My heart sank when I heard the news that Fani Willis had a romantic relationship with the person she hired as chief counsel, Nathan Wade. She should have known that any suspicious action would be highly scrutinized and weaponized against her in order to squash the prosecution of Trump. And of course, it was. I’m sure she is kicking herself in hindsight.
I watched the various testimonies this past week and concluded that she did nothing wrong. But I also saw how well Fani Willis represents both the evolution and the plight of black American females. Although she is intelligent, accomplished, courageous, fiercely independent, and fully human, she is not respected as such by the majority.
On the witness stand, Fani seemed to throw caution to the wind even though she clearly understood that her every word, action, and jester would be scrutinized and judged through the prism of whiteness. In the face of lies and false accusations, she chose “in your face” combat, boldness, defiance, and unwavering truth sprinkled with long explanations to provide cultural context to her actions. My personal favorites were her convictions about the role of a man and the need to keep a stash of cash at all times.
I’m glad that the audience was the American public and not just those few in the courtroom because this spectacle exposed the racism so many want to deny. Her father’s testimony was especially rich in explaining the need to keep cash as well as the onslaught of violent threats they faced. The distain for strong black women was apparent by the comments on C-Span and on social media. It is clear that the majority of white men and women hated her demeanor, calling her unprofessional, combative, promiscuous, and unlikable. However, black women like me, praised her demeanor as righteous indignation, bold, and truthful. We recognized ourselves and how we, too, have had to deal with unfair and untruthful accusations hurled at us in a society that neither values, trusts, nor appreciates us.
What I saw in Fani was a lonely black woman who desires companionship on terms that will not diminish her. I saw a woman who values friendships and the people in her life to the point of blindly trusting them to be truthful with her. I also saw a highly educated, accomplished and courageous woman who isn’t very good with money. I agree with the wisdom in keeping emergency cash in a safe. But I find it unsophisticated and naive to carry around lots of cash. And I especially would never advise anyone to pay bills or reimburse folks with cash. There are far too many unscrupulous people in the world eager to separate you from your money.
Wise dealings with money require record keeping and a paper trail. In the era of debit cards, credit cards and payment apps, there is little need to carry around large amounts of cash. Using protective measures to secure personal finances is easy to accomplish these days. In truth, a simple paper trail created by using her payment app would have served her well in this trial. Her testimony made her look unsophisticated and a bit foolish. Personally, I’m always suspicious when a business or a person demands cash and frankly, I don’t like being reimbursed with cash either. I feel vulnerable and can’t get to the bank fast enough to deposit it. As an attorney, she should know that having things documented is the best insurance against false accusations.
After watching the hearing, I’m somewhat confident that she will not be disqualified and that the case will not be dropped as Trump and his co-defendants desire. But Fani, please recognize the seriousness of the position you are in and for God’s sake, enough with the cash. Start using your payment app, credit or debit card.