Do you remember the fights your parents had when you were little? Or the times that someone close to you abused alcohol or drugs and you knew that you should keep quiet? Or for some of you who read this, the times that some touched you inappropriately?

These dark secrets were burned into us to not speak about.

Shame and fear swallowed us. And even if we did speak, sometimes we weren’t believed.

I’m thinking of two situations in which I went to people for help and told them the truth, but I was placated, tolerated, but no one tried to help me. I asked for help, but I didn’t get it. I’m no longer in that situation any longer and I’ve reclaimed my power, but that was a rough time for me. I felt so hurt, confused, and tortured. I did what I thought was right, but no one helped me.

Today, November 8, 2020, I am marking the date because it’s the first day that I’ve felt hope in a long, long time.

Yesterday major news outlets in the United States announced that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris would become President-elect and Vice President-elect of the United States. As I write this, President Trump has not conceded.

I write this because I feel like we’ve turned a corner. The secret that something has been sick and broken in America is starting to lift. The Washington Post has documented that President Trump has lied or misled the American people more than 20,000 times in the years he’s been in office. He’s refused to denounce racism and his xenophobic policies have brought America back decades.

Threats, yelling, abusive tendencies, a man who bragged about groping women, all built up around his endless need to feel important. I remember how it felt to live in a family where there was abuse. I lived through that.

Nearly four years ago, I started to volunteer to help show a different route. I became involved. I knocked on doors, built websites, wrote emails, sent out postcards, built voter’s guides, trained others, and gave my all. I choose to have my children grow up where we embrace diversity and want to work together with all Americans.

Last night I came across a moving video of Van Jones putting into words how we felt in hearing the news that Joe Biden was President-elect. I urge you to watch the video to see and take part in what it means for a Black man in America to have Joe Biden and Kamala Harris win the election.

When I watched the video with my family, I cried. No one should ever have to fear going to the store and being yelled at or treated badly because of the color of their skin or what religion they practice.

The choice that you now have is whether you are going to embrace your own vulnerability, the shame you’ve felt in growing up, and how you will incorporate your past life into your present one. Will you lash out and treat others badly as you were treated as a kid growing up in an alcoholic family? Will you admit that you have a lot to learn and that that’s okay?

Imagine what you could do by letting go of your past and embrace hope. The work that each of us needs to do may seem daunting. I know. I really do. But first, we have to admit that we need help. We can’t repress the past and bury it deep. Imagine the possibilities when we are vulnerable and embrace our past.

Imagine what would happen to our world if we see someone else with love instead of demonizing them. Imagine how the world would shift if we stop pointing fingers and calling names, but offer a hand of help, a smile, or we simply listen to what someone else has to share.

I have such great hope for my country, for my family, and for myself. I have seen such amazing things during the last four years. I’ve seen such empathy, hard work, and kindness.

Now that the sun has dawned, what can you do today to bring a bit more joy into life? Today is filled with endless possibilities, and I’m so happy to share that with you.

Beneath our skin, our hearts beat the same—we are brothers and sisters.

And I embrace that with all my heart.

Like what you’ve read? Be sure to check out my other posts in my Let Go and Be Free blog.