I’m going to confess something. I’ve been dealing with a good amount of building anger since 2016. The day Trump mocked the disabled reporter, and then watching many White Christians give him unlimited passes for his behavior, I allowed this to ignite things which were both positive and negative from within me.
I think opening eyes to injustices in their very nature are liberating yet painful and even anger-inducing all-at-once. Overt racism and mocking a disabled person were the ignition keys in 2016 which started my awakening to a whole comprehensive series of historical and structural injustices. Racism and disability injustice have always bothered me. These two issues made a more total awakening possible for me. Maybe some of you can relate.
The nomination of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have recharged an uncontainable joy in my life. Some reading may have a different opinion of them, but I personally think they are a beautiful team.
These ideals listed are the ideals I have always tried to live by. With the oppression, rise, and threat of Trumpism/ White Christian Nationalism, I’ve struggled with these core ideals. Instead of losing hope for the future, I see hope for a better future for all Americans without exception, myself, my children, and grandchildren. Instead of focusing on the past, I am focusing on the future. Instead of looking at what I don’t have, I’m going to be thankful for what I do have. Instead of looking at peoples’ faults, I am going to look at their strengths. As a lifelong educator and decade-long Educational Therapist, this profession has required me to focus more on strengths over weaknesses and positives over negatives. But I will have to admit, it hasn’t been as easy on a national and global scale until Kamala Harris and Tim Walz brought new joy and hope to the Democratic ticket and country.
I’ve also decided to forgive myself, others, and the church for its moral cooperation with White Christian Nationalism and the moral injury it has caused. I can tell you that this is not easy because parts of it will never repent, and I hate thinking of how I might have contributed individually. As someone who has spent my entire life in organized religion and Christian ministry until 2016, awakening to the White American Church’s cooperation with the right wing of the Republican party has been devastating to me. The keywords are white and Republican because the Black Church, Hispanic faith communities, and other minority religious communities are rooted in restoring justice and are mostly Democrat. Being part of a Hispanic faith community has shown me this truth over time.
Truly, I didn’t know how involved the white church and the Republican party were, but that doesn’t excuse me from not investigating their cooperation sooner. I cannot avoid my own responsibility as a Catholic/Christian to aid and assist the parts of the church who are doing the good and hard work of restoration, reconciliation, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and healing the sick as Jesus came to do. I guess I can say that I’ve done both the good service over the years and also unintentionally cooperated with White Christian Nationalism in my more conservative days. I thank the Catholic Church for showing me lived realities and opening my eyes. Forgiveness of self and others and then making difficult changes are choices. A major event or a collection of experiences sometimes need to happen to help foster forgiveness and change. My job is to stand on the correct side of history.
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