On November 8, millions of Americans voted for the future of their country.
On November 9, Trump's electoral win was announced.
On November 9, America took off her mask of prosperity and reared her bigoted head for all the world to see.
I felt my dreams die in my chest. My heart continued to beat, but with mourning. I will never forget the distant sound of fireworks and drunken cheers from someplace nearby. I fell asleep to those booms and cheers, the sounds of people celebrating oppression. Somehow, the sun still rose. I still set out for college.
I did not realize how alive my college campus was until I saw it die.
Though I am part of Concordia University's Odyssey community, I attend Columbus State Community College. The student body is the most diverse campus I have had the privilege of knowing yet. I walk onto campus three days a week, and there are always new corners of magic to be encountered. That is the gift of diversity—as humans, we are forced to appreciate what each of us has to offer, regardless of our ascribed characteristics. We are forced to enjoy the beauty of each other's souls, and that is a glorious thing.
The atmosphere of my campus was suspended with the same post-election sentiments I held. Where there was chatter, I found silence. Where there were smiles, I found bowed heads. Where there was hope, I found a shared sense of dread.
America is supposedly the land of dreams. What was lost in this election was not simply partisan. Hatred persevered over love, division over unity. Maybe now the world will realize that the American dream is just that—a dream. There are no dreams that are guaranteed to be realized here, except for those of the privileged.
I do not see a country of unity in the future. Trump ran a campaign founded upon division, amplified by bigotry. And unity is going to be more than difficult when at least 60,637,350 people voted for him. They voted for his bigotry too, whether they like it or not. You can tell anyone who says otherwise that there is no such thing as partially voting for a candidate.
I confess, I am one of the many writers who was prepared to write a piece about Hillary Clinton's win. The reality of the election has left me, alongside millions of Americans, in a state of perpetual grief and fear. Part of me knew a Trump win was possible. I wasn't alone. But no amount of emotional or mental preparation could spare us the devastation of knowing our rights and lives are to be under rigorous attack by those in positions of ultimate power. The past eight years provided us a sigh of relief after a series of administrations that had targeted minorities in one way or another. Bigotry never left American culture under the Obama administration, but we found security in that administration. They recognized and fought for our rights. Now all we have is ourselves and each other in a world where populism is reigning supreme. But it is power in the face of an inescapable "after."
As Robby Mook wrote in the Clinton Campaign's final email, "the measure of a person is not whether you get knocked down but whether you get back up." Trump's electoral victory was a painful setback for women, minorities, and the world. Many of us were knocked down.
But we will get back up. We will thrive in the face of adversity because we are a resilient people. We will trade fear for action. We will fight. We will fight for every member of this American family, regardless of religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, gender, sexuality, disability, language, and age. We will undo the fallouts of hatred, all while honoring those who have suffered or lost their lives because of it. We will spread love and kindness. We will love ourselves and our neighbors. We will propel our country into a brighter future with the world as our audience. We will make history. And we will not stop until we have won in this fight for equality.
I have compiled a list of organizations who need our support, ways to take action, resources, and self-care/advice in the era of Trump. To avoid trolls and bigots, the doc is not available for editing. Click here to access the doc. Feel free to comment any relevant information I have not included (properly sourced, if possible) and any mistakes I have made.
