Editorial: Best Christmas present you can give? Stay home.

In the wake of George Floyd’s death and the summer of protests, I saw a spark of hope for a new civil rights movement.

“Black Lives Matter,” a phrase once relegated to fringe progressive activists, became a mainstream call to action by political moderates and corporate executives. Conversations about anti-Black racism, police brutality and systemic inequality and discrimination were ubiquitous in the media.

I attended protests in Oakland and San Francisco and was overwhelmed by an ocean of diversity that bridged racial groups, socioeconomic class, generations, sexual orientations and gender identities. I heard community leaders, unified against the injustice inflicted upon the Black community, articulate radical dreams for a more equitable and inclusive future.

Activists discussed the federal legalization of marijuana and treating drug addiction as a public health concern instead of a criminal one. Other leaders discussed the Black and White wealth gap and economic reparations for the descendants of enslaved Black Americans.

I was excited to see what the future held and how this diverse and unified coalition could radically change the fabric of not only California but our nation.

I had hoped that the Nov. 3 election would continue the momentum for racial justice both as a nation, through electing Joe Biden as president, and in our state, through passing Proposition 16 to end the ban on affirmative action. Unfortunately,

only one of my hopes was fulfilled.

California led the charge and voted for Biden, and I look forward to his work on the national level toward racial justice. However, Californians also voted against ending the affirmative action ban. More than 57% of my fellow Californians voted against a measure designed to combat systemic racism.

It was perplexing that just a few months prior everyone had seemed to agree that systemic racism existed in all aspects of the Black experience, including in educational opportunities. Yet, when offered an opportunity to bring back affirmative action (a low-level remedial measure), the voters overwhelmingly said no.

I flashed back to 2008, when my state voted overwhelmingly to elect our nation’s first Black president and simultaneously voted for Proposition 8 and against marriage equality. I felt deep disappointment; it seems to me that when the majority of citizens, even in a liberal state such as California, are given the ballot, they oftentimes do not protect the interest of minorities, whether it be Black and Brown college applicants and business owners or members of the LGBTQIA community.

But in my disappointment, I remember that we are currently in the liturgical season of Advent. Advent is a season of expectant hope, as Christians reflect on waiting for the coming of the Messiah.

One of my favorite Advent hymns, “O Holy Night,” contains this verse: “Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother, and in His name all oppression shall cease.” We are far from realizing the words of this hymn. But I will choose radical hope and faith in this Advent season.

I have faith that the death of George Floyd is not in vain and that the crowds I marched with this past summer will remember that we are all brothers and sisters. I have faith that the Biden-Harris administration will promote ideologies of peace and love and not hatred and division. I have faith that, even with our broken systems and broken people, one day all oppression shall indeed cease.

Despite the disappointments of 2020, in this Advent season I look toward a future beyond ourselves, where dreams of radical equity and inclusivity are made real.

California led the charge and voted for Biden, and I look forward to his work on the national level toward racial justice. However, Californians also voted against ending the affirmative action ban.