Black rage.

This newsletter is not about travel.

“To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.” - James Baldwin.

I’ve seen a lot of heartbreak and despair over the last 36 hours, but that’s not where I am at all. I’m unsurprised, I’m focused and most of all I am rageful. This election cycle has given me a level of clarity I can only appreciate and be grateful for. And now that I have that clarity, my rage is driving it.

Rage seems to be working out for people. Over the past eight years, the media and social commentators have focused on white rage. There’s even an entire book about it that I won’t be linking to. The gist is that the fear and rage that many white people are experiencing after coming to the reality that they will soon be a minority is driving a major pushback against anyone non-white. All of a sudden their gaslight conversations to people of color about being a minority being “not so bad” actually is that bad. They are determined to “take their country back” from apparently the boogie monster minority. Back to a time of white power which they so obviously see represented by he who shall not be named. Why are we so focused on their rage and what it produces? When, as Black people, will we focus on our own rage? When we will lean into it? Since they want something to fear, maybe it’s time to give it to them.

After all the work Black women have done to try to save this country from itself, I’ve decided I don’t give a fuck about white rage anymore. I am wholeheartedly invested in my own rage. I am using it to pour into the communities I know well and that I trust. Does this mean that I’m solely focusing on Black communities? No. This election has also made it abundantly clear that the infatuation with white supremacy is not restricted to white people. 46% of Latinos voted for cheeto satan. The same Latinos he wants to deport and invited someone to speak at his rally who referred to their ancestral homelands as a floating island of trash. People seem to be so flummoxed by this but I’m not. Why? Because white supremacy. White presenting Latinos believe they will be safe from his policies, while others believe that because their parents or grandparents immigrated “the right way,” borders should be shut to everyone else no matter how desperate their situation. I liken to people who have paid off their student loans who are pissed at those who got their loans forgiven. Total crabs in a barrel mentality.

Then there are the 21% of Black men who voted for someone who would throw them all in jail if he could. The misogynoir in our community runs so deep I can’t even get into it here. Combine that with the house vs. field slave mentality (y’all know EXACTLY what I’m talking about) and I fear, they are lost. These are just a few reasons why I am pissed and why I’m vetting my own communities with a close eye. At this point, Black women are the only ones I trust. If this offends you, it’s probably time to move along. Any one of any race who has been mildly present in the last 24 hours can understand why I am saying this.

So, what does leaning into my Black rage mean for me in a realistic way? A few things. First, don’t call me a person of color or say that I am BIPOC. Clearly we are not all the same and do not have shared interests. I am a BLACK woman and essentially only care about things that benefit us. Second, my work will continue. I have never been more clear about why I am here and what I am here to do. I will continue telling the stories of Black people, with a tighter focus on Black women around this country. I will continue working hard to make this country safer for us because we are more American than anyone else in this bitch (beside Native Americans). Finally, don’t expect me to hold my tongue anymore. My rage won’t be emotional. It will be cold, strategic and laser-focused (shout out to my Scorpio moon-gang).

I close with these words to live by:

Negroes,
Sweet and docile,
Meek, humble and kind:
Beware the day
They change their mind.

- Langston Hughes