You May Write Her Down in History
Hillary Rodham Clinton is a woman who blazed trials her entire life and why would she stop now? This is a woman who has face backlash and criticism for any move she made. But she did it anyway. She spoke at the UN and declared that women’s rights are human’s rights. She did not let what people say stop her then and I see no signs in her allowing anyone stop her now. If there are any signs, it shows that she is unscathed by attacks she has received throughout her life and that she still continued to fight for justice and equality. It is good to have a president you know will not be moved by any rhetoric spewed at her to break her down. Does the 11 hour hearing on Benghazi ring a bell?
MRS. BILL CLINTON
It is beyond me how she receives a lot of criticism from the failed policies that happened under her husband, former President Bill Clinton’s administration but she seldom receives the praises that he received from the success that he had as president. This unfortunately is the American way. When a woman positions herself for achievement, she is subjected to attacks over the failures of a man. This is what we do as a society and unfortunately there are people who are blind to this. She is attacked viciously from the right and just as viciously from the left. President Obama said so himself. It is no wonder that Hillary did not want to take on Bill Clinton’s last name when they were first married. She feared that it would take away from her individuality.
For many people Bill Clinton was the man after the Lewinsky scandal. He was celebrated even. Now that he is supporting his wife, he is conniving and more than that, his wife is at fault for it. Lauded as the first black president in Black American communities for his connection and relationship that he had with black people, he is now “pandering” for the black vote. Women in our society are sadly attacked when they seek to break the glass ceiling. Instead of Bill Clinton wearing the scarlet “A” on his chest for his actions, society has placed the letter on Sec. Clinton to wear and to bare the brunt of.
Some critics question her trustworthiness and authenticity because of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 that passed under her husband’s term as president. She is criticized for having major influence on the laws that passed under Bill Clinton’s presidency, specifically this one. It is seldom noted however, that many in the Congressional Black Caucus were in favor of the bill and yes, our pure and untainted now Senator Bernie Sanders voted for it as a member of the House of Representatives.
Senator Sanders was an Independent representative from Vermont at the time when he voted, Aye. I do not see him as a man who wanted to tarnished black lives because of his vote. I simply see his vote (and many others) as a way they thought crime should have been handled at that time. Hindsight is 20/20 and I am confident that Senator Sanders would take back that vote if he knew it would have caused the damage that it did to minority families. I also believe that Nancy Pelosi, Cynthia Mckinney, Jim Clyburn and many other U.S. Representatives who supported the bill at the time, would have voted otherwise.
Former President Clinton has publicly apologized and Former First Lady Hillary Clinton, who by the way had no tangible support of the bill other than the fact that she was married to Bill, is the one targeted for the negative affects that came from it. I am positive that the people accusing the Clintons of institutionalized racism because of this bill, would also want the senator to renege on his position as well. He may as well apologize for his vote because we know that it is okay for him to learn from his mistakes and evolve with the world. It just does not seem to be okay for Hillary.
AGENT FOR CHANGE
If my peers can get excited about a young Bernie marching with thousands to see Martin Luther King, Jr. in our nation’s capital, then they most certainly can appreciate a young Hillary’s mission to ensure that desegregation was implemented in Alabama under the reign of then President Nixon in 1972. She was an undercover civil rights agent for Marian Wright Edelman’s Washington Research Project, who went to Dothan, Alabama to see if the Nixon administration was enforcing the legal ban on allowing tax-exempt status to segregated schools that targeted white families.
I have heard people say that she also volunteered to work on Barry Goldwater’s campaign and he threaten to overturn The Civil Rights Act of 1964. Keep in mind that Hillary was brought up as a republican and she was still in high school when Bernie marched to Washington in 1963. The difference is that Hillary was a child and Bernie was a young man who was out in the world on his own and who by the way, became an independent not a democrat. It is just one of the positions he adopted this election season.
What I like about Hillary is that when she changed position on certain issues, I believe they were positive and progressive. When she was a college student she changed her political affiliation to democrat immediately following a Republican National Convention she attended because of the racial undertones that was present there. I commend her for that, though some folks will continue to condemn her and “bern” her at the stake.
