I am a citizen of the United States of America, and I am here to say that I hold in utter contempt every single person who chose the cowardice of apathy over the power of their vote. They were given a choice between a woman of color, whose qualifications and intellect eclipse that of the current president by a magnitude he could never comprehend, and a man drowning in his own corruption. They chose silence. They chose complicity.

And let's not mince words about the venom that poisoned the well. A sewer of so-called "men"—the hate-choked podcasters and the vile Tates of the world—brazenly took credit for this victory. They spat their vulgarities about women into microphones. They celebrated, proving that a segment of this country would rather burn democracy to the ground than see a qualified woman of color lead it. Their triumph is our national disgrace, a signal fire of bigotry that should ignite a rage in the chest of every decent human being. I don't give a damn who takes offense. Kamala Harris is a force to be reckoned with.

They gave her 107 days. One hundred and seven days to shoulder the weight of a crisis not of her making, while the entrenched forces of racism, which this era has dragged from the shadows into the glaring light, worked tirelessly against her.

So hear this now, from an educated woman of color who has fought for every inch of ground she stands on: This is a battle for the very character of America. It is a choice between proven, formidable merit and a fucking criminal. And I will never, ever stop demanding that this country choose wisely.