On the eve of a momentous occasion -- the inauguration of the first Black President, I wanted to take this moment to say THANK YOU to my ancestors. As a Black woman, the significance of this moment is not lost on me. I will spend January 20th in silent reflection and prayer as I recognize the blood and tears that were spilled for this moment.
I spoke to my great aunt last weekend. She is a no nonsense woman. She speaks softly and carries a big stick. She has been my touchstone in life. She is one of those people who has really LIVED her life. She has been a passionate and committed freedom fighter. She has worked in obscurity and yet is known by all in our community. At 85 years old, she has as she often tells me seen a "whole lot."
She was the first person who told me to ignore the "talkers." She has always been suspicious of people who have a lot to say. Actions speak louder than words for my aunt Dee. She was born in 1925 and was one of the very few young Black women to attend Oberlin University in the 1940s. She moved to New York City and lived in Harlem. She knew Countee Cullen and Langston Hughes. She became a teacher and has shaped thousands of lives.
My aunt Dee is a good old-fashioned race woman. She was committed early on to the "uplift" of her people. The fight was not an easy one. She endured untold slights and insults. But she kept instilling in her students a sense that Black was beautiful. She invited Claude McKay and other great poets to read to her students. She told them that Black was Beautiful even before James Brown announced it in the 60s. She mentored, cajoled, knocked sense into so many and yet she never married or had any children of her own.
She was an activist without ever using that term to describe herself. She worked with the NAACP and CORE. She gave thousands of dollars to support the cause of Black Freedom. She marched and sat in. She is my HERO. Growing up, I was often in awe of her. She took me to see plays, dance recitals, she gave me the Autobiography of Malcolm X when I was 11 years old. She let me talk to her about my dreams and encouraged them.
As I have grown older, I attribute my own sense of fearlessness to aunt Dee. I attribute my own commitment to social action and justice to her. The reason I became a community organizer was because of her example. She was the first one who told me that Barack Obama would win the Presidency. She was CERTAIN of it even before Iowa. When I would press her about her certitude, she would simply smile and say: "He reminds me of Bayard." By that, she meant Bayard Rustin. I hadn't thought of the connection until she brought it up. I didn't know Mr. Rustin though my aunt Dee and him were great friends. She told me that Barack would win because he understood organizing, because he was underestimated, and most importantly because he was sure-footed. My aunt is not psychic just experienced.
Bayard Rustin is not well-known to many but to those who understand the Black Freedom Movement he is a legend. Bayard believed in coalition-building and in organizing. He worked behind the scene and didn't seek the limelight. He was criticized by many for being an incrementalist and yet without Bayard there would have been no March on Washington. So aunt Dee looked at Barack and she saw Bayard and she was convinced that he would win. I started working on Barack's campaign early on. I had already worked on his other campaigns in the past and yet I was not convinced that he would win the Presidency. During the primary season when I was wavering, I would pick up the phone and call aunt Dee. She would say: "Don't you remember what I taught you. The loudest voices have the least power. You don't have to be worried about them. Pay close attention to the silent majority. They are the ones who are stuffing those envelopes at Headquarters. And Stop reading the garbage on that brain-cell killer."
Aunt Dee HATES computers. She calls them "brain-cell killers." I have to admit that there were many times during this election cycle that I had to agree with her characterization. Still I can't live without my computer... Oh well!
So back to January 20th and what it means to me... I am glad that my aunt Dee has lived to see this day. I am glad that I have parents who have been drum-majors for justice. I am grateful that I myself have lived to see this day. I remain committed to fighting for justice. I know that the fight is not one. Yet I acknowledge how far the country has come. In the coming years, I will remember my aunt Dee's admonition to listen to the voices of the silent majority and to not get distracted by the loudest voices on any particular issue. I will continue to advocate for the issues that I care most about. I will be sure to have Barack's back too as he tries his best to make sure that my kids have a viable future. I will have his back while offering constructive criticism. I will prod when necessary and will try not to raise my voice in doing so. I will do that in honor of the millions of aunt Dees who have come before me.