Make America Great Again Nonsense

The other day I was sitting in a restaurant with my family, and my nephew asked a question, which had me thinking about the idea of making America great again. He asked, if you could go back in time and choose when to be born, when would you pick?

If you could go back in time and choose when to be born, when would you pick?

Underwood five Typewriter I envisioned going back in time. To be honest, I really didn’t like options. My first thoughts led to me to a point in my timeline, and technology came to the forefront of my mind. I learned to type on an actual typewriter. Over two decades of experience later, I type about 80 words per minute. Of course, technology allows me to do that. Typing that quickly on an old type writer could lead to what I call clumping letters. It’s interesting, not everyone has seen a typewriter. In my last position, we were cleaning house and found one of these relics. A gal in her early twenties wanted to know what it was. We’ve come a long way, baby!

By MBlairMartin – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49962161

I got my first computer in 1993. It was a 386 computer, whatever that was. Once in awhile, I find a floppy disc hidden in a dusty drawer. 2400 baud dialup modem… yeah! The Internet was just gaining popularity, and I had no idea what it was. Someone would tell me to go to a website, and I would write it down as www dot backbone America dot com. Yes, I spelled out the dot. It was the days of online bulletin boards! Those were the days… TradeWars anyone?

When people said they would be at a certain time on a certain date, they were there. It was expected. We didn’t have these last minute phone calls or text, saying we’d be a 15 minutes late or couldn’t make it. No… that would be called “standing you up,” because we didn’t have cellphones. Now my family and I communicate throughout the day, regardless of where we are… right down to my 9-year-old son, who’ll teach you how to use your iGadget if you ask.

Let’s set technology aside for a moment… and talk about principles and core values. I’m a black woman… as if you didn’t know. However, I can’t think of a single thing that made the 90s great for black women… or even near the turn of the century. Why would I go back in time that’s harder on my race than it is today? Why would I bring the 90s forward to today? I think the world is getting better for minorities, not worse.

So maybe my timeline wasn’t good enough. Perhaps if I went further. What about when my mother was younger? School Segregation was just ending. Would you believe it was okay for her to drink out of the same water fountain as a white woman? Wow… Those must have been the days… It brings to mind what Rosa Park said in 1956, after she’d been arrested for not giving up her seat on the bus.

“I would have to know for once and for all what rights I had as a human being and a citizen.”

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11440811

A lot has changed in 60 years, Mrs. Parks. We haven’t hit full equality, but we’ve made strides.

Going further back just gets more dismal. Blatant discrimination, full blown inequality, slavery… Pre-slavery, life just gets harder. My nephew brought up cave man days… seriously? Every day a battle of survival. I love my comforts. I can’t even imagine having to scavenge for food.

The world is as great as it’s ever been for black women… I don’t know what this “Make America Great Again” nonsense is about… But I want nothing to do with it. Let’s start here and now. Let’s make America Greater, not pull us back into the past of less than great.

If I were given the option to choose a time in the past to be born, I’d pick yesterday. I love the opportunities my children have a chance to experience. I love the technology. Even my 9 year old has a cellphone to keep him entertained and us in touch with him.

We don’t need to make America great again… Cause the past was never as great as it is today. We just need to keep on improving… keep on working toward equality. Despite everything that’s happening in the news and the racial tension, we are gaining and creating a better world for a children and our children’s children.

i-love-america-3d-banner We can let the challenges hold us back, whether it be the color of our skin, our gender, a disability, whatever. Just know, there’s someone out there who likely has the same challenge you have and has overcome it to achieve greatness. Google them… we have the technology. It’s up to us to seize the opportunities.