On January 20th, 2017 President-Elect Donald J. Trump was inaugurated into office as President of the United States. Throughout the entire election, Trump has sparked so much energy into this nation. A lot of that energy was hate; hate towards minorities, hate towards women, and hate towards morality. However there is the energy of the people uniting. The people that are uniting to fight the injustice of our society are putting so much energy to make their voices heard.

On the day of the inauguration, demonstrations and protests sparked to life throughout the country, and across college campuses. A demonstration event took place at Loyola University Chicago, which is where I attend college. While I wasn't in attendance for the entirety of the demonstration due to my classes, I did get to experience it just when it was about to end. Despite being in the demonstration for the last few minutes, I still felt the electricity in the air. You can feel the strength, frustration, and overall hope within the crowd. Watching my fellow peers and classmates fighting for justice, and fighting for a cause was awe inspiring. We were united, fighting for a common goal.

Despite your political views, everyone will be negatively affected by Trump's presidency. His cabinet members lack the knowledge needed for their specific positions and roles. Our education is in danger. Our environment is in danger. Our healthcare benefits are in danger. Our nation is in danger. We need to do everything we can to protect our environment. That means recycling, preserving energy, and finding solutions to use natural resources such as sunlight. We need to fund our students; create scholarships to help our students pay for their education. We need to do whatever we can to make sure our healthcare systems don't, for lack of a better word, screw us over.

We are the people, and despite our many differences, we need to stand united as Americans. It is our moral duty to protect one another, and to look out for each other. No more bigotry, no more hate. We've made it so far as a nation, and unfortunately, we took giant steps back. Protest, and let your voices be heard by calling your local politicians for help for your community, and most importantly, love each other.

In the words of Martin Luther King J.R., "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." It’s been a long journey for all of us, and it just got a little longer. Have faith, America, and stay united. We are stronger together, as one force.