Dear Jonathan

Dear Jonathan,

I never quite know how to start these messages. It seems silly to ask, "How's it going?" Those three words feel so tired in 2020. Exhausted from overuse and met with an often unappreciated response.

This is when you would tell me,

"Daryl, it doesn't matter what you say. Just start writing."

So that's what I'll do.

You'd be really proud of me. I've kept up on my workouts. My pullups are looking pretty great, if I do say so myself. (insert brown muscle emoji). The growth feels amazing. Especially when I think about how far I've come.

I remember around this time 4 years ago...

Wednesday, November 9th, 2016 at 8:05 am to be exact.

The day after the election. As I opened my eyes to the

cold white ceiling above

my smooth Black skin

I felt my stomach drop.

Much like America, I too had messed up the night before.

Intoxicated off the romance of the past.

And awakened to an uncomfortably familiar present.

That was also around the time they took you away for the first time.

I remember finding fear in that moment. Fearful of what was going to happen to you. Not physically. I knew you were much too strong. Only a mad man would try to fight you.

But as you often told me,

"the physicality of this life is not what's the most terrifying."

But rather the erasure of that which is intangible.

The mind.

The identity.

The soul.

After all, we've all made mistakes in this life.

Me...

You...

America...

But despite the three-way tie, it somehow feels like only you lost.

Lost time.

Lost opportunity .

Lost freedom.

The freedom to speak your mind on the issues that you studied so diligently in pursuit of your political science degree. I remember the last time we spoke to the frustrations of knowing that despite being as informed as you are, you are no longer qualified to express your opinion in this election.

As if the freedom to exercise your voice has been put on mute.

All the while witnessing the destruction of the harmful rhetoric that one man, in the highest position of office has caused through the low frequency of hatred and division.

Your voice has been held hostage to a system that would prefer to pin you to your past, as a means to justify their own future profit. A system that would prefer to detain, as opposed to rehabilitate. A system that loves to rebrand character and mark it with a scarlet letter. A system that chooses its winners and its losers.

I heard this message the other day, the pastor said,

"You either win or learn. You never lose."

I spoke the words out loud. Let the syllables roll over my tongue. And I exhaled out a sigh of relief. A sigh of life. A sigh of a new world.

A world that allows you to only win or learn. Never lose.

It's not impossible.

I refuse to believe it's impossible.

But to believe, is only the beginning. After all...

"Faith without work is dead."

So I've been doing some research. Looking into spaces that support the vision of the future designed for winning and learning. And that led me to All Voting is Local.

All Voting is Local fights to expand the rights of all Americans to vote. The organization works to specifically address the discriminatory barriers impacting voters. They currently have state programs in 8 states including Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

In Ohio, they have been fighting for better access to voting for people in Ohio's jails and advocating for reforms. According to the article in Medium, Fact: Jailed Voters are Eligible Voters, at any given time there are approximately 750,000 Americans in jails and most of them are legally allowed to cast ballots. Chynna Baldwin, who previously served as the Advocacy Manager for Ohio for All Voting is Local wrote on how she provided know your rights training and absentee ballots to people in jail. She spoke to the reform required for county jail officials to make it easier for people to vote. And implored how access to the ballot is a fundamental right.

The piece ignited a fire in me. For so long I've struggled to use my own voice to tell my story. Fearful of the consequences. And yet, never realizing the privilege that comes with even having the choice to do so. The choice to speak my truth.

The right to use my voice.

And so just like my arms, that I've trained to carry my weight higher than it's built. I've decided to train my voice to speak beyond my own story. After all the more you use a muscle, the stronger it gets.

I plan to volunteer as a part of the Voting is Local Ohio, Empowered Jail Voters Training. So that I can continue to use my voice to fight for the people whose voices have been stolen during this election.

So I can continue to lend my voice, to those who have been put on mute. Starting with you.

I suppose that's quite enough writing for the day. Not too bad, for someone who had no idea where to start.

Please stay well and stay safe as always, until we speak again.

Sincerely,

Daryl aka Lil D