No matter how you voted in the recent midterm elections, or how you feel about the president and the direction in which he has taken America, one thing is for certain: voters have issued a referendum on the job performance of No. 47.
Even with just minutes left in regulation – during the afternoon before the midterm elections – rather than attempting to shore up votes for his beleaguered Republican colleagues, the president spoke on and on about algae, arches, and nonessential construction projects.
And to emphasize his point, the president addressed the nation while tranquil royal blue, dark blue, or some kind of blue waters, as he alternatively described them, settled upon the Reflecting Pool behind him.
To be clear — political party affiliation notwithstanding — the only thing that matters now is November 2028, when Americans decide who will take over the reins at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
In the closing weeks before the midterms, two Black preachers stood behind pulpits with messages that would benefit all Americans.
The Rev. Al Shapton, speaking at Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta, issued a warning that African Americans not fall victim to the “epidemic of Negro amnesia.”
He went on to say that many of us have already succumbed to the disease, forgetting that the privileges we enjoy today were achieved not on individual merit but on the collective sacrifices of previous generations.
Lest we forget!
Here in Washington, D.C., the pastor of Metropolitan AME Church, the Rev. William Lamar IV, emphasized that if Black Americans want to hold this nation to its promises made 250 years ago, we must “never leave our power to choose at the table.”
Lamar posits an interesting concept – one which merits further exploration.
For now, at least, we still have the ability to choose those who will represent us at the local, state and federal levels. Even if we don’t like the choices available at the moment, we remember that the choices we make today will reverberate far into the future.
How will our children and grandchildren think about how we have chosen years from now?
During the next two years, and certain afterward, President Donald Trump’s name and legacy will become little more than a footnote on the pages of life.
So keep it focused. It’s time for African Americans to unite, draw a line in the sand, make our demands known, and prepare for the General Election in 2028 when voters will determine the direction in which our nation will move.
It’s time, as the Rev. Dr. M.L. King Jr. often said, that America must make good on its promise of inalienable rights – life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness – and stop handing Black folks checks that always come back “insufficient funds.”
