On this fifth day of Kwanzaa, we celebrate Nia, which means purpose, and also surges in popularity as a name every time Nia Long releases a film. “Imani” is the only other principle that even comes close, according to research...

But for this last year of the decade, the woman who epitomizes true purpose is none other than Maxine Moore Waters, aka “Auntie Maxine,” who almost to the day three years ago said she would fight that Orange Menace “every step of the way

On this fifth day of Kwanzaa, we celebrate Nia, which means purpose, and also surges in popularity as a name every time Nia Long releases a film. “Imani” is the only other principle that even comes close, according to research...

But for this last year of the decade, the woman who epitomizes true purpose is none other than Maxine Moore Waters, aka “Auntie Maxine,” who almost to the day three years ago said she would fight that Orange Menace “every step of the way

some years, when we say an entity (person, persons of note, or not) embodies Umoja, or unity, the first principle of Kwanzaa, it is because their actions bring together the larger black community (see Tarana Burke in 2017). Other times, it’s more about a personal manifestation of unity (see the workers of KFC in 2018). This year, it’s a bit of both.

This year, Nikole Hannah-Jones is the embodiment of unity, especially for her behemoth enterprise, The 1619 Project, which ran in the New York Times this August. The 1619 Project commemorated the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American chattel slavery, where, to paraphrase Malcolm X, “Plymouth Rock (in this case Point Comfort, Va.) landed on us

Some years, when we say an entity (person, persons of note, or not) embodies Umoja, or unity, the first principle of Kwanzaa, it is because their actions bring together the larger black community (see Tarana Burke in 2017). Other times, it’s more about a personal manifestation of unity (see the workers of KFC in 2018). This year, it’s a bit of both.

This year, Nikole Hannah-Jones is the embodiment of unity, especially for her behemoth enterprise, The 1619 Project, which ran in the New York Times this August. The 1619 Project commemorated the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American chattel slavery, where, to paraphrase Malcolm X, “Plymouth Rock (in this case Point Comfort, Va.) landed on us

...I’m reminded, again, of exactly who elected him, exactly why he was elected, exactly who still supports him, and exactly who I hold responsible for this happening. And I’m reminded, again, that I’ll never forgive white people for doing this.

I’m aware that this feeling transmutes white Americans into a collective; distilling a demographic of hundreds of millions down to its least desirable parts. While “not all white people” has become the canonical clichéd reply to this sort of charge, it is also not false. Not all white people voted for Trump. Not all white people support Trump. And sometimes it feels wildly unfair to lump all in with the undesirables. But being fair to white people feels, well, irrational today. It feels dumb to offer a benefit of the doubt while knowing that 54 percent of whites either voted for a racist specifically because he’s racist or didn’t believe racism mattered enough to lose a vote. It feels stupid when realizing that this majority isn’t just the frothing seas of MAGA, but also the white people who seem to be otherwise…decent. A morning shift barista at your favorite neighborhood coffee shop. A co-worker you share silly memes and quiche recipes with.

... I’m reminded, again, of exactly who elected him, exactly why he was elected, exactly who still supports him, and exactly who I hold responsible for this happening. And I’m reminded, again, that I’ll never forgive white people for doing this.

I’m aware that this feeling transmutes white Americans into a collective; distilling a demographic of hundreds of millions down to its least desirable parts. While “not all white people” has become the canonical clichéd reply to this sort of charge, it is also not false. Not all white people voted for Trump. Not all white people support Trump. And sometimes it feels wildly unfair to lump all in with the undesirables. But being fair to white people feels, well, irrational today. It feels dumb to offer a benefit of the doubt while knowing that 54 percent of whites either voted for a racist specifically because he’s racist or didn’t believe racism mattered enough to lose a vote. It feels stupid when realizing that this majority isn’t just the frothing seas of MAGA, but also the white people who seem to be otherwise…decent. A morning shift barista at your favorite neighborhood coffee shop. A co-worker you share silly memes and quiche recipes with...