“Do You Muse????” — How do you acknowledge and create a new playing field?

July 17th was a somber day. Our nation laid to rest one of the greatest freedom fighters and advocates for racial and social justice who ever lived. Speeches from some of our country’s recent leaders gave me a glimpse into John Robert Lewis’ life. From the graceful speech from George W Bush to the moving eulogy delivered by President Obama, I was able to grasp some insight into his work, his passion and his unwavering commitment to moving the needle for BiPOCs and other groups who have been historically disenfranchised in this country. Though I never met Congressman Lewis, I have a number of friends who shared their experiences with him, truly thankful for the honor and privilege of sharing space with this extraordinary individual who found his calling at such a very young age. In many of the tributes delivered during the service, there was an underlying emphasis on moving forward, healing the nation and evolving our country into a more perfect union.

What also emerged during John’s funeral was a clear understanding that our democracy, our very existence in this country and the future for our sons and daughters are all under attack, driven by a collective, unwavering need for dominance through whiteness. John Lewis fought for EVERY human being to be afforded the right to live in a world of equity and balance, yet many of his former colleagues (among others) have actively pushed to undermine his legacy, his championing of fairness.

While the thwarting of efforts to bring equality into our existence can be shocking to some, there’s nothing new to see here (remember the Gore / Bush Florida recount where votes were “mysteriously” miscounted and firm resistance in the state delivered the victory to Bush after Gore conceded). Today, the attacks are more pointed, more surgical and methodical in nature:

• Closing of polling centers in Georgia and Kentucky counties heavily populated by black voters
• Using the media as a mouthpiece to project concern for expected voter fraud if the nation leverages a longstanding practice of vote-by-mail or absentee voting
• hiring of Navy SEALs to intimidate voters at polling centers
• Presidential crippling of the United States Postal Service focused on hurting our electoral process by making absentee voting difficult
• Hampering and unwillingness to restore the full power of the Voting Rights Act
• Enabling the expiration of the decades-old Consent Degree that provided some protection against voter suppression

All of this is by design and being driven by a burning need for some political figures to maintain their dominance born out of their whiteness. In recent months, the pandemic, George Floyd's murder by police and social justice protests has brought to light a reckoning for many white people in this country and many are starting to heed the call. The “old establishment” who are wrestling with the very real possibility of losing power and influence are trying anything they can do to delay that outcome. This undermining of our collective civil rights is has been a relentless assault and is being pursued….. hard.

Can you imagine what these times look like for families of color? Widespread voter suppression. Unchecked obstruction of justice from the administration and right-leaning congresspeople . White police officers not being arrested for senselessly killing a young black woman laying in her bed. Protesters of all walks of life being beaten by federal officers for speaking out against immorality and injustice. You would think that we are back in the mid 1900s when John Lewis first started being his calling to transform our union into a less imperfect one. Soon these same individuals will cry out for the re-institution of the poll tax and literacy tests to further disenfranchise black, brown and poor people. It’s like a combination of Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street being looped and played daily. You can’t unsee any of the horror.

What’s also common about then and now is that these actions are being driven by a collective of people with power and influence who are afraid to say goodbye. The power of our highest offices were never meant to be maintained by a few people in perpetuity. Unfortunately, some morally corrupt apples have locked up very influential political seats for decades. They are so focused on keeping their structural dominance intact that they are willing to have even white college students be sacrificed as collateral damage. Focused on eliminating any possibility of even playing fields, winning the zero-sum game at the expense of black people becomes the only objective.

Sports once saw this phenomenon of maintaining white dominance take hold for decades. In the Southeastern Conference (SEC), only white players were allowed to play varsity football for the respective schools until 1967, when University of Kentucky Wildcat Nat Northington played three minutes against Ole Miss, marking the early beginnings of integration in the conference. Baseball integrated a few decades before but was much more stringent with their institution of the color barrier, where Black players were only allowed to play in the Negro Leagues. While Jackie Robinson had a Hall of Fame career, it took his ongoing activism and civil rights leadership from men like John and CT Vivian to change the landscape of sports and, in many ways, the country. To be clear, sports are in a better place, with more minority players, owners and coaches, but nowhere close to perfect. Kaepernick can attest to that.

Now, imagine a nation deeply rooted in fairness for all people. What if white people afforded blacks the same opportunities to perform and excel in their craft without obstruction? What if unequal rights and discrimination ceased to exist? What would happen to white standing in this country if they enabled balance and fairness for their fellow citizens? What if quality education options existed for all children without administrations and white children taking potshots at black and brown kids? Yes, the possibilities are endless….. and this reality continues to incite fear in the hearts of many, a living, breathing legacy since 1619.

With incredible and uncanny foresight, prior to his death, John Lewis left us a blueprint for how we proceed, how we heal this nation that so many immigrants built and sustained for centuries. All of us need to continue fighting for truth and justice for all, for a world that ensures black and brown people can play on even ground with their white counterparts unfettered. When we all push our chips to the middle of the table, we can change things. Second, we have the tools to bring competent and compassionate leadership into the fold. Registering and voting are not optional, they are imperatives. Lastly, the country needs to figure out how it can heal itself from both a pandemic and a deep seeded plague that needed to die a long time ago. The plague needs more than just medicine. It needs focused, direct action to eliminate it. We have to be willing to get into “necessary trouble” to finally change the fairness landscape in this country. Congressman Lewis and others knew this. Now we do.