Chicago Humanities Festival at Northwestern University’s Thorne Auditorium.
Harris-Perry did not disappoint in her deep analysis of the election results. Her focus was on slowing down the analysis and the search for solutions, not being focused on “speed.” She said this was the “change election” that she predicted, and that the “shock” so many people felt on Tuesday was not was not echoed in many families of color.
Some people were saying “what will I tell my children?” on the election results. Black mothers and fathers have always feared for their children, she said, showing example after example of children murdered by racists and a racist system.
She began with the murder of Emmett Till, and showed the image of his gleeful murderers after they were found not guilty, pictured with their laughing wives. She also showed examples of sexism and violence toward women. Then she asked rhetorically, what have these same white parents been telling their children before Tuesday?
Responding to the outrage many white people expressed that a racist was elected president, she said that has often been a prerequisite to being president throughout U.S. history.
After a nuanced explanation of the presidential results, the main focus of the evening was a discussion of gun violence, including with U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly of Chicago’s South Side and South Suburbs, plus advocates, journalists and mothers. The evening finished with a performance by FM Supreme.
See videos of the presentations below.