#MomentofTruth

The election is over, but its impact is not. We’re left feeling anxious, exhausted, and deeply unsafe. If you are experiencing a rise in hate or violence as a result of this election, or you've helped out someone who has, share your story. It is only through seeing what is wrong that we can even begin to see where we need to go next.

[momentoftruth2016]

Misogyny At A Local Dog Park

Dog parks should be a place where social dogs and their owners can kick back, relax, and be with friends. While most of the people who go to my local dog park in NYC are nice, there's always one bad apple in every bunch.

This bad apple is an older guy who is a VERY vocal Trump supporter with a long history of harassment, abuse, etc. Now that Trump has won the presidential election, he feels as if it is okay to be hateful towards women, minorities, etc and his verbal assaults have gotten worse.

Previously, he stalked a young woman of color on Facebook and viciously verbally assaulted her and mocked her disabilities. He's also thrown the n-word around at a 30-something year old African-American woman because he erroneously thought she didn't pick up after her dog. This guy has also threatened many people and animals with violence--he famously threatened to shoot my friend's dog for simply wanting to play with his dog. There was also another time when he started yelling Islamaphobic slurs at a Muslim woman walking past the park with her child.

He's also stalked me on Facebook and verbally assaulted me because I dared to stand up to him after he started yelling at me for "abusing" my dog, all because I comforted her when she was spooked.

I got later to avoid him, because I am worried for both my safety and my dog's. He's dangerous, and I don't trust him one bit, especially since there's been many complaints to both the cops and local politicians AND the community board, but no one has ever kicked him out or tried to stop him.

Recently, the guy in question started verbally assaulting a PoC veteran and on November 26th, I arrived at the park in the early evening thinking he'd gone home. Unfortunately, he decided to stay later than he normally does and the minute he saw my boyfriend and I enter the park, he started screaming at me. Some choice words were "bitch" and "psycho," if I recall.

We quickly moved to the other end of the park, but he didn't stop screaming at us and even verbally assaulted us as he left with his dog. I was honestly terrified, especially because I knew if I called the police they wouldn't do anything (the last time I called 911, the cops told me to ignore him) and no one at the park wants to stand up to him.

It's really disgusting that local politicians, the cops and the rest of the people who go to this dog run let this guy run wild at the dog park. This guy is an absolute menace to anyone who isn't white, straight, able-bodied, male, and Christian, and he's gotten worse now that Trump is president-elect. I don't feel safe going there, and I know a few other people who feel the exact same way. We shouldn't have to worry that we'll be the victims of verbal assault and harassment because we're women/disabled/PoC/Jewish/Muslim, etc.

[momentoftruth2016]

The election is over. It’s time for a #MomentofTruth. 

momentoftruth2016.tumblr.com

[momentoftruth2016]

It makes me angry, it makes me profoundly sad.

For all 4 years of college, I knew that my alma mater was located in a racist suburban town but yesterday I heard that Trump supporters were riding around campus, intimidating Black students. …even spitting at them. That’s what this election cycle has done. It’s emboldened more people to take their hate-filled ideas and put them into action. For people of color like myself who’ve been fortunate enough to grow up in communities with little racial tension– it’s turned this understanding of racism as an abstract, systemic/institutionalized problem into something palpable, threatening and frightening. 

As a Black American whose family has been in this country for over 100 years, the idea of the American dream has always been elusive, complicated and has personally rung very untrue for me (and the idea of America returning to “greatness” should be disgusting for anyone vaguely acquainted with a history textbook) 

However what’s new for me– what’s been my moment of truth in the wake of this election– is the realization that such a significant portion of this nation truly feels that I don’t belong here when in truth it was my family and families like mine who built the fabric of it. The inaccuracy of their arguments and the ugliness of their actions makes me angry and when I think of all the kids of ALL backgrounds asking questions and finding themselves confused about where they fit in this place that EVERYONE should be allowed to call home, it makes me profoundly sad.

