"The Contagious Power of Hope"
The Unfolding Power of Our Stories
I remember years ago (omg has it really been that long?!!) watching a Republican response to something President Obama had said. I couldn’t help noticing how they tried to almost parrot his story. It felt a bit disingenuous on the one hand and almost childish on the other. However, it wasn’t lost on me that that effort, regardless of what I thought about it, reflected and affirmed the power of our stories and how we tell them—and that there are those who know this and put this knowledge to the test on a regular basis.
I have been thinking about this for a little while now—the power of our stories—ever since Kamala Harris was announced as the replacement for Joe Biden. It really gained traction as I listened to someone’s resistance to her as the candidate. An African-American woman who was heatedly asserting that she was not voting for someone just because she was Black and/or a woman and also letting it be known that no politician has done enough for the Black community. There is truth to that story, those words, that one can find echoing through many of the diverse communities in this country. Someone, somewhere, some life has not been touched by the politican’s hopeful rhetoric.
And, for a moment, that truth caused me to pause in my enthusiasm.
That pause started me thinking, “What would make the perfect candidate?” I also am aware that perhaps some of the problem is not just what they look like but also the system itself. A lot of people from many different community groups spend a lot of their life hours fighting some aspect of this “American” system that is unfair, unjust, and just plain wrong in some other harm-causing way. A system that at one time held that I, as a person of color, was not even a human being—or a full human being.
So, with histories like that in the background and echoes of it still ringing in the foreground, it is easy to not be enthusiastic about a Kamala Harris presidency. I mean, Barack Obama did a helluva lot in the eight years of his presidency, both for this country as a whole and also for the Black community, and yet there were still areas within all those communities, remote, poor, and of color (and some would say in parts of the world), where it wasn’t enough (cue the sound of drones in the background). Just having a Black president wasn’t enough. And yet it was. He did two terms. I think he was amazing. There was something about his and Michelle’s stories and how they told them that was both relatable and inspiring. It was perfectly in sync with his campaign slogan “Yes we can.” And it felt good. It touched something deep in all of us. It gave us hope—a hope that we could actually be and do better—together.
Which reminds me of something President Biden said in his special news broadcast to the effect that there are still problems with this country; we’ve come a long way but we still have far to go, and so we keep trying to get it right, to fix them. For all the problems I have with Joe Biden, it is not lost on me that there is a deeper honesty and sincerity about his commitment to the nation as a whole, to his willingness to evolve on issues and efforts at cross-community working that makes him a more believable guy than many of the politicians out there. By the way, that’s not to say all politicians suck. There are plenty of good ones out there. But when you listen to Joe Biden’s story, you get that sense of hope— a drop from the top that gives the rest of us an affirmational burst of energy to fight another day. Another person with a life path filled with adversity and tragedy yet still kept walking forward up that mountain that Michelle Obama referred to in her recent DNC speech.
He shared a belief that President Obama articulated at the start of his 2024 DNC speech: “I am feeling hopeful because this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible…” A while ago, President Obama introduced us to the audacity of hope, and now Michelle Obama introduces us to the “contagious power of hope.”
The audacity and the contagiousness of hope gain their power, in large part, because of the fire out of which their journeys were forged. Stories that unfolded out of a boiling cauldron. Go down your list of sheroes and heroes, and you will find people who have life stories behind them that make their being on the list meaningful.
This is how I think of Kamala Harris. Not a savior, although there are glimmers of hope that given the reigns of power she will do what most others have not, but a woman whose story unfolds out of a bonfire kept burning by all the usual fuels: racism, patriarchy, misogyny, sexism, mixed with upbringing, ambition, dedication, and plain old grit. Fuels that, no matter when or how many of us gather, we never manage to fully get a hold of to the point where we, as a country, could sit around and relax. Whatever spirit fuels those fires visits the same gym as those looking to put them out. It’s 2024, and we are still fighting ancient battles (I hear an echo of a line from “Ice, Ice, Baby” by Vanilla Ice: “…will it ever stop? Yo, I don’t know…”). But for now, her story is unfolding in a boiling cauldron, as is everyone else’s, and she is a much better pick than the alternative.
With Obama, we had a critical mass of diversity showing up in support of a story of “change” many felt they could really get behind, believe possible, and, yet, you can find people who will tell you of the holes in his presidency, the spaces where “change” did not show up. Some of which are accurate. And I, for one, do not believe that Obama ran with that outcome in mind. And I am equally sure that was not lost on him or Michelle. Yet they still got up and showed up. From the middle of the fire, their stories unfolded.
I think that is the constant we can count on. The Agni in the upper left hand of Shiva. The fires. I mean the good stuff, the Damaru, too. But the fire for sure.
The things that fuel and/or burn away for the sake of growth and for the sake of, well, just burning. It’s why in spite of a profound disappointment in the unfolding U.S. policy in some parts of our country as well as this world I can still vote. And yes, vote for a Kamala Harris. Because there will never be a time, that I can see, where all the ducks are perfectly aligned.
