Dismissed, But Not Defeated

Do You See Us Now?

They called her a liar,

spat in her face with gavel and grin,

let the wolves circle—

and you?

You sat there, nodding,

gavel steady,

words smooth as the silk of deception.

Anita spoke,

but power has a way of muting truth,

has a way of shielding its own.

Clarence rose, robed in immunity,

and the world moved on,

like our pain was a footnote in history’s endless betrayal.

But does it haunt you, Joe?

Does it keep you up at night?

The echoes of a woman’s voice—

steadfast, clear, unrattled,

while you let justice be undone?

You led the inquisition,

let her dignity be picked apart by men

who saw her pain as entertainment,

as an inconvenience to their agendas.

And decades later,

history rhymed—

Christine stood where Anita stood,

watched power protect itself again.

So when the ballots turned brittle,

when the tide called for change,

you reached for a Black woman—

not as an act of honor,

but as a token, a shield, a play.

An apology dressed in policy.

And now?

Now you dangle her over the fire,

let the wolves circle once more,

endorse her to lose a race

you were already losing.

Tell me,

what’s the price of our dignity?

A vote? A cycle? A headline?

You insult us, then call it progress.

You discard us, then demand allegiance.

But we are tired.

Tired of being your podium,

your scapegoat, your shield.

Tired of history replaying

with different names, same script.

Anita still waits for justice.

We still wait for justice.

While you measure your redemption

in political strategy,

we count our wounds

in silence too loud to ignore.

But this time,

we write the ending.

Not with silence.

Not with permission.

Not with patience.

But with power.

We are not pawns in your politics.

We are not trophies for redemption.

We are not the bridge you burn

when the road ahead gets rough.

We are the architects of our own fate.

The force that moves the ballot,

the fire that reshapes the system,

the storm you cannot tame.

Do you see us now?

Because we are done waiting to be seen.