I Am Not Sorry

If you aren’t up to speed, the contract I was assigned to was terminated due to COVID-19. Therefore, I have been looking for another job.

One of my acquaintances on Facebook recently told me that I needed to tone down the political rhetoric on my website and warned me that it might negatively impact any possible job prospects.

Time and again, I’ve done well to try to adhere to keeping private my political opinions and views on social issues due to this reason. However, we live in a tumultuous time in this country where remaining silent is not an option. As Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel said, “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”

On November 8, 2016, Trump was elected to office. Even with decades of evidence stacked against him of racism, bigotry, sexism, and corruption, he still defied the odds and was elected to office. Since then, he has enabled the worst in people and has pushed an agenda that has caused further division in this country.

For instance, I grew up in a racist household. My father believes he is Native American. In spite of this, he is a racist to his core as is my mother—although the latter is such due to brainwashing by my father. Over the years, their racism and bigotry seemed to dissipate only to return ten-fold with the addition of Trump in the White House. My father hates blacks, Hispanics, and Asians with such fervor that it is terrifying. He believes that homosexuals should be dragged out into the street and shot to serve as an example to others. And on the last terrifying call I had with my parents two and a half years ago, he screamed at me on the phone, called me a “cunt,” and told me never to call home with my “liberal bullshit” again.

“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”

― Elie Wiesel

In addition to this, I’ve seen friendships go by the wayside since Trump has been in office. Friends who suddenly loved Trump because he “told is how it is” and was a self-made man, all of which is a lie. They justified putting children in cages, the shooting of unarmed black men, denying an abortion for an 11-year-old rape victim, discrimination, wage inequality, sexual harassment… all-the-while cheering for Trump when he told them how it was each time. I’ve seen unadulterated ugliness that I never thought possible in the folks that I once called friends. And I want no part of it.

As I stated, we live in an age where remaining silent only allows wrongdoing to go unchecked. In a time where a person’s integrity, commitment to what is right, and standing by their fellow human being means everything, I cannot be silent. I want the world to know that I believe in what is right.

I am not sorry because this is who I am as a person.

And if this makes me less appealing to you as an employer, then this says a lot more about you and than it does me.