Stereotyping Individuals & Party Unification

UPDATE: Senator John McCain. Aretha Franklin. And locally, Weatherman Ed Brandon. What a busy week of high profile funerals of prominent people in Celebration of the lives that were lived for the right reasons.

None of these people would want us to mourn their deaths, but rather carry on their example of of service above self.

So many of us were motivated by the mortification that was the 2016 Presidential Campaign & subsequent Election & spurred into action to speak out, get involved & to organize.

In Life & in Death, Senator McCain in particular exemplified a Bi-Partisan Spirit motivated by doing the right thing for the right reasons.

What strikes me locally within the Democratic Party is the continuance of the Tribal Mentality that refused to vote for Hillary Clinton as the 45th President of the United States.

I see it & hear it all around me everyday - online, offline, out in public in the streets.

In my opinion, the Party HAD ONE JOB TO DO: Vote for the Candidate on the Democratic Ticket to keep a BULLY out of office.

Not just to make history.

Not just because she's a woman.

To STOP the #ApprenticePresident.

THAT was the REASON.

If I could go back in time & ask Senator McCain, "Sir, did you Vote in the 2016 Presidential Election or did you 'sit this one out'?" but I think I know what he would say.

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UPDATE: Still morning the death of my mom Brenda Stanley, this was written 1yr ago today in response to the race riots in Charlottesville, Virginia.

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So I haven't said much in any official capacity these last couple days. I've been trying to stay busy in my period of mourning for my mother who died of Cancer 5 years ago today. August is always a really hard time of year for that reason. I still miss my mother.

And then I turn on the TV.

It appears that an extremist group of white supremacist are causing riots in Virginia.

These are INDIVIDUALS.

A Group of INDIVIDUALS that don't speak for all white people.

I have lived all over the US & overseas in Singapore, where I met this guy while I was in college. He is MUSLIM. We dated off & on for YEARS when I went back home to Singapore.

I was among the first group of young school children to attend racially-integrated schools in the mid 1960s. I grew up thinking this was normal & as it should be.

Next thing you know, I venture into the "Twittersphere" this afternoon & there are already calls among some people that I follow for the rise of Black Female Leaders.

This attitude is EXACTLY THE SAME as those white supremacists that are causing riots even as I type t his.

It is STEREOTYPING GROUPS OF PEOPLE BASED ON THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN.

I was trying so hard not to be sad on the anniversary of the death of my mother & now - well, I'm just SPEECHLESS.

Now is not the time to put reverse racism on display - due to the actions of INDIVIDUALS.