The big lie of the 2020 election was invented and promoted by our now ex-president. This tall tale continues to resonate with his base, who have chosen to place their allegiance squarely within its grasp rather than accept the court’s verdict.

State legislatures are now attempting to leverage this lie into law by putting forward hundreds of bills they say are intended to protect us against voter fraud. These are voter suppression initiatives, plain and simple. With pinpoint precision they make it more difficult for citizens of color to vote.

For the Trump faithful, the big lie remains an anthem helping to shape policy and reproduce racist outcomes. Only active intervention will disrupt this pattern. White resentment will continue as long as we fail to interrogate our ambivalence towards mending America’s racial wound. This is further exacerbated, by design, with segregated communities offering few spaces to cultivate mutual trust and forbearance.

To say it will take courage to touch this wound is certainly true, but that minimizes how this was always our legitimate work to do as fellow citizens. The real courage, that many are still hard pressed to acknowledge, is the resolve shown by the oppressed who survived and stayed in the ring even as the blows rained down decade after decade. These are American heroes whose regard for justice and dignity will one day be celebrated. They have kept the dream of equality alive during the long epoch of greed that required the invention of racism to justify it.

 

George Mason

Nobleboro

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