Righteous Anger: An Essay
My shoulders slumped as I glanced at the headline. “I knew this day would come,” I uttered to myself. I watched my daughter ride her pink tricycle in the courtyard. “Daddy, look! I did it!” Her smile was bright as the desert sun. My son smiled at me, unaware of the ills that plagued the world we lived in, while his sister played. In my arms, his eyes met mine; they were innocent and loving. My stomach churned as I thought of the implications. I struggled to hide my disappointment and growing anger. White supremacy is the root of evil in America. It is no longer a cancerous whisper covered by howling wind in the dead of night. Its death grip on America tightens as the empire continues to crumble under the weight of its unforgivable sins.
They’d always sought to silence Black voices, even as they reluctantly passed the 15th Amendment in 1869, giving Black men the right to vote. Just 27 years later, Louisiana passed the “grandfather clauses,” keeping slaves and descendants of slaves from voting. Many other southern states followed suit. We didn’t let it slide, though. Throughout the years leading up to 1965, they tried all kinds of schemes under Jim Crow laws to thwart our progress. They tried things like literacy tests and poll taxes to suppress our ability to vote.
Nearly 5 months after the Selma to Montgomery March, President Lyndon B Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law on August 6th, 1965. He called it “a triumph for freedom as huge as any victory that has ever been won on any battlefield.” Dr. King was instrumental in its passing. History matters, and it’s of the utmost importance that we understand what it took to get here. Many people made sacrifices to institute and protect this fundamental right for Black Americans.
On April 29th, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled on the Voting Rights Act, gutting key provisions that prevented racial discrimination. Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited discrimination in voting based on race. As a result of the ruling, congressional maps can now be redrawn to dilute and essentially render Black votes useless. Our ancestors fought for the rights that are systematically being taken away.
It’s 2026, and white supremacy is still nipping at our heels. They call us divisive and race-baiting when we speak out against their cowardly attacks. I woke up this morning angry and unsettled. I will never understand their hatred, nor do I want to. We’ve done nothing to these folks to warrant what we experience. If our voices did not have power, they would not be launching this despicable attack against our people. We are all we have, and we must move like that.
After all we’ve endured at the hands of these people, we’re still standing. May our righteous anger drive us to continue fighting for what is right. They will never be able to destroy us because we’re built to last. We aren’t backing down. Our children need us. They will be here long after we’re gone. I know you’re tired. I am too. Today, I ask you to give yourself grace, put yourself first, and remember we’re in this together. Be encouraged.