At the start of the semester, I mapped out the topics for this blog but hadn’t thought about the post I’d write for today, the day before the election.
When I was younger, I had no concept of my role in the historical moment. I was in 5th grade when the “Cold War” ended and had just graduated college when September 11th happened. While these events loom large in the greater narrative of the United States, I felt detached to them in the way one feels detached from events that make a national impact but do not have a large local impact.
This historical moment feels different.
While I harbor no illusion about the role of voting in the United States (especially when voting is constantly weaponized), there is no question about the importance of this election. I remain hopeful, because hopeful is my default, but I acknowledge that others do not share this sentiment and I understand why. the world has been a very difficult place for a long time.
I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. what I do know is that regardless of the election, I will continue to do the work that needs to be done. I will continue to push against racism, and sexism, and marginalization. I will continue to push against institutions that maintain white supremacy and colonialism. I will continue to volunteer my time and my money to making the world I inhabit better for everyone else living here. It can be hard to do this when everything feels in tatters, but this is what we have to do. We really don’t have much of a choice 🙂
Acting responsibly is not a matter of strengthening our reason but of deepening our feelings for the welfare of others. — Jostein Gaarder
See you next week.
Doing Indian Country Research 