Well, hate  “came out” and moved into the top house.  The WHITE HOUSE.  Why does this matter? Because hate has a voice at the top level.   Prejudice has always existed in various forms in every ethnicity.  Tolerance never had a leg to stand on because it is not love.  Tolerance is strictly what it says.  It “tolerates” or “puts up with”  individuals who are different in various ways.  “Bias” exists in everyday conversations so everybody pretty much expects “facts” to be laced with “bias.”

Why am I in mourning?  Because the monster of hate has broken the hearts of many who have worked so hard to kill the forces of hate, bigotry, and racism. My father and mother lived to see the dawn of the first African American President.  They were so proud.  My father passed in 2011 and my mother in 2014.  I miss them both deeply BUT I can sincerely say that I am glad that they are not here to see us RELIVE experiences from the 1950’s and 1960’s.  My father use to tell me of the levels of disrespect he witnessed in Millen, Georgia.  My mom saw it first hand here in Savannah.  Truthfully, Savannah was no where near the level of hate that my father witnessed in rural Burke County. Elderly men pushed and shoved by young white boys.  Forced to call them sir and get off the sidewalk so they, the young white sirs, could pass. Jobs were hard to come by then for poor whites and non existent for blacks.  Education took place in many communities but the materials that would make learning equal were also non existent for my father.  My mother was fortunate to attend Haven Home School and Beach Cuyler, but their footprint has been diminished to a historical marker on a street corner and a “Freedom shrine” in an Economic Development Building.  I am in mourning because people voted by EMOTION and not by job qualifications.  If you need someone for a job, the first thing you look at is their qualifications and years of experience in performing that job.  CLEARLY JOB EXPERIENCE WAS NOT A FACTOR IN THE HIGHEST POSITION IN THIS NATION.   I am in mourning because this country has basically said that EVERYTHING that Kennedy, King, Parks, and even Lincoln did MEANS NOTHING.   I am in mourning because influential people like Colin Kaperneck  don’t do the research needed before starting a movement that could be a righteous one and an effective.  He did not vote so who is going to listen to him now?  The only audience to listen to him will be others like him who have not done their homework about the right way to promote a righteous cause and it was a righteous cause.  Many people do not know all the verses of the Star Spangled Banner, which was the initial protest, but I believe that it grew into more than even he was prepared to see.  Yes, I am in mourning.

What do I do from this point?  My siblings called to check on me because they know how serious I am when it comes to the rights that we ALL are entitled to.  I will shine my light as bright as I can in the valley where I live.  I will try to draw all of the positive programs and people to my valley that can help us to grow and elevate others to a better life.  I REFUSE to acknowledge one who promotes hate, division, and bigotry.  I will, HOWEVER, continue to respect the position of the President of the United States as I have when other men held that position that I disagreed with because it is the right and respectful thing to do.  Yes, I will shine as bright as I can to lead as many as I can to a brighter place.

~~~Malinda Gwyn~~~