The Day After: Reflections on the 2024 Election

Ralinda Watts
4 min readNov 7, 2024

The election results have been sobering, another painful reminder that this country was made for us to thrive. Once again, we’re seeing how misogynoir — the intersecting disdain for Blackness and womanhood — has a tangible impact resulting in Vice-President Kamala Harris losing the 2024 presidential election; a most glaring example of the glass cliff effect. When Black women speak about paying the “Black tax” or needing to be as my grandmother taught me to understand, you have to be, “twice as good to get half,” this is exactly what we mean. America will soon be in the “find out” phase of the consequences of this election, the choices made, and the revelations surrounding us. Here are a few reflections on what this means for the path ahead.

  • People lied.

Women lied. Whiteness as a social construct has prevailed. So many claimed they were “with her,” but when the time came, their support disappeared. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this — empty promises of solidarity have surfaced repeatedly over the last three election cycles. And as the dust settles, it’s clear that the unwavering support of racist and fascist ideals that many claim to reject has been allowed to flourish.

  • Misplaced Blame on Black Men

Black men are not the problem; they were simply used as scapegoats as a way to…

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Ralinda Watts
Ralinda Watts

Written by Ralinda Watts

Author+Diversity Expert +Consultant+Creative +Podcaster at the intersection of Race, Identity, Culture, & Justice. Let’s be in conversation. #RalindaSpeaks

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