I never dreamed that vacationing out of the country is not only a luxury, but a necessary mental health break to reset my mind from the dark and depressing political state that our country is in right now. It appears that every time I turn on the television, my intellect and intelligence are insulted by the “Breaking News” scrolling across my television. Black and Brown Americans feel as if we are in the eye of a terrible and destructive natural disaster every day. How did we get to this point?

After every upheaval—whether personal, political, cultural, or spiritual—comes a defining question: What now? But in 2026, the upheaval is constantly bombarding us daily in the forms of lies, gaslighting, manipulation, deceit, and just plain old theft of everything that we thought was so special about our country. The daily mental harm inflicted by Americans against people of color seems to tell us at face value that we never mattered to them. We were a means to an end.

To arrive at a state of nirvana, a state of oblivion to care, pain, or external reality, we must reconstruct the American narrative. We need to reimagine the truth. I mean the truth that has been buried for generations, by men who fear that their white social construct project would actually work. One of the first steps to aid in imagining nirvana in America is to extract the memories of slavery from American minds painfully and bring light to those atrocities. 

Between 1865 and 1877, thousands of Black women, men, and children were killed, attacked, sexually assaulted, and terrorized by white mobs and individuals who were shielded from arrest and prosecution. That is a painful but true fact that must be addressed. This genocide is still being practiced on a lesser scale in 2026. 

Today, these injustices are happening in our homes, communities, and schools. There are hundreds of books that are being banned in the United States, and many of them were written by authors of color. Project 2025, known as the 2025 Presidential Transition Project, was published in April 2023 by the Heritage Foundation in collaboration with over 100 partner organizations and former Trump administration officials.

Project 2025’s sole purpose was to reshape the U.S. federal government through policy changes, personnel appointments, and executive actions. Project 2025 also deeply waded into the culture war gripping this country. This manifesto called for abolishing the teaching of critical race theory as well as gender ideology in public schools. Project 2025 viciously eliminated terms such as diversity, equity, and inclusion, gender equity, and reproductive health from every federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant, and piece of legislation that existed.

Most importantly, Project 2025 proposed federal policies that dramatically increased censorship in schools and libraries. Those are the types of policies and practices that are taking shape in America today. America appears to be doubling down on its promise of inequality and stoking the fires of racial division. Divide and conquer seem to be the order of the day for our federal Government. It’s the government fighting against its own people, and we are all at war with one another.

When in a state of war, no one escapes without scars. Reconstruction is never possible until we stop weaponizing against each other. The American narrative must include efforts to level the playing field. Political parties in America have done such a great job at creating division among the haves vs. the have-nots, Blacks against Whites, men against women, and various religious factions. It is time that all Americans address those divisions and choose BETTER. 

The consequences of these divisions are slowly killing us all. No one will survive unless we come to terms with the sins of slavery and racism, address our past sins honestly and with humility, and slowly work to build a better, more equal America… for all.

Reconstruction cannot be achieved without atonement. Atonement in the Bible refers to the reconciliation between God and humanity, achieved through sacrifice, forgiveness, and the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Atonement involves making amends for sin and restoring a right relationship with God. Maybe the biggest step towards reconstruction requires us to look from within. If we cannot master atonement, there could be no reconstruction. 

God’s love, justice, and mercy are received through atonement. It is one of the central themes of our Christian faith. Atonement may mean that we will need to examine who we serve. Money is an idol for so many people. We all need it to live and to take care of ourselves and our families, but the preoccupation with money can destroy our lives and our relationship with God. The evils of slavery were deeply rooted in the love of money at the expense of other human beings. 

Reconstruction is achievable. I still believe that change begins and ends in our minds and in our homes (and communities). So now that we know the first steps (atonement) in achieving reconstruction in America…now what?

References:

• Equal Justice Initiative (www.eji.com): Reconstruction in America – Equal Justice Initiative Reports.
• Project 2025 – Wikipedia
• Governmental Facts (www.govfacts.org): Understanding the MAGA Agenda: Project 2025 and Government Reform
• Open Bible Info (www.openbible.info): What does the bible say about atonement?