelosi. The freedom fighters he walked with across the Edmun-Pettus Bridge 55 years ago, bearing the scars of his first walk. He became a walking, teacher of history. The lesson could have been tinged with bitter anger, understandably,but it was the opposite with Grace-filled love. It is this peace we feel inspired by, as we seek the light through these dark tinged moments reminiscent of the fight which the so many of great civil right leaders lost their lives in to gain liberties for us all. As we step through these remnants of racial hatred, it is the life of John Lewis we look to, celebrate and gain strength from every moment, step towards the better days for our “good trouble, necessary trouble and help redeem the soul of America.” Truth, Love, Peace, overcomes the nonsensical rewriting or lies we are wading through, false fires, to empower ourselves over injustice the truth encounters a lie with truthful fact. Truths are not a threat to the well-being of others. It only feels like it is in an environment which has been taught to hate or told repeat lies as truth. The repeated truth will be a balm to constant agitation initiated as a manipulation to humanity.

Love is peace, even in a protest. Good trouble, the seeds of redemption all lead to equality for all.

We cannot separate the dangerous trend across this nation from our history and the struggle for the right to vote.  Before the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, not so very long ago, it was almost impossible for some citizens to register and vote.  Many were harassed, jailed, beaten, and some were even killed for trying to participate in the democratic process.  

The right to vote is precious and almost sacred, and one of the most important blessings of our democracy. Today we must be vigilant in protecting that blessing.

The history of the right to vote in America is a history of conflict, of struggling for the right to vote.  Many people died trying to protect that right.   I was beaten, and jailed because I stood up for it.  For millions like me, the struggle for the right to vote is not mere history; it is experience.  We should not take a step backward with new poll taxes and voter ID laws and barriers to voting.  We must ensure every vote and every voter counts. 

The vote is the most powerful, non-violent tool we have in a democratic society.  We must not allow the power of the vote to be neutralized.  We must never go back. 

Source:

https://johnlewis.house.gov/issues/voting-rights

The voting rights act is about every person’s natural born right to vote without any restrictions or hindrances to vote. Do you care about every aspect of your life, those you love, and every thing we interact with in our lives? Then we must care about our right/access to vote. If you say your vote doesn’t matter, or you don’t care about politics then don’t express an opinion or any complaints about any service we engage with in our lives. If you can’t take the time to vote then you haven’t earned the right to engage about anything- anything! School, roads, vehicles, satellite, phones, internet access, etc everything connects to the next. If you care about anything or any aspect of your life then you care about engaging on some level. VOTE! Do something to make a difference because we all make a difference! Together we do all make a difference. It isn’t a phrase, it is the truth!

That is why John Lewis marched, why Dr Martin Luther King Jr peacefully protested. It is why all of the thousands of people took to the streets in a pandemic, because they knew, together we make a difference. This isn’t a commentary about coronavirus choices, but I will repeat

1) wear a mask

2) 6 feet apart-social distancing ourselves

3)wash hands regularly

The death of George Floyd changed everyone, I truly believe all of us with compassionate empathetic unconditional love understand our nation must begin a long overdue healing which can’t be entangled in one word or two twisted in lies when confronted with truth. The majority of our humanity knows we are far far away from human transactional behavior. Especially in these moments, our souls are seeking the actions of who we yearned to be, not the America we want to return to…oh no. We know the Mayberry, Bronx, Queens, and other communities never left us nor will they ever. We are all on the streets whether in physical or spiritual presence all of our communities are here. Our America is amazing! We can’t be defined by color, gender, socioeconomic status etc Understanding America, interpreting her actions in 2020 is seeing how much unity is required. Our America requires is speaking in all of her communities and they aren’t asking for less law and order they are asking for them to be redefined by our leaders. Every community is seeking their own path required in this moment and it isn’t a threat to anyone seeing Americans in America through unity. It is the vision of division seeing an issue amongst growth, there can always be problems found if problems and divisions is what you are seeking to see- division finds a never ending supply of sources to fuel the embers of hate.

America is seeking the truth she is founded upon, earned so many have died for bare the scars of her truth. John Lewis’ America is the one where her humble grace welcomes all through the path of their equal justice and voting rights. John Lewis’ America is kind, loving, fair, equally accessible in all of her pathways from immigrant communities to the most elite communities. They all speak with the same weight in John Lewis’ America.