[momentoftruth2016]

Loss. Horror. Cynicism. Disbelief. Anger.

Loss. Horror. Cynicism. Disbelief. Anger. The crumbling of the moral high ground that I was taught prevailed in America. The ripping away of the mask that covered hatred and fear, a sense that I have never really known my neighbors. The realization that just as after 9/11, I felt connected to every American, I now feel disconnected, bereft, shoved aside and stomped on. I am a woman. I am lucky to be a white woman, yes; there will be less hate for me to deal with. But make no mistake: Millions of people have just shown us exactly what they think of women - of all women. They have chosen as their representative a man who personifies ignorance, fear, hate, sexism, racism, and xenophobia. I feel lost and helpless. How do I help those who may be targeted? How do I stand against those who may not hesitate to harm others who are different from themselves? Why have we decided that our differences are more important than the humanity we all share? This ugliness is not my America, not my community. I am in shock and I am grieving. We have so much more work to do than I thought, and I am so tired. I guess I was still innocent, still naive, still blind. What a fool I was to think we had made progress. I am finding it so very hard to hope. I don't expect to see equality of all sexes, races and religions in my lifetime. Where do we go from here?

[momentoftruth2016]

My students are deeply afraid of what will happen to them.

I am an educator in the Bronx. My students are deeply afraid of what will happen to them.Their identities, safety, access to social/cultural power, etc. are directly threatened by this coming Trump age in our country (though, in many ways, we can argue that this has not been coming so much as insidiously entrenched in our communities, friends, neighbors, colleagues, institutions).

My students -- Black, Brown, LGBTQ+, Muslim, undocumented, impoverished, disenfranchised by our educational and criminal (in)justice systems -- are fearful, truly fearful. Not fearful in the way you fear walking a block you've never know. Not fearful in the way you realize that you might not have the grades to go to your dream college. Not fearful in the way you hate your global history teacher. Not fearful in the way that you dread going home, cooking for younger siblings, taking care of your parents, etc. Not fearful in the way you try to win the last basketball, uplift your team from a season of losing. 

My students are experiencing bone-deep fear and trauma that makes systemic oppression feel real, palpable, tangible. And I don't know how to tell them to be strong when I am fearful as well. Fearful as a woman, as a daughter of immigrants, as a Brown person. 

[momentoftruth2016]

Last night, I joined thousands of New Yorkers outside the Trump Tower (and eventually thousands more, who started their gathering in Union Square) to tell Mr. President-Elect (my stomach still sinks every time I hear/see that) that we will not hide. Some white men in suits, wearing Make America Great Again hats came by, and one said to someone in the crowd “too bad you couldn’t vote” to someone holding a sign about immigration. I fear this is just signs for things to come. Hatred has been emboldened, and things are going to get worse for a while. We will go backwards, and I mourn the progress we’ve been made.  I fear for the communities most vulnerable to the policies that could be passed or reversed, largely for immigrants, our Muslim brothers and sisters, our trans comrades, for women, and pretty much every minority group, all of whom have been subject to online harassment at the very least. 

But, I’m also hopeful. This election makes the issues we’re facing as a country not just real but personal. And sometimes that’s what you need to organize, strategize and become bigger and stronger. It’s these moments where we have the opportunity to step away from the norms, the institutions, the status quo, and build our own narratives and alternative ways of gathering and activating.  I do not say this dismissively or lightly because people have a lot to fear – harassment, deportation, violence of many kinds, employment discrimination, lack of access to reproductive health services, a roll back of climate justice policies. It is terrifying. White men, in particular, feel they have to go back to the 1950s to stay at the top of the pecking order, which means bringing everyone else (and the country) down with them. And it’s all being condoned and encouraged. 

