Two Americas: Who We Choose to Remember

They say America’s memory is selective — and if you pay attention long enough, you’ll start to see just how deep that selective memory runs. On September 19th, Congress passed a bill declaring October 14th as a “National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk.” Yeah, that Charlie Kirk — the far-right activist whose words divided this nation more than they ever healed it.

The House voted 310–58, with every Republican on board and nearly a hundred Democrats crossing over to join them. Fifty-eight Democrats, mostly from the Congressional Black and Hispanic Caucuses, stood their ground and said no. Thirty-eight played the middle, voting “present,” while twenty-two didn’t even show up. And the Senate? Unanimous. Not a single “nay.” That’s the kind of political theater that tells you exactly where the power lies.

Now, don’t miss the timing: October 14th isn’t just Kirk’s birthday — it’s also George Floyd’s. Yeah, that George Floyd — the man whose death under a white police officer’s knee shook the world and forced this country to look in the mirror.

But instead of using that date to remember the man whose last breath sparked a global cry for justice, Congress decided to honor a man who once mocked Floyd’s death — a man who represented everything Floyd’s murder exposed: arrogance, racism, and the refusal to confront systemic injustice.

And you mean to tell me the White House, backed by billionaires and corporate America, thinks that’s unity? That’s remembrance? Nah — that’s revisionism. That’s an attempt to rewrite history while we’re still living it.

Meanwhile, NFL owners — those same billionaires — had players and fans bow their heads in silence for Kirk before playing the “Star-Spangled Banner.” The same anthem that was written by a slaveholder and still gets weaponized against anyone who dares kneel for Black lives.

Then you got Jimmy Kimmel suspended for cracking a joke about Kirk’s killer — proof that free speech in America only applies when your message fits the MAGA mold. Because when a conservative dies, the flags fly half-mast nationwide. But when four little Black girls were bombed in that Birmingham church on September 15, 1963, this country barely whispered their names.

That’s not patriotism. That’s hypocrisy wrapped in red, white, and blue.

Let’s keep it a buck — declaring a day of remembrance for Charlie Kirk isn’t just disrespectful, it’s a political declaration of war against every movement that’s ever pushed America to be better. It’s a slap in the face to everyone who marched, protested, got locked up, or even died fighting for justice, equality, and truth.

Because while Trump and his loyalists try to rewrite the playbook, we’re watching them erase everything that even mentions America’s sins — from Indigenous genocide, to slavery, to the fight for LGBTQ+ and trans rights. Their mission is clear: to cleanse America’s image by sanitizing its crimes.

And yet, through all that noise, the truth still echoes:

George Floyd’s name still rings louder than Kirk’s ever will.

The same system that let Floyd’s killer walk the streets for days after the murder is now asking us to mourn for a man who publicly belittled Floyd’s life. You can’t make that make sense.

But this is what the Disenfranchised Voter is all about — exposing the contradictions, connecting the dots, and asking the hard questions nobody else will.

Why do we honor men who profit from hate, but silence the memory of those who suffered because of it?

Why are billionaires and politicians so desperate to rewrite history while the streets are still bleeding truth?

And how long will we let them decide who deserves remembrance?

So here’s the challenge: While the establishment turns October 14th into a holiday for a man who spread division, let’s reclaim that date. Let’s declare it a Day of Remembrance for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Ahmaud Arbery — and every other name this system tried to bury.

Because the only thing worse than killing a person is trying to erase their legacy.

So yeah, Congress can have their symbolic votes and empty tributes.

But out here — in the real America — we remember differently.

We remember the struggle, not the spectacle.

We remember the people, not the propaganda.

This ain’t about left or right. This is about right or wrong.

And if this country’s gonna keep dividing who’s worthy of memory, then maybe it’s time we remind them — we built this nation’s conscience, and we ain’t done fighting for it.