“The responsibility of intellectuals”
I wouldn’t be American if I did not put my two cents out in to the eather about yesterday’s events. After all, “The responsibility of intellectuals” is key to a brighter America as Noam Chomsky would say. It saddens be to see so many people in disarray and confused about the state of affairs in America. I hold no judgement on all the American terrorist that desecrated my house the people’s house. On one end, I suppose, ironically this house belongs to all of us and all the terrorist that attacked our house yesterday. On many levels I understand the frustration of all these home-grown terrorists and on the other hand, peaceful protest is and will forever be one way of many to unite in solidarity with or against what we see wrong with the country. After all we are a country of laws.
I’ve loved photography my entire life. In fact, I believe photography changed my life forever and might have even saved it. The pictures below show the civility of American movements and the aim for a more collaborate future with our brothers and sisters of all races. However, yesterday we fight against a different type of protest and movement. Their philosophy and world view are not one that involves peaceful disobedience, rather remarkably similar to the radical Muslims, and mobster mobs, and one that does not see civility or peace as a way to change the current status quo. In fact, these American terrorists believe that America is being threatened by people that look and think like me.
I’m a brown woman living in an America that up until Trump’s precedency felt very outside of being American. It was not until Trump’s precedency that, for the first time I saw, felt, and heard white women and men fight for me and fight for my right to belong and be included in the fabric of America. Day after day I saw protests and marches of people declaring that I too was human and that I belonged in America and that I mattered. My heart was full and for the first time I felt like a real American. For the first time I felt like white people saw me just like them.
I was born and raised in America and in fact I have fought for your right to be a free American because I am also a Veteran. The greatest gift Trump gave me as an American citizen was to know that the darkness can no longer live in the shadows and that now darkness has a face. It lives in the Whitehouse (only for two more weeks) and along with all the confederate flying terrorist Americans this darkness, will be denounced not just by brown and black Americans but by white Americans and this, this has been the biggest blessing that has come out of this big mess. We now have a face to the underground movement of hate and horror. I’m grateful to all my white brothers and sisters that have come out to defend this nation and maintain our countries most treasured tapestry of belief and displayed in lady liberty “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free. That’s the spirit that makes us American…”.
There cannot be freedom without order, and we can not be free with chaos and most of all we can not show the world the uniqueness of America if we hate people that don’t look, talk, and think like us. This homegrown terrorist movement is not about color rather about what “they believe to be right and wrong” and about who belongs here in this land and who does not. They claim a great many things however at the end of the day they’re not much different from many southerners I know. In their hearts they believe minorities are taking too much money and only certain people have the right to be American and partake in its benefits and institutions. They say America is changing and things are not how they used to be. In fact, the theme has been to make it great again. Think about that for a second. For those of us who have been disenfranchised our entire lives, what better gift then to see the face of the real America. One that no longer hides in the shadows and one that we can now identify, and we can all pray for. This has been eye opening for so many of us and in many ways a validation of what we have always known in our hearts. The true division is about a belief system that can be traced back to the early 19 hundreds with the eugenics movement. (I wrote an article about his here) America is full of hate but also so full of love and loving and kind people. This I know to be true.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
I took a deep breath when I heard that the entire terrorist attack was blamed on this supposed Anttttifa movement. Wow, people actually believe this. Really? One can not reason with anyone that believes this, however I am hopeful. Perhaps in a few years when the photographs that display a sliver of truth and help heal our hearts we may recognize the truth. It is a truth that can not be verbalized rather felt and displayed through art.
I vote for peace. I vote for anyone that believes we must help those in need, aid those that are persecuted and help this planet heal. If you’re reading this and actually believe that this supposed act of terror was mobilized by Antiffa I’ll pray for you too. That God may open your eyes to see the light in all this darkness and to fight for humanity and to allow you to see that it is through our hearts we may see things clearly. God bless America and all of our planet. May God bless every nation friend and foe, and may we get on with what matters most, the harmony on the planet and the survival of our species.
Adriana Rosales, Author| Forbes Coaches Council | Speaker | HeartMath® Coach and John Maxwell Certified
