Black Women's Fight for Suffrage/Atlanta History Center
Last night, MSNBC hosted, Black Women in America: The Road to 2024. I want to reflect on the deep connection between Black women, voting, and the collective good. The special allowed for the voices of a segment of Black women to be heard. I would take a moment to share my thoughts, reflection and maybe even a little wisdom. I hope this inspires and encourages you as it did me. The quote above resonates with me as the most accurate representation of what Motherism, as a praxis, embodies. It captures the essence of what it means to be a motherist. I would love to boldly and proudly say that we are all Motherists, meaning we, as African-American women, are motherists. Historically our voting is driven by the greater good, considering both society and community, internally and spiritually asking the question, “do we need to re-order our engagement”?
In the MSNBC event, Kerry Washington stated, this election is about 'loving ourselves.' If we are able to love ourselves, we will also be able to love our neighbors, love our enemies—love, love, love. We have demonstrated this love for others throughout our history in America—just look at slavery (how we served dependent on each other), the civil rights movement (working together), women’s liberation(our sense of knowing),... we collectively have worked against oppressive powers for the benefit of humanity. In each moment of crisis in history, the motivating force has been a desire to prevent others from experiencing what our grandmothers, mothers, and we ourselves have endured. This love is the essence of what going to the polls is about—others. Voting, at its core, and our democracy are about love. Love at the ballot means asking: How will my sister afford groceries? Are her choices about her body being respected? Is my sista's voice being heard in our democracy? The list of loving concerns is endless, and this includes my brother, too—he’s a Motherist, one who cares and looks to re-order and create structures that work for everyone.
Motherist inclinations stand in contrast to Descartes’ 'I think, therefore I am' of Enlightenment thinking. In Motherism which is centered in nurture and nature, our mind and body would not be thought of as separate; the mind is not simply a thinking substance apart from the body. Together, they are one, united and called human. Humanity, as demonstrated in the African concept of Ubuntu, aligns with Motherism: 'I am because you are' or 'I am because we are.' This is the spirit we carry to the polls when we show up—and when we bring another with us.
As we head to the polls, we carry the legacy of Ruby Freeman, Shay Moss (who fought for Georgia votes), Fannie Lou Hammer, Sojourner Truth and countless others who fought for justice and truth. Our vote honors that courage and ensures their fight continues.
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