But sometimes you have to pull back the curtain to reorganize, reactivate, reshape. And I have to think that we will figure it out. I have to believe in the power of people, in collective action. The foundations of democracy are, in fact, not the leaders we elect or the Government. The true foundations are in the everyday interactions of people, communities, and the ongoing struggle to create a better world. It will take courage. It will mean pushing through fear. It will mean sacrifice. But I believe in the resilience of the American people.  So, while we mourn this devastating loss. Let’s also take it as a cue that what people really want is not exclusion but change. They want to feel secure and like there’s opportunity. And for that to happen, we must hold despair and hope at the same time. And then we must organize. Organize like we never have before.

[momentoftruth2016]

Predators among us...

In an atmosphere of emboldened hate, I have been sexually preyed on in the subway twice now this month (you know where they change cars when you do, get off where you do, and walk behind you as you make your way home, until you dip into a store to get help).  Wearing a scarf on my head this morning (my hair was wet) I was told I “should go back where I came from” which is Philadelphia.  Then getting onto an elevator today I held the door open for a  delivery man, who said “congratulations on trump” and wouldn’t get in with me.  

Emboldened hatred is terrifying.  Words matter, and spreading negative ones, is irresponsible at best.  So like Glinda the Good Witch says to the Wicked Witch “You have no power here.  Begone, before some drops a house on you.”  While I can’t be rid of my government, I can practice self care and give no weight or power to these hateful words and the actions they create.

[momentoftruth2016]

Pittsburgh, PA, normally a blue dot in a purple state..

I would like to put these to anecdotes up here because they have both happened yesterday within 24 hours of Trump being elected. Yesterday morning i walked to my car with my bookbag which has a Clinton pin on it. I am standing facing the car so my bookbag is facing the street. I hear a car pull up beside me and when i turn around someone yells "liberal slut!" and then they speed away. Later in the day i was sitting in wendy's getting food before my class and see a mentally and physically handicapped man eating his lunch and minding his own business. A few minutes later a loud group of Trump supporters come in and sit nearby this man. They start making jokes about him being "a fucking retard" and "only good for making glue" so when i finish my meal i stop by their table and ask why they are being so mean to a man they've never met and who is minding his own business. I am immediately told they can say that now because "Trump is president so it's okay" and then am told that I am a "stupid liberal" who "doesn't understand how the world works.

[momentoftruth2016]

Trump supporters harassing me last night in Times Square.

She is screaming that I’m a nasty woman. (Hillary pin strong) It was pretty insane.

They asked me what Hillary has done and when I tried to answer they would just scream she needs to go to jail, she’s a nasty woman and I’m a nasty woman. She doesn’t love America and I don’t love America. I then kissed the ground. It was phenomenal.

[momentoftruth2016]

I was having a simple conversation with a trump supporter & this is what he said to me ! “God I can’t wait to read about you being shot by the police”

I am Hispanic and him knowing the fear that we Hispanics (minorities) would have if Donald Trump won the election, but he decided to said what he said. But the true colors are coming out.

#Racism

[momentoftruth2016]

I’m so numb right now.

I’m so numb right now. I’m on Medicaid via the ACA and my boyfriend is disabled. We’re both freelancers who have had a shitty time trying to find well-paying full-time jobs. I am terrified that my rights as a woman will be taken away, and we will be left poor and with no healthcare.

I live in a neighborhood where my neighbors are many people who are of Middle Eastern descent and who are of the Muslim faith. I am absolutely terrified of their safety, especially since I’ve heard my pro-Trump neighbors gloating about the win.

I am also a proud Pagan, and I’m worried if I should hide my pentacle again.

My boyfriend and I have been verbally harassed by a man at the dog park who has a long history of assault, animal abuse, and harassment towards women, the disabled, and people of color  He’s also a very vocal Trump supporter, and I’m so scared that this “win” is going to embolden him to harass innocent women, people of color, etc at the park. The cops and the local politicians didn’t do anything to stop him the first time, and now they definitely won’t stop him.

I was crying on and off today. I’m scared for us all.