When the public seek change in Hillary and she believes it for the greater good, she adopts it and is criticized for jumping on the bandwagon in efforts to win the election. Bernie is seen as leader who listens to the people when he adopts a different platform. When the Black Lives Matter activist interrupted Senator Sander’s rally, he then hired a black woman press secretary and met with a black rapper. The masses then followed as they saw Bernie as a person who listened and cared about their issues. But yet, Hillary has reached out and listened to African-Americans voices for years and she is seen as the one who is “pandering” for the black vote. Sexism is out of the question right? I beg to differ. From her essay in McCall’s Magazine in 1970, Shirley Chisholm stated:
“How much harder will it be to eliminate the prejudice against women? I am sure it will be a longer struggle. Part of the problem is that women in America are much more brainwashed and content with their roles as second-class citizens than blacks ever were.
Let me explain. I have been active in politics for more than twenty years. For all but the last six, I have done the work–all the tedious details that make the difference between victory and defeat on Election Day–while men reaped the rewards, which is almost invariably the lot of women in politics.”
Women can do the work and still be chastised. Men will in turn reap the benefits. Bernie gets props for his response to the calls of equality for people of color and women of color because we all know he has been a staunch advocate his entire life on this issue. Hillary, on the other hand, has just starting to focus on those same issues now because she just wants to win the election. Her service throughout her life has shown that this idea is indeed false.
FORWARD
Political views often change overtime when there is a new perspective and when public pressure demands for a change. For instance, Hillary’s view evolved regarding gay marriage after the public demanded for marriage equality. The Human Rights Campaign endorsed her because of her efforts to ensure that all Americans have equal rights.
Although she is receiving endorsements from organizations that are aware of her strives for equality and justice, her sincerity is still questioned because she receives money from Super PACs. Let us look into why someone would say they are not taking money from Super PACs. They may say it to broadcast their integrity and humbleness. Is that what it means? Can we say that our friend Donald Trump is just a noble as Senator Sanders? After all, he is not taking any money for Super PACs either.
Pres. Obama took 65 million from Priority USA Action. Does that speak to his character? Was he money driven while in office and did he allow Wall Street to mold his decision because he received money for Super PACs? I do not think so.
And yes, Hillary did take money from private prison companies however, she did return the money that she received from them. I know. Too little too late right? I know, the naysayers made it clear that change is only acceptable for Senator Sanders.
All-in-All, it is great when one’s view change and evolve for the better. I most certainly would not want to see it change for the worst or remain stagnant in an evolving world. It is also great that when the masses push you to change for the good of mankind and that you do not turn a blind eye and ignore change but rather embrace it, learn and move forward.
SHE RISES
The late Maya Angelou knew that Hillary Clinton would continue to rise in the face of the scrutiny that she receives now and that she would still receive even if she never rescinded from her original positions. Many activists and their supporters contend that black Hillary supporters are fooled by the media because if they knew who they were actually voting for that they would not do it. I guess the media has fooled former Attorney General Eric Holder, Congresswoman Shelia Lee Jackson, former Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman and me if that is the case.
Heck, the great Maya Angelou supported Hillary for president back in 2008 and I dare anyone to say that our queen mother Maya was too ignorant to know better. I don’t know, with the things I have been hearing and reading people may just go there. I leave you with this poem by Maya Angelou in honor of Hillary Clinton:
State Package for Hillary Clinton
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.
This is not the first time you have seen Hillary Clinton seemingly at her wits’ end, but she has always risen, always risen, don’t forget she has always risen, much to the dismay of her adversaries and the delight of her friends.
Hillary Clinton will not give up on you and all she asks of you is that you do not give up on her.
There is a world of difference between being a woman and being an old female. If you’re born a girl, grow up, and live long enough, you can become an old female. But to become a woman is a serious matter. A woman takes responsibility for the time she takes up and the space she occupies. Hillary Clinton is a woman. She has been there and done that and has still risen. She is in this race for the long haul. She intends to make a difference in our country. Hillary Clinton intends to help our country to be what it can become.
She declares she wants to see more smiles in the family, more courtesies between men and women, more honesty in the marketplace. She is the prayer of every woman and man who longs for fair play, healthy families, good schools, and a balanced economy.
She means to rise.
Don’t give up on Hillary. In fact, if you help her to rise, you will rise with her and help her make this country the wonderful, wonderful place where every man and every woman can live freely without sanctimonious piety and without crippling fear.
Rise, Hillary.
Rise.