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“There is never a time in the future in which we will work out our salvation,” he’d written. “The challenge is in the moment; the time is always now.”
And I know some others questioned how I, as a black woman, could countenance being part of “the machine” putting more young men of color behind bars. There is no doubt that the criminal justice system has deep flaws, that it is broken in fundamental ways. And
Systems to not operate in the abstract, machines do not run on their own. They are all extensions of the people who built them and who now operate them.
“This is Kamala Harris,” I said. “You must start the marriages immediately.” “All right!” he responded, sounding relieved. “I will take that as our notice and we will issue the licenses now.” I thanked him. “And enjoy it!” I added. “It’s going to be fun.”
Political capital doesn’t gain interest. You have to spend it to make a difference.
I reminded the audience that freedom must be fought for and won by every generation.
I read so many letters that underscore the significance of the passage of time.
A patriot is not someone who condones the conduct of our country, whatever it does; it is someone who fights every day for the ideals of the country, whatever it takes.
Years from now, our children and our grandchildren will look up and lock eyes with us. They will ask us where we were when the stakes were so high. They will ask us what it was like. I don’t want us to just tell them how we felt. I want us to tell them what we did.