Maybe that’s how evil is able to garner the wins it does. It knows there will never be enough good to wipe out evil and there will never be enough evil to wipe out good. So while you have the floor you might as well get as much as you can before the cycle shifts and you’re paying as much as they can get out of you - dancing the dance like Nataraja the Divine Cosmic Dancer because you know it’s a dance and the moves are fluid and not forever.
All that said a story is unfolding before us. It’s surrounded by a lot of noise, some of which is useful and the rest is distracting. Which is which depends on each of us and our needs and desires or just how we feel on any given Tuesday.
The things that fuel and/or burn away for the sake of growth and for the sake of, well, just burning. It’s why, in spite of a profound disappointment in the unfolding U.S. policy in some parts of our country as well as this world, I can still vote. And yes, vote for a Kamala Harris. Because there will never be a time, that I can see, where all the ducks are perfectly aligned.
Maybe that’s how evil is able to garner the wins it does. It knows there will never be enough good to wipe out evil, and there will never be enough evil to wipe out good. So while you have the floor, you might as well get as much as you can before the cycle shifts and you’re paying as much as they can get out of you—dancing the dance like Nataraja, the Divine Cosmic Dancer, because you know it’s a dance and the moves are fluid and not forever.
All that said, a story is unfolding before us. It’s surrounded by a lot of noise, some of which is useful, and the rest is distracting. Which is which depends on each of us and our needs and desires or just how we feel on any given Tuesday.
This brings us to the question: what stories are we going to write in the unfolding narrative of our lives as a collective going forward? What chapters do we, as a collective, wish to craft in this vast dusty and crusty tome that chronicles our existence together?
The time has come, once again, for us to pick up the pens of our own collective destinies, and scribble like banshees upon the blank pages, the ballots, laid out before us.
Imagine a new story where a woman of mixed African-American and Asian descent—resilient, strong, wise, compassionate, firm, —steps into the role of leader of the free world. Picture her standing tall, representing the melting pot of cultures that embody the best of who we are as a nation. She doesn’t just take her place at the helm; she grabs the mantle of leadership with both hands, pushing boundaries while ascending to new heights.
In this narrative, she acknowledges the stories of her ancestors like an intimate tapestry woven into her very being. Like so many of the ancestors of ours, they faced unimaginable challenges—racism, war, and persecution—but they endured, and their stories whisper through her veins, urging her to lead with bravery and grace.
As she steps onto the global stage, her words don’t echo hollow platitudes. Instead, they resonate with a profound understanding of struggle, empowerment, and the urgent need for change. She is not just a figurehead; she is the embodiment of a populace longing for a voice, an advocate, a beacon of hope in a world riddled with doubt and, lets face it, - crazy unpackaged in our faces bullshit.
In her administration, each decision is rooted in empathy. She opens the floor to the unheard—those voices that exist in the margins, the dreams brushed aside, the aspirations left unattended. With the power of diversity, she fosters an environment where innovation thrives, where ideas from all walks of life infuse policy, shaking the very foundations of what was once deemed impossible.
This is not a fairy tale but a reflection of what could be if we continue to harness our collective strength. The spark of hope ignited within her is contagious, spreading like wildfire through communities that have often been sidelined. She inspires a movement, empowering individuals from all backgrounds to engage deeply in the democratic process, ensuring that their stories of struggle and triumph are not just heard but celebrated and integrated into the very fabric of national policy.
As we envision this unfolding story, let’s ask ourselves—what role do we want to play? Are we passive observers watching the narrative unfold, or are we willing to boldly step into the writing process ourselves - into the story?
Truth is what ever we do is our contribution to the story. Even nothing is a story of nothing.
Imagination is a super power granted to all of us, in spite of us. The power of our stories, much like the contagious nature of hope, invites us on a daily to be active participants in shaping reality, to dream, rather than thinking we can relegate ourselves to the sidelines of history.
In that same light, let’s also listen to each other’s stories—our diverse backgrounds, our unique experiences, and the challenges we’ve overcome. Let’s share our triumphs, encourage one another in our ambitions, and build bridges instead of walls.
It starts with one simple action: Imaging. (cue: John Lennon)
Imagine, Dream. Vote. Let your dreams, struggles, victories, merge into a better vision for the future. The time is ripe, and the world is waiting for the next chapter.
As stories of hope continue to ignite, I invite you to actively participate and immerse yourself in writing this new narrative — one that embodies the dreams of not just a few but of many. The story of a woman stepping into power, taking the stage as a leader, deserves to be shared. We each have something valuable to contribute. Share this vision. Inspire action. Unleash the transformative power of your voice.
Together, let’s craft a narrative powered by hope, resilience, and unity. This is our moment to co-author the story with a new twist. We are not simply writing about her—or any leader for that matter—she is us, and through our collective voices, history will hear our insistence that we are here, we choose a better vision for our tomorrow and we will not be silenced.
Someone is writing the story. It might as well be us.