A letter to Black Voters!

We are standing on sacred ground in this moment of history and I’m not just talking about the ground beneath our feet — I’m talking about the ground our ancestors made sacred with their blood, sweat, and tears. I’m talking about the path they paved, and the bridges they built, and the storms they weathered, so we could stand here today and declare with conviction: Our time has come.

We have waited.

• We have waited through centuries of injustice.
• We waited as our ancestors were shackled, yet we still dreamed of freedom.
• We waited in the fields where our labor was stolen, but we still sang songs of deliverance.
• We waited in the silence of segregated schools, yet Ruby still walked through those doors.
• We have waited, and through every march, every sit-in, every protest, every time we were told to go back, sit down, stand up, or stay silent, we kept on waiting.

But today, I declare, our waiting is over, our time has come because “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

We are a living testament to the fact that what they intended for harm, God has used for good. We are a people who know how to rise. We are a people who know how to overcome. We are a people who know that the story doesn’t end in despair because we serve a God of deliverance. We have waited, and our democratic deliverance is here.

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength! And family, We have waited, We’ve endured, we’ve persevered, and we have believed that one day, our waiting would be met with purpose. And today, that purpose is clear. Today, we know without a shadow of a doubt that God’s timing is perfect, and He has prepared Vice President Kamala Harris for this hour, for a time like this.

It didn’t start in 2019 when Kamala first ran. No — her journey didn’t begin in the spotlight of a campaign, but in the quiet resolve of a calling. God placed His hand on her long before the world took notice. He was working in the background, shaping her, preparing her, leading her through every obstacle, every challenge, because He knew her time would come.

And family, let me tell you, we serve a God who may not come when you call Him, but He is always right on time! And if Kamala’s story has taught us anything, it’s that delay is not denial.

When our ancestors dreamed in chains, they saw this day! When they marched through storms of hatred, through fire hoses, through tear gas, they were dreaming of this very moment. We are carrying forward their legacy, and now we have the opportunity to turn the page and we’re not going back!

When we vote we are reclaiming the freedom fought for on the streets of Selma.

• We are reclaiming the justice demanded on the steps of the Capitol.
• We are reclaiming the dignity refused at counters we could not sit at.
• We are reclaiming the voice silenced in courtrooms where truth was denied.
• We are reclaiming the courage marched into Montgomery and beyond.
• We are reclaiming the pride that stood tall despite Jim Crow’s lynchings.
• We are reclaiming the equality written in the Constitution yet withheld.
• We are reclaiming the votes suppressed in the shadows of poll taxes and literacy tests.
• We are reclaiming the seats refused to us on buses and in boardrooms.
• As Auntie Maxine Waters famously intoned, we are reclaiming our time.

And yes, we are reclaiming our Black Job in the White House because Kamala D. Harris was born for a time like this. Again, Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” — and on Wednesday morning we will say Congratulations Madam President!

The Honorable Auon’tai M. Anderson