During my time in South Africa with the US Peace Corps I learned a way of life that has stayed with me and continues to guide my personal principles, my marriage, and my parenting. Ubuntu - I am because we are. Embracing values such as compassion, respect, justice, solidarity, and survival, Ubuntu espouses interconnectedness, empathy, and anti-egoism. My host aunt who didn't have beds for all her children would share bananas because she knew I loved making banana bread. My host neighbor who sometimes went without dinner would offer to buy me a cold drink because she could tell I was homesick. My host mother would make me tea even though sometimes there wasn't enough money for teabags. My host brothers would insist on helping me with my laundry even though it went against gender norms in the culture.
I haven't blogged since 2017, but after these two weeks of administrative change that have felt like years rather than days, I felt compelled to write about Ubuntu. I have no notions that 'he who must not be named' will read this or stumble upon this. Even if he were to, nothing would change for him. He is a lost cause and that has been more than proven these past two weeks. I can no longer not say anything. Maybe someone who voted for him will be enlightened. Maybe someone who is thinking about only his household (and not that of his neighbor) will find this. Maybe Ubuntu will find its way into a red state or a red county.
Since January 20th, you-know-who has turned our country on its head. There are more executive orders that have been enacted than I can wrap my head around, but many are glaring. Terrifying. We cannot stand idly by and not say anything. That would make us complicit. We as a people need to embrace Ubuntu and remind everyone that community, compassion, and caring will get us ahead in life. Not isolation, hatred, and indifference.
First, he is determined to get rid of any immigrants and even to redefine birthright citizenship. Ubuntu - I am because we are. Compassion. Many people come to America because their situation is so dire that they have no other choice. Mothers travel unthinkable distances in unsafe circumstances because the possibility, the hope of escape is better than what they are leaving. Can you imagine? Putting yourself and your child in danger just for the glimpse at a better life. We are privileged to be born into a safe country. Not everyone is so lucky. Why not offer this same safe haven to people in unimaginable environments? Why not open our arms and our borders if we can offer refuge? Why not help to relieve pain of others if we are able? Ubuntu - take trouble for others. Ubuntu - I am because we are. Many of these people, these humans do work that we depend upon. That our livelihoods depend upon. Agriculture, construction, business services, medicine, etc. The list goes on. They are not freeloaders. They are working. Where will we be without their work...work that sometimes people here do not want to do? And often for very little money.
He is also set on eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) which has existed to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, specifically people who have historically been underrepresented or subject to discrimination. Ubuntu - respect and justice. People need to be treated fairly. Ubuntu supports the idea of relying on one another to exist despite differences among one another. Since when did different become wrong? Hasn't America always prided itself on being "the melting pot?" Continue to embrace differences. Continue celebrating Black History Month. Continue celebrating MLK Jr. Day. Continue celebrating Women's History Month. Show your PRIDE! I know in our household we will be observing the heck out of these celebrations. We will be educating our children on these special observances.
Transgender and nonbinary people are being targeted. Some of our closest friends, colleagues, and chosen family are transgender. And they are some of the kindest, warmest humans we have had the privilege of knowing. With Ubuntu, the care of each person in a community is paramount. Respect, dignity, and caring are pillars of Ubuntu. That means being accepting of differences. That means showing regard and valuing someone's feelings. This is not happening today. Rather, we are seeing contempt. Imagine how scary that must feel right now. Imagine how terrifying it must be to be totally disregarded. Reach out to your friends. Let them know you are there for them and that their identity matters. He cannot and will not take that away.
USAID is being taken away. Today I read a NY Times article that highlighted some of the key organizations being impacted which I'm sure is just the tip of the iceberg. This impacts starving populations, disease-stricken populations, and people in need of roofs over their heads. Soup kitchens have been shut down in Sudan where hundreds of thousands of people depend upon food. Residents in Ukraine won't have firewood in the winter. A lack of antiretroviral drugs will equate to roughly 40 newborns a day contracting HIV in Uganda. Thousands of jobs just gone instantly. One of these jobs we know and ache for personally - Nick's host mother lost her job as a nurse in rural South Africa focusing on HIV/TB outreach, due to funding stripped overnight. Ubuntu supports the philosophy of survival by relying on one another. Read the article if you have a chance. It's mind-boggling how many lives he is impacting, killing, with the removal of USAID. We live because of each other.
This is all just within his first two weeks back in office. And this doesn't cover everything he's damaged since coming back. This doesn't cover all the fear, hate, and heartache he's been spreading. For those of you who voted for him, take a long look in the mirror. Will his presidency really benefit you? Your family? Currently egg prices are sky high (USDA expects that they will continue to rise with further bird flu outbreaks even if he is trying to hide it by blocking health updates to our nation...oh and his recent imposed 25% tariffs won't help with grocery prices either!) If it does benefit you and your family, do you live as an island? If so, think about Ubuntu. Think about the world around you when the next election rolls around. Think about your neighbor who can't get healthcare for his or her child who is transgender. Think about your neighbors in rural Africa who live in a war zone and only get one meal a day from a soup kitchen that is currently without aid. Think about your neighbor in DC who helped protect the Capitol on January 6th who now must wake up knowing his attackers are free from prison because of his pardons. Think about the recent plane crashes and the victims' families - no outreach or compassion from our leader, but rather continued fear and rhetoric about how diversity is the cause. Think about your daughters and granddaughters who will have less rights than us as theirs are stripped away. Think about our environment and the effects of climate change after our recent exit from the Paris Climate Agreement.
Our current administration might not embrace Ubuntu, but we need to. Otherwise, it's going to be a very long four years with catastrophic outcomes I worry will take decades to recover from.
"One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu - the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can't exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality - Ubuntu - you are known for your generosity. We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole World. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity." -Desmond Tutu
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