Election 2020
On election night 2016, we mourned. We grieved for the outcome, for how it would affect millions of people across the country, and for what it meant that America would be governed by a man we have come to know as one of the most corrupt and cruel presidents in our history. We were under no illusions that things wouldn't get bad--of course they would--but we didn't know just how bad.
In an article published October 16, 2020 in the Washington Post, Amy Siskind began “chronicling the ways [the] President has changed our country.” She collected more than 34,000 entries focusing on “the norms he and his administration have broken.”
34,000.
In less than 4 years.
However, that November day in 2016, five women came together to manifest their anger into action: Women Unite!. With countless partners, supporters, and donors, the folks that make up Women Unite! continue to use their resources to amplify the work and voices of incredible organizations across the city.
This November 2020, we stand on the precipice of one of the most significant elections in our nation’s history. Election Day is days away, and already more than 60 million ballots have been cast, hundreds of thousands of people have waited in line to vote, and countless people who never considered themselves “political” have participated.
Any amount of voting is impressive considering the aggressive voter suppression tactics leveled against certain groups in this country, specifically those who have been systematically disenfranchised for generations--Black people, the justice-involved, and those who are incarcerated. Some people see a commitment to democracy when they read about a 12-hour line to vote; we see a pattern of voter suppression rooted in this country’s history of violent slavery and anti-Blackness.
The next few weeks (or most likely months), will be anxiety-inducing for us all. Regardless of the outcome of this election, we know the work is not done. Democrats will not save us. Republicans will certainly not save us. Our political and social systems need a massive overhaul, and significant and long-term change cannot be made by one administration or one party; we have to continue challenging the status quo, dismantling systems of oppression, and rebuilding in ways that result in true equity and true justice for all, not just the privileged few.
If you have not already done so, vote. If you plan to vote in the next coming weeks, make a solid plan. If you know people who aren’t planning to vote, engage them in discussion and encourage them to cast their ballot; now is the time to have that uncomfortable conversation because so much depends on it.
November 3 is fast approaching, and we will all cope with that stress in our own ways. On November 4, we rest, replenish, and regroup. On November 5, we get back to work, we continue to use our resources and privilege to uplift the voices and work of those on the frontlines, those most harmed by this administration and by this country--those upon whose backs this “democracy” was built.
Throughout it all, take care of yourselves and take care of each other.
And remember: Stay kind. Stay generous. Stay radical.
- Women Unite!
