The image is from Yahoo Entertainment.
This past election season presented the American people with two choices that left many of us deeply troubled. Most people I’ve spoken with voted with hesitation, uncertainty, and doubt. (I have spoken about my concerns with Kamala in previous posts.) Now that the election is over and the American people have chosen their president, many of us who struggled with both candidates are left wondering how to navigate the next four years. While I can’t speak for everyone, I’d like to share three ways I plan to move forward, hoping that these suggestions might be helpful to someone. Each suggestion comes with background on why I’m choosing this path, along with a Bible verse to support my thoughts. So, here are three ways to survive the next four years:
- I have committed to praying for America on a weekly, sometimes daily basis for the next 4 years and beyond (taking baby steps…let me get through these 4 years first). I have a confession to make: I’ve never prayed for America until now. This shift began after I attended the Civics Symposium with the Jack Miller Center. There was something about that gathering that inspired me to start praying for our nation, and I’ve found it to be deeply healing. My relationship with America has been complicated ever since I started preschool at a Christian school, which I attended through graduation. These schools were highly patriotic, yet also openly racist. As a child, I began to associate patriotism and American Christianity with each other. I’ve always accepted America as my home, respected its founding documents, and honored the values of democracy, which I truly love. But despite all that, I’ve never felt fully welcome here. Instead of praying for the country, I tolerated it, tried to count my blessings, and made the best of things. My faith wasn’t strong enough to believe that God could heal this country from its deep-rooted racism. But by praying for America now, I am surrendering my faith to the Creator God, acknowledging His ability to heal, deliver, bring justice, and create real change. Letting go of my constant disappointment over America’s ongoing struggle with racism and White supremacy, and releasing it to the Savior who loves all of us, frees me from bitterness. I can rest in the knowledge that He is in control, that He sees what is happening, and that trusting in Him is truly liberating. I’ve been using a prayer guide, focusing particularly on Christians in these areas, asking God to help them be a light of truth, standing for justice and healing in the midst of these challenges. Verse to Inspire Me: (Luke 6:27-28) “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
- I am going to work hard not to post or complain about our current administration. During Trump’s first four years in office, I found myself constantly complaining, even hoping for his removal. He weathered four years, an insurrection, multiple criminal convictions, and much more, and despite all that, the American people chose him, and our leaders stood by him, rallying around him in support. Complaining about him now feels futile. He is here. Trumpism is here. Conservatism has always had a strong presence in our country, sometimes for the greater good, as it helps us avoid straying too far to the left. Unfortunately, with this influence often comes the intertwining of racism and White supremacy with many of the values I hold. Christianity has also become a part of this complex tapestry. However, this election has shown me that nothing can be done by continuing to stir bitterness and anger. Wishing for his downfall is not only ineffective, but it is also wrong. Instead, I choose to speak hope and truth, both in my social media presence and in my personal interactions. I will not pass bitterness onto my children. Instead, we will see Trump as a person in need of redemption and discipleship. Some claim he is saved, but I believe he still needs guidance in his walk with Christ. I will pray for the Christians around him, that they would have the courage to show him the light of Christ. After reading about his early life, my children and I understand that he carries deep pain from the way his father treated him. His need to win and to be the best is a response to the emotional neglect he experienced. He desperately needs to know the love of the Heavenly Father. Those close to him, especially those who claim to follow Christ, must recognize their responsibility to guide him toward the Father, not to feed his hunger for power. For those who fail in this, they will stand before God. Instead of bitterness, I choose to exercise love, to pray for his salvation and transformation. At the same time, I will focus on appreciating what I can in America and being a beacon of truth about the vision of America I believe in, sharing this with those who are open to hearing it. I simply cannot carry bitterness and fear into another 4 years. For my own well-being, I must let it go. I have to focus on what is good as much as possible and right now, I still live in a country that is more free than most. Loving unconditionally and turning to the Lord is the only way forward for me. In doing so, I will strive to speak without hatred, bitterness, complaining, or hopelessness. Verse to Inspire Me: (Ephesians 4:31-32) Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
- I am going to participate in our democracy without hopelessness. I’ve seen many posts about 92% of Black women no longer participating in our democracy, claiming that we’re tired, and that if people would choose someone like Trump over an overly qualified Black woman, there’s just no hope. The sentiment seems to be that we should just focus on self-care, because the world doesn’t care about us anyway. Seeing the high percentage of Black men who voted for Trump, we feel betrayed. But I have a different perspective. I honestly believe the Democrats should have done a small primary to choose a candidate that we all wanted. Many of us voted for Kamala because she was the only option, and those of us who have these feelings have felt guilty for not fully supporting what could have been the first Black and woman president. Even though I am a life-long Democrat (who fluctuates between being independent and Democrat, depending on the circumstances), I did not vote for her just because she was a Democratic candidate. I always investigate all candidates before making a choice. In America, I am free to