"They" Won.
"We won! We won this thang."
That's what I heard as I stepped on to the #4 bus going from Harborview to downtown Seattle. The woman was so loud that I couldn't help but hear every word she said, even though my marshmallow earbuds were firmly squished into my ears.
The bus was so slow since traffic was busy, and the bus was packed tight. I was standing, holding on to the bars for dear life. (The #4 bus is not one where you want to go careening into one of the more 'unusual' passengers - especially when they are grinning mischievously at you. ) So my 15 minute bus ride that normally takes 5 minutes was filled with shouts of joy from people of color all cheering about how they won.
One man asked "Wait, they announced it already?" There were some laughs and the loud and boisterous woman who began the whole conversation told him no, but "nobody in their right mind would vote for the other guy. We won. I can feel it." There were about 8 people all laughing and celebrating how "they" won tomorrow's election.
So I started wondering - since I am neither black nor white, does that mean I lose? Or do I just not matter at all? Was this a race for race or a race for the presidency? It struck me how naive I must have been. I honestly thought it finally stopped being about race.
If Black wins or if White wins, I don't think racial tension will ease up one bit for either side of this war. And that is the saddest part of all.
