Unpopular opinion: Trump being elected may have been the best thing that could have happened to this country.
I developed this theory in 2016, only months after father-of-five Alton Sterling was murdered by a police officer in the parking lot of a convenience store, when Donald J. Trump was elected into office. Our country erupted into riots and protests, and people were genuinely angry and afraid of what was to come, but in my opinion, maybe we needed to be that angry for things to change.
Judging by the nearly 30 Democratic candidates running for president right now, it's clear that the American people are taking matters into their own hands to create a new normal, one that may not have existed if we had elected Hilary. It's easy to stay complacent when things are "iight" but right now, the state of our America is far from that, and Kamala Harris is here to change that.
This week, the Democratic debates took place in Miami, where not one but four minorities went on stage and dominated the conversation, leaving frontrunners like Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders in the wind. Among the stars at the first two of three debates this week, was our formerly piff-puffin' auntie from Oakland, Kamala Harris, who just officially kicked off our hot girl summer by totally owning the Democratic stage last night. In a brilliant moment that had Joe in shambles, Kamala proved that she may be the best person to kick 45's ass in the 2020 election.
If gathering old white men was a sport, Kamala Harris deserves a gold medal because honey, she got Joe all the way together. In an intense discussion about the former VP's support of racist politicians who prevented the integration of schools by opposing busing. Kamala said:
"I do not believe you are a racist and I agree with you when you commit yourself to the importance of finding common ground. But I also believe — and it's personal and it was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on the segregation of race in this country."
According to the 54-year-old former prosecutor, Joe's support of those politicians impacted her in a very personal way. Although Brown v. Board of Education abolished the segregation of schools in 1954, Kamala's district didn't see integration until nearly 20 years later.
"There was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools, and she was bused to school every day. That little girl was me. So I will tell you that on this subject, it cannot be an intellectual debate among Democrats. We have to take it seriously. We have to act swiftly."
Although Joe did make the point that he became a public defender to help the people, while Kamala has a damning record as a prosecutor, Kamala put those courtroom skills into action. And at that moment, Joe knew he f*cked up and was unable to regain his ground in the conversation. Since the debate, voters have been giving the former VP a serious side-eye, and according to sources, Joe's camp has made remarks that Kamala hit him with a "low blow" by bringing up his busing record, and to that Kamala says: boy, bye. Today, on CBS This Morning, Kamala told Gayle King:
"If segregationists had their way, I would not be a member of the United States Senate today, I would not be a top contender to be president of the United States."
I have to admit, that a few months ago, I was extremely skeptical about supporting Kamala in this election due to some poor choices she's made in her prosecutorial career, but I also know that no politician has a perfect record. According to media sources, last night's debate has pushed Kamala to the front of the Democratic race and proved that you should always bet on the underdog.
For more info on the current Democratic and Republican candidates, click here!
Featured image by Harry E. Walker/MCT via Getty Images / Getty.
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Since it’s Stress Awareness Month, we caught up with Keanne Owens, LCSW, founder of Journey To Harmony Therapy Center, to talk about these triggers and what Black women can do to manage and cope.
Owens is an experienced South Florida-based counselor and social worker who offers her services via Grow Therapy, a therapy and medication management platform. She has worked with Black women professionals to unpack issues related to workplace stressors. “One is the pressure to perform–having to meet deadlines and deliverables. And a lot of times, these subtle stressors from performance are put upon ourselves as Black women. We want to make sure we’re doing our best. We don’t want to be critiqued in certain ways.”
Excessive micromanagement leading to fear of overly critical bosses is another subtle trigger that can negatively impact Black women in the workplace.
“Whenever something is done wrong, or we experience some type of injustice and have to report it, it’s the fear of retaliation–[fear that] we won’t be taken seriously or [our words] will be taken out of context because of being deemed as the ‘angry Black woman,’” she said.
Black Women And Workplace Stress Triggers
Her sentiments are backed by research. A recent report by Coqual found that 28% of Black women (compared to 17% of White men) say their supervisor uses “excessive control or attention to detail” when managing them. There’s more: A survey by the National Employment Law Project found that Black workers were “more likely to have concerns (80 percent) and twice as likely as white workers (18 percent) to have unresolved concerns at work, with 39 percent reporting they were “not satisfied with the employer’s response or did not raise concerns for fear of retaliation.”
The survey also found that 14 percent of Black respondents said they “avoided raising concerns to their employer for fear of retaliation—more than twice the average rate of 6 percent for all survey respondents.”
Owens pointed to the fact that these subtle stress triggers can negatively impact our physical health and our career advancement. “A lot of time it’ll affect our productivity,” Owens added. “We start to have negative thoughts of ourselves. The stressors can also cause fatigue. We’re no longer meeting or working up to our desired potential.” Other challenges as a result include insomnia and increased insolation, withdrawal, and lack of motivation to apply for jobs or promotions even when qualified.
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How To Manage Subtle Stress Triggers
While there are systemic issues at play for Black women at work that has less to do with us and more to do with major overhauls that must be addressed by the powers that be, there are steps we can take for the betterment of ourselves and our mental health. Owens offered the following tips:
Tap into a support system, whether it’s a coworker you trust, a family member, an organization, or an outlet like a hobby.
Create a good work-life balance before burnout even starts. “Having certain boundaries [is the goal] such as, for example, if you get off at 5, you get off at 5. If your job description is this, you don’t go above and beyond because that brings you to a lot of burnout,” Owens said.
Prioritize self-care, whatever that means for you. “If you don’t have a routine, create one. Practice mindfulness and even some meditation,” she added.
Create structure in your life outside of work. “Even if you have a family, applying some structure in your routine helps relieve stress,” she said.
Get into grounding techniques. “Do a real quick square breathing exercise, that’s literally 30 seconds, or you can do a grounding technique that’s less than two minutes, right there where you are. You don’t need any other materials. That’s something you can do with just yourself and your body.”
Ask for help. “As Black women, we don’t ask for help enough,” she said. “Find where you need to ask for help. A lot of times, people think that’s indicative of weakness, but we need to rewrite that narrative. It’s okay to ask for help where you see fit. [If] you’re a mom, [it could be] every Wednesday from 5 to 6, your children are with the dad. You have to carve out that time.”
For more information on Grow Therapy, visit their website. You can also find out more about Keanne Owens, LCSW, via BeginYourJourneyToHarmony.com.
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