choose who I want to represent my values. As a Howard graduate, I should have felt especially loyal, but I didn’t. I felt it was my duty to vote for her because she was the best candidate available, but I did so with sadness, knowing the alternative was worse. Although I agreed with how she valued the freedom and equality of ALL people more than others, I found many of her stances conflicting with my deeply held moral and human values. Abortion is undoubtedly a complex and deeply sensitive issue, but I was concerned by how she seemed dismissive of the unborn child, even celebrating the woman’s right to choose over the sanctity of the child’s life. While it’s important to support a woman’s right to make decisions about her body, it’s equally crucial to consider the life within her, which is often overlooked in these discussions. The conversation deserves to be approached with empathy, understanding, and respect, recognizing both the emotional and moral complexities that people face on all sides. A thoughtful and balanced dialogue that respects all perspectives is key in addressing such a sensitive topic. I didn’t feel she advocated enough for Black men, and as a mother of two Black boys, that was especially important to me. Her silence on Palestine also bothered me, as I believed she could have shown empathy for both Palestine and Israel. And her association with Black female artists whose values contradicted mine, especially when they became the face of her campaign, frustrated me. I honestly questioned if, as a Christian, I should even vote. But despite all this, I can’t give up on the only home I’ve ever known. So, my family and I watched the inauguration together. We talked about the heartbreak of seeing so few people of color asked to participate, except for the Black preacher who misused the “I Have a Dream” speech in his prayer. But we watched it, we learned from it, and we discussed how we can be a light. We talked about the things we agreed with, the power of voting, and how voting can really serve our country. Voting is our superpower, which is why they fought so hard to prevent us from voting. Now that we have the right to vote, there’s a real danger in us quitting, and that’s exactly what they want. I know it seems hopeless, but history tells us that our ancestors kept hoping and fighting. We must continue the work, but in an effective way. I don’t believe this election was rigged or that Trump cheated. He strategized, enlisting billionaires to buy media space to multiply his influence. Kamala could have done the same, but instead, she focused on courting Beyoncé, Megan Thee Stallion, and Cardi B (Lord help me). I’ve talked to many Black men who were drawn to Trump’s power, wealth, and masculinity, and too many votes went away from Kamala. Voting works. White people are rejoicing, but so are Latinos, Black people, Jews, and others. I even know some LGBTQ people who voted for him or did not vote for Kamala! This election was not just about White power, but it was about POWER, no matter what color the person is who has it. This isn’t the time to give up; it’s the time to strategize and vote. We must learn civics, understand how this country works, and engage with it. If we’re going to live here, we must participate because they’re counting on us not to. We need to reject the narrative Ibram X. Kendi pushed about fighting racism by embracing hopelessness and denying the contributions of those Black people who we think were not “Black enough.” Judging the effectiveness of a Black person’s efforts to bring equality by how much we think they assimilated is problematic. Most of those who “assimilated” were just trying to survive so I could live an unassimilated life, sacrificing their pride for my freedom. How dare we discount and dishonor them? We must rethink, restrategize, reengage, and return to the path our ancestors, like MLK, followed—working with the government to make progress. Even Malcolm X was beginning to rethink before he was killed. Some believe submitting to our democracy is rejecting our people’s cause, but in reality, we hinder our progress by not working within America’s blueprint. It doesn’t mean we should be silent or not resist, but there’s a way to do it. Resisting and using our freedom of speech is part of the blue print! Progress doesn’t come from aimless marches and riots; it comes from a political strategy of non-violence and grace for humanity. The anger sparked by George Floyd’s death had nowhere to go because there was no leader to channel that rage into constructive change. In the meantime, the founders of BLM and Ibram X. Kendi have amassed wealth, while the George Floyd Bill has yet to be passed. Additionally, many DEI programs have been criticized as ineffective initiatives developed by individuals hesitant to jeopardize their jobs, rather than making genuine efforts to establish truly safe spaces for people of color.We won’t win by making this a competition between Black or White power. As a country, we will only win when we are united and work together to make America a place where we ALL believe that ALL people are truly created equal. Verse to Inspire Me: (1 Peter 2:13-14) “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.”
I know this was a lot to absorb, but I sincerely hope what I’ve shared provides meaningful guidance as we move forward. This is not a time for despair, but a time to embrace love, for love is the greatest of all—greater than hope or even faith (1 Corinthians 13:13). We can choose to love, even when our faith or hope feels weak. There are times when hope and faith may falter, and we might feel powerless to change it. But through our actions, we can still demonstrate the transformative power of love, no matter what we feel or think.
Just as Jesus denied Himself to die for all of humanity, even as He wept and begged God to “let this cup pass” from Him—while enduring the pain of betrayal by His closest friends—He still chose to do the greatest act of love. We can all love this way, denying ourselves to love everyone, even when we don’t agree, believe, look, think, or feel the same.
It’s also a time to reflect on the past, and when we do, we’ll see that love was the foundation that allowed us to build a brighter future together. History shows us that love is the only thing that brings real change.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13
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Dr. Anika T. Prather 