[Sign outside a Louisville, KY church; June, 2016]
Like you, maybe, I’ve somehow been inducted into the 1.3 million-member Pantsuit Nation on Facebook. Numbed, worn out by this long and painful and ugly election, I’d been unwilling to read what contributors had to say. Until this one grabbed my attention:
November 6 at 6:44pm
Took my brother with special needs to vote earlier today. When he was done I asked him why did he vote for Hillary? He said because Trump reminds him of guys at his HS that used to call him names and pick on him, and Hillary reminds him of his favorite teacher that protected him. I told him his story was inspiring if could share it with people and he said YES.
Wow.
You know, when I saw the video of Donald Trump ridiculing a New York Times reporter’s disability, my horror went so deep it was impossible to imagine that my distress could be shared. That’s what deep, deep pain does, I think. It’s exquisitely and powerfully personal. It isolates as it overwhelms. Our horror is strictly ours.
But as countless Pantsuit Nation’s Muslims and survivors of sexual abuse and immigrants and men and women wearing “Don’t Dis My Ability” tee shirts are making clear, our pain and horror at all the gut-wrenching things Donald Trump has done and said is shared. Magnified. Sanctified. And we are stronger together.
Thanks, Facebook.
Dear Patricia,
Well, hi, there, Patricia, my so, so very For Always absolutely fantastic, special, and precious soul sisterfriend who you’re For Always so, so very much!!!!! Wow, what a brilliantly composed and beautiful blog post article this is here of yours which lightens my spirit and gives me great cheer especially with the sick feeling I have with that Donald Trump winning!!!!! Ugh, sister, ugh!!!!! I I so appreciate the very cool, uplifting, and enlightening links which you have as usual as alway very graciously and generously featured with this very inspirational blog post article. Sisterfriend, we must all never ever give up and we all must keep the faith, keeping on keeping on and keeping up the good fight in keeping all of our progressive and productively proactive movements going strong!!!!! We must continue to make noise like as you say very wisely we are stronger together and can enact our very agency and empowerment in fighting against and resisting oppressive people such as Donald Trump and oppressive systems!!!! This is OUR country, TOO!!!! We can keep things moving along and going, and we will never ever give up and lose heart, and we will never every give up on our very precious, special, blessed, and beloved country warts and all, my so, so very dear friend!!!!! We must very strenuously and frequently pray for ourselves but also for other folks with some very strong, consistent, and frequent intercessory prayers in praying without ceasing here, sister!!!!!!
Wow, what a stroke of genius here sister as you use the great words from our Hillary’s slogan for your awesome blog post article’s title. What a great picture which you have very graciously and generously featured with this very fine and excellent, cool full of spirit and insight blog post article because very fine Muslim persons are our absolutely fabulous sisters and brothers who were celebrating Ramadan with all of their very hearts and spirits back in June, sister. Islamophobia has got to go for sure and IMMEDIATELY, Patricia!!!!!! Sister, I just love the Pantsuit Nation!!!!! How wonderful here!!!!! Our Hillary is just great with her pretty and stylish pantsuits and looks very lovely!!!!! All of us as women and girls who celebrated with our pantsuits and wearing white yesterday did ourselves proud for certain, Patricia!!!! My friend, I so, so very much love, like, and enjoy the very heartwarming story you received permission to share from Facebook about the awesome special needs young gentleman who voted for our Hillary. Wow, what a splendid story here, and this young man is just the very best and the greatest!!!!! I, too, thank Facebook!!!!! As I am a disabled woman with multiple physical disabilities and even other disabilities also, I was utterly horrified and offended by how this Donald Trump made fun of the disabled reporter, and this just hurt my heart so, so much, sisterfriend!!!!! Patricia, you are so right here when you very wisely share and declare that your horror was so deeply entrenched that it seemed impossible to even conceive of the possibility that your distress could be shared. This is very much indeed what deep, deep pain does for certain, Patricia, as you share and declare here. It is overwhelmingly powerful and personal, isolating and even alienating, my so, so very dearest and darling friend and sister, Patricia. Sister, I just so, so very much love and cherish YOU, Patricia, for your deep empathy for us as your disabled sisters and brothers, and how you are such a wondrously wonderful right on white woman, friend, and sister as such a progressive and productively proactive anti-racist ally, as well as an LGBT ally, and how you so marvelously are an ally for all of the oppressed in all you do so, so very well in such very fine and excellent fashion!!!!!! Wow!!!!! Yay!!!!! YOU, Patricia, are my very, very courageous and undaunted soul sisterfriend Christian Quaker white woman, my so, so very dearest friend and sister of mine!!!!! Wow!!!!! Yay!!!!!! Yay for YOU, Patricia!!!!!! Yay for our sisterhood and friendship, Patricia!!!!!! Yay yay yay yay!!!!!
I just so enjoy how you mention all of us stronger together in all of our sparkling variety as people with your astounding conclusion of this brilliant, absolutely brilliant, blog post article, Patricia!!!!! All in all in all of its great entirety this very magnificent blog post article is such a greatly immense joy and blessing, as are all of your other articles, writings, books, and all you do so, so very well in such a fine and excellent manner!!!!! In this horrific time as we have to deal with this Donald Trump as President I think of the Bible Verse from the Old Testament, “Be Still and Know That I am God.” Our So, So Very Sweet, Good, Loving, and Powerful Spirit God is ultimately in charge, and our God will overcome and help us even in the rocky places that are very difficult to navigate our way through!!!!! We will be okay somehow someway with our Spirit For Always there for us and with us and for us, Patricia!!!!! Wow!!!!! Yay!!!!!
Patricia, YOU are my very joy and blessing, and I thank God continually for YOU and for our sisterhood and friendship!!!!! Please have a wondrously wonderful Wednesday, rest of your week and weekend ahead, and may all of your days be so, so very especially blessed!!!!! Spirit so, so very much loves and cherishes you, sisterfriend Patricia, and so do I!!!!!! :)!!!!!!
Very Warmly and Sincerely For Always, my so, so very For Always awesomely special and precious soul sisterfriend Christian Quaker white woman who you’re For Always so, so very much, Patricia, with Such Peace and Love To You For Always, my sister, and with Such Blessings and Such Even More Blessings For You For Always, my friend,
Yours For Always soul sisterfriend Christian black woman and For Always in the very great spirit and solidarity, Sherry Gordon in Iowa City, Iowa