[momentoftruth2016]

Day 1 in Trump’s America

Donald Trump was elected president last night. The reaction to that news today has not been good. Especially for people of color and women…

Especially for people of color and women, Day 1 was all about the increased likelihood that they will be subjected to hate speech, hate crimes, and the kind of stuff that points to really dark days ahead. For the sake of the documenting events that appear to be the result of the hatred Trump’s campaign has fomented, here’s what Day 1 in Trump’s America looked like.

[momentoftruth2016]

text from a friend

My mother's friends son is a special needs person who also happens to be gay and some guy on the ferry bumped into him, then said "listen here faggot things are different now that trump is president" 

[momentoftruth2016]

Today is the anniversary of Kristallnacht. This is Philadelphia today

"Sieg Heil 2016," read black letters, scrawled across a shop window in Philadelphia. The Nazi-era phrase was written the day after Donald Trump won the presidency, and on the 78th anniversary of Kirstallnacht in Germany. On 8 November 1938, fascists torched, vandalized and destroyed Jewish homes, shops and synagogues.

“On 8 November 1938, Nazis in Germany set fire and destroyed Jewish homes - today the vandalism in the US is an eerie reminder of the not so distant past...

‘Sieg Heil 2016,’ read black letters, scrawled across a shop window in Philadelphia.

The Nazi-era phrase was written the day after Donald Trump won the presidency, and on the 78th anniversary of Kirstallnacht in Germany.”

[momentoftruth2016]

#MomentOfTruth

Moment of truth (n.) : a time when a person or thing is tested, a decision has to be made, or a crisis has to be faced; a crucial moment.

This year’s election exposed us to the deep racism, sexism, and power imbalances that are still in place in this country. It also awakened and emboldened those injustices and prejudicial instincts. To fully understand what is happening and where we are going as a nation, we need to look at the damaging we are doing to each other.

#MOMENTOFTRUTH is an initiative to collect and post stories from people who have witnessed a rise in hate in their own lives in the wake of this election. From casual comments that eat at us, to hate-filled rants posted by those we call friends on Facebook...even vandalism and violence in our neighborhoods and communities.

What are you seeing, hearing and feeling in the wake of this election? Submit your story

What do you need right now to get through this? Check out our resources on self-care

How can you get involved in other ways? Use the hashtag #momentoftruth on social media and encourage your followers to share their stories

This is a period in our nation's history marked by an unveiling of hatred and prejudice...what will we learn from it? How? This is our moment of truth.

[momentoftruth2016]

I am in shock that this country has just elected Trump, a man who ran on a campaign of hate. I'm reading through so many people's horrified posts this morning.  Everyone is scared.  No one knows what's coming and I am hoping that it won't be as bad as I imagine.  I see someone else post this picture and think that actually, it may get worse than we imagine.

[momentoftruth2016]

Vitriol in PA

I am a white woman. I have privilege and I know it. I try and use it to provide space, open doors, to folks who do not have the same access. This is my daily work.

So, yesterday - Election Day - I used my privilege to take the day and knock on doors to get out the vote. I was assigned to Bucks County by the Clinton campaign. It is a very white and clearly Trump-Pence piece of PA based on the signs on the lawns. My mission was to get Democrats to the polls. I was given a list of addresses of homes that were few and far between. I found myself walking long distances alone along busy streets between houses of registered Democratic voters.  "If we win Bucks County, we can win PA," was my mantra.  

As I walked one stretch, a car zoomed past me. Then I heard a screech. The car, at the same velocity, went in reverse and pulled alongside me. It was a man, in his 20's, white and angry. He yelled at me. Called me "cunt" "bitch" whore" asked me if I spoke English. He used everything he heard from candidate Trump to try to intimidate me. I stood there and looked him in the eye. I wanted him to see me, a full human being, like him. And yet, he felt it was ok to demean me with his words, his tone. 

He left. And, I was left with fear, standing alone by the side of the road, vulnerable, frozen. I gathered myself. Took a breath and kept walking. There was nothing I could do but keep moving.