I don’t know about you, but I am absolutely exhausted with this presidential administration. We were warned that DJT would govern with chaos and surprise. We saw from the first weeks that the new boy-king president surrounded himself with individuals with absolutely no government experience or history of public service. Unfortunately, these past few days, weeks and months have been absolutely exhausting and stress inducing. It is imperative that we resist the temptation to normalize this president and his presidency, but we also must find time to rest and take care of ourselves and one another.
I have recently put myself on a Twitter and news moratorium for at least one hour before I go to bed and for at least an hour after I wake up. I have found that reading about the president’s latest antics has been quite stress inducing. A recent JAMA Psychiatry study was just released chronicling the alarming rates of increased alcoholism among women and people of color. At a time when the president is doubling down on his support of neo-Nazis and white supremacists, it is understandable that many people are incredibly overwhelmed, scared, angry and unsure under the leadership of DJT. Therefore, it is important that we stay vigilant, but also give ourselves time to rest and block out all of the antics. And there are so many antics with this administration.
This president continues to treat this job as another season of “The Apprentice” (or “Survivor”), but there is a silver lining. There are several organizations that are staying on top of this president and his entire administration. Rashad Robinson, the executive director of Color of Change, is systematically dismantling this administration, one enabler at a time. The goal of Color of Change is to move decision makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people and all people. Translation: They have targeted the likes of Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck and cops who spread false narratives on Fox TV, and they’ve won. They are just one of several organizations that are weakening the infrastructure that enables DJT and the people around him.
Moving forward, we must make our own victories. It is apparent this administration harbors white supremacists and traffics in anti-Black policies and practices. Who knows how long DJT will even be in office, but until he resigns, is impeached or is removed under the 25th Amendment, we must deal with the cards we have. However, we can fight this administration and expose this president and all of the elected officials, cabinet members and media personnel who prop up this man and his delusions of grandeur. Until then, we must continue to take care our ourselves, donate to social justice organizations and stay vigilant in the face of adversity.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University, the author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream” and the host of The Aftermath on Ozy.com. You can find her on Twitter @Dr_CMGreer.