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Commentary || I Think I Will Follow Michelle’s Example [1]

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Date: 2025-01-17

A spokesperson for former First Lady Michelle Obama announced that she would not attend Monday’s Inauguration of soon-to-be President Donald J. Trump. On Wednesday night, President Joseph R. Biden bid farewell to the nation after five decades of service. In his remarks, just before he warned the country about “misplaced power,” he said, “That’s why I’ve upheld my duty to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition of power to ensure we lead by the power of our example…” Those words should but were never heeded by his predecessor and now successor, Donald Trump. Alas, as my granny used to say, it will go in one ear and out the other. There will be some on the right wing of our nation who will decry the refusal of Michelle Obama not to attend. Some will call it a classless gesture and uppity. Of course, as is their usual blindness to Trump’s ignoring of American tradition, conservatives will willfully forget he shirked his responsibility to attend the Inauguration of Joe Biden in January 2021, fresh off of his (Trump) inciting a riot a mere fourteen days earlier.

Obviously, on November 5 of last year, not enough cared any longer, and too many in the country were willing to forget because a dozen eggs cost a buck more. Rather than relitigate the lost election, Michelle Obama and I have decided not to dignify the election of a man who thinks fascism is a viable alternative to democracy. I also want to believe that a part of her decision-making process was that this year’s Inauguration falls on the day we celebrate the birth of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ironically, a day that is usually marked as a day of service will be dominated by a man whose life is marked by self-serving greed, criminality and disloyalty to his wife and country. I have plans to help my church distribute food to the very people Mr. Trump wants to deny, deport, and demean.

Fortunately, once the daylight hours come to an end, there will be distractions. Instead of watching the Trump(s) at a ball saunter around a dance floor, I will watch the college football championship contested between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and ‘Thee’ Ohio State Buckeyes. I will return to the worries of the future first thing Tuesday morning because I have a stake in America that I am not willing to surrender. I spent the holidays back home in DC with family, and when I returned, I caught a Lyft from the Amtrak station to my home. The reason I bring up that ride was that my driver was a very young black woman, and I found myself trying to convince her there was a future for her in America; she said more than once, with Trump in, I think I am just going to give up.

The despair in her voice pierced my soul. I had a similar conversation with my Goddaughter yesterday. She wanted to know if she should garner any hope from the farewell Biden address and if I thought anyone would listen. She asked if I would mention his speech in my piece today. I told her I would. Like the young woman driving the share-ride car, her despair was also palpable. She asked what I thought of Biden’s speech. The best way to sum it up is in his own words, with three excerpts.

“Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation enabling the abuse of power…”

“And in a democracy, there is another danger — that the concentration of power and wealth. It erodes a sense of unity and common purpose. It causes distrust and division…”

“Everyone is entitled to a fair shot, not a guarantee, just a fair shot, an even playing field. Going as far as your hard work and talent can take you…”

To my Goddaughter and that young woman who drove me home in the dark, I owe them the fight in me to let them both know there is still light.

Your Vote is Still Your Voice

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