^ Millennial: Activated
My name is Andre Pijeaux Jr.
I’ll be 34 in March, my marriage is going 8 years strong, I have 3 bomb daughters and a career I cherish. Moreover, my family still provides the same potent love and support I received in my youth. I have much to be thankful for and I am, but as I write this at 2 AM asking myself why I feel a bit ashamed, I’m a bit ashamed.
I’ve concluded that I suffer from millennial complacency.
The first election I can recall was Bush v Gore. The result didn’t go my way, but the Florida recount drama sparked my interest in politics. I took another L four years later as Bush kept his job but I kept it moving. Then came 2008, an american of African descent became president and the world evolved in my view. While I didn’t rock with all his global policies, his domestic policies seemed to center around the interest of minority groups and the vulnerable. Obama put in work these past 8 years. I don’t want you to think I’m naive though. I’m Cali born but I spent my entire adult life in the south. I’ve experienced enough to know that Babylon* is still alive and well but I did feel the worst was behind us.
2016 was a dick and a major wake up call.
It pains me thinking about it. Not because millions voted for Trump but because not enough of us felt it a moral obligation to vote against him. What happened? I was confident that my generation would lead to Trump’s demise and elect Hillary Clinton. Trump represents the polar opposite of what we love about Obama. Integrity, moral fortitude, life long commitment to the ideology he led us to hope for. Yet there were a lot of us that refused to vote because there was something off about Hillary.
That’s why I’m ashamed. I’ve been a complacent millennial thinking that the race to equality was all downhill from here so I didn’t do enough. I didn’t do enough to keep Trump out of office and I’m not doing enough now to get him and his stooge administration out.
That’s about to change.
I’ll start by harassing my local politicians. In my opinion, local politics is the most effective way to bring about change. We’re beefing if they’re supporting Trump’s discriminatory agenda. But, if they’re opposing him, they need to know that I’ll hold them down next election season. I also plan on using this blog to upload my thoughts about politics and how we can get more involved. That said, be prepared for a salt-bae sprinkle of family life post as well. As I said before, my kids are pretty dope.
(Instagram @frickfrackandfran for proof of dopeness)
* Babylon: (chiefly among Rastafarians) a contemptuous or dismissive term for aspects of a society seen as degenerate or oppressive, especially the police.
