Like many of you, after the election I had to recalibrate my thinking about politics, politicians, people, how and where I receive information moving forward, as well as adjust my attitude about life moving forward.
For more years than I care to mention I looked forward to and enjoyed watching all the different media outlets — CNN, MSNBC, Meet the Press, Face the Nation and I even appreciated checking out some social media outlets as well as FOX News. I can hear you now, Tony Wafford, why in the hell would you be watching FOX News?
It’s simple, I believe a broke watch is right at least twice a day and in the spirit of total transparency, I really enjoy watching White people savage one another, I find White on White crime to be very entertaining.
I liked watching all those outlets because I wanted to find out what was going on in the world. Well after this past election and seeing how everyone of those so-called media experts got it absolutely wrong, I decided that we (the Black community) should become our own investigative reporters. Hell, we can get it just as wrong as they did, and at least we could do a better job of explaining how we came to our own conclusion.
Like many of you, I’m guilty of listening with my heart and not always with my head. Well guess what, it’s time that we once again start listening with our heads and not ignore what we see with our eyes. What did Maya Angelo say? “When someone shows you who they are, believe them.” I see you America.
Since the Tangerine Queen became the president-elect, all I’m hearing is conversations around Black unity and how we as a people are going to need to come together to fight these devils for the next four years. I’ve seen us (Black people) smiling at one another more in public spaces, brothers giving one another the proverbial Black man head nod when we see each other in public.
I was at the grocery store the other day and as I was checking out, there was another young brother in the self-checkout line, and it seemed like the young lady overseeing the self-checkout in a low-key way summoned the security guard over to help her watch this young brother with dreadlocks who was scanning his groceries. The security guard slowly moseyed his way over and looked at the young brother as he scanned his groceries.
I turned around to watch the guard as he posted up to watch the young brother. Well, you know me, I couldn’t hold it back. I said to the security guard, “Hey what’s going on, I usually see you hang out near the front door, is something going on that I should know about?”
He started joking around with me playing it off as if he wasn’t really over there to watch the young brother. He said, “Oh I always just walk around,” and he started to talk about what I was buying, which was a poor attempt to play off what he was really doing. He knew where I was going with my conversation, so he played it off more and started joking around with me.
So, I just came out and asked, “Were you coming over here to check out my brother over there?” Mind you, the young man never heard what was going on, just the security guard, the young lady ringing up my groceries and the young lady who had beckoned him over in the first place.
He said, “No, I was just walking.” That’s when I said, “Oh good, because I was beginning to feel some kind of way because you’re only looking at my brother and none of those White folks over there scanning their groceries.” He said, “Oh no,” and walked back towards the front of the store.
So where am I going with all of this? This past election has only made me more cognizant, conscious, and aware of my obligation to love and support my people. Please don’t get me wrong. I truly believe in brotherhood of man, but like brother Malcolm X once said, “I believe in the brotherhood of all men, but I don’t believe in wasting brotherhood on anyone who doesn’t want to practice it with me. Brotherhood is a two-way street.”
Let’s use these next four years to practice Black brotherhood and sisterhood. Let’s look out for and look towards one another for love and support. We’ve fought bigger devils than these clowns we’re about to see on Monday, January 20, 2025.
I have faith in us, and as Rev. Martin Luther King Jr once said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Black people let’s get to stepping…
