This is indeed trying times for America. The country seems very much divided, and we have a President elect whose campaign was filled with divisive content. Now, it is the time for us to put our differences aside, and come together for the betterment of our country. A lot of people are angry, disappointed and sad, but wishing that our President elect fails at being Commander in Chief doesn’t help the current state of America, does it? Despite the somber mood that a lot of us were in the past couple days, there were moments of celebration that came out of the elections. For instance, some records were broken and first were made, with a few women winning government positions. Kamala Harris became the first Black female Senator elected since 1999, and the first elected as California’s Attorney General. Ilhan Omar became the first Somali-American legislator when she was elected Minnesota State Representative. Kate Brown became the first openly LGBT governor in the U.S., and is Oregon’s second woman elected to the state’s highest office. Catherine Cortez Masto became the first Latino senator in US history, when she defeated Republican Joe Heck in the election.
The news that Donald Trump will be our new President, and the fact that we have a Republican House and Senate, has left some of us feeling hopeless. However, there are ways that we can be active during these four years that are upon us. It is time that we start holding our elected officials accountable, from our local representatives and beyond. This is not the time to be inactive, but rather proactive, because activism happens in several ways. Write a letter to your (state) district office or call them directly by phone because they would have to talk to you, entailing your concerns. Talk to your representatives, by attending town hall meetings, preferably in large groups that simply cannot be ignored, and ask questