Black Sheep of the Nation

Yesterday, as practically everyone, including myself, ignored the phone lines, ceased writing and checking emails, and pushed that report off to the side in order to watch the historic inauguration, I must admit, had conflicting feelings.

While I cannot deny that America electing its first non-white president is truly historic, it comes with a feeling, not of surprise but of disappointment, that once again it is more acceptable to have a black man in power than any women, even a white woman. Considering our history, particularly that African-American men were granted the right to vote fifty years prior to any woman, I am not shocked by the course of events during this election. But what does this mean for our future? Is it safe to say that, that it will take another fifty years from now until we can see a women hold the highest position of governmental power in the United States?

It pains me to think of all of the hypocrisy during the past few months. Between Proposition 8 and the election, I am finding it hard not to be confused, angry, and bitter.

I identify as a feminist.

That is a very loaded word.

Merrian-Webster defines feminism as the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes; organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests. While this is accurate, feminisms, to me, is much, much greater than that. I would agree that, it also means working for equality across lines of race,gender, class, age, and sexuality, because women are represented and affected by these forms of discrimination.


Let's focus on that part for a moment shall we. Working for equality across the lines of rage, gender, class, age and sexuality. There is no hierarchy. They are all equally important, and should be granted rights, freedoms, and representation equally. In this theory, one group of people does not dominate another. In this theory, we live by a true democracy, not the system that America has in place today. As a feminist, I may not know exactly what it is like to be a particular marginalized group, but I can try to imagine, I can listen to other people's experiences, I can empathize and most importantly, I can advocate for their rights, because, while I may not identify in that particular group, equality and social justice, overall, is important to me. It is important for a white feminist women to fight for the rights of women and people of color, the same way it is important for me, to advocate for the rights of survivors of rape, even though I have not been raped. You need not identify as part of a group in order to know that equity between all people should exist.

It is for this reason that, I cannot for the life of me fathom how so many African-Americas can be anti gay rights. I cannot understand how so many people of color can be anti women. And I don't know how I can be fully supportive and elated about our first non-white president, when we as a nation, still blatantly promote unequal rights for certain groups of people based on things like sex, gender, and sexual orientation.


As Rick Warren quoted biblical scripture during his prayer as part of the presidential inauguration, I couldn't help but wonder, if American ever elected a non-Christian president, would there still be a prayer during the inauguration? What if, let's say, the majority of Americas chose the best person for the job, and they happened to be Jewish, would the inauguration be veiled in Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha'olam instead of the God Bless, Almighty God, our Father, the Lord is our God lingo that cloaked the entire ceremony?


In a nation that prides itself on a Constitution, one which, from the very first amendment, grants freedom of religion and the separation of church and state, I find our policies, law making, lobbying arguments and justifications and even inauguration process, contradictory.


When religious beliefs are used to shape lawmaking, such as with marriage equality, when President Obama can use the word "God" five times in his inaugural speech, and when there is no room for other religions or godforbid, no religion, in our government, then we cannot say that we are upholding the first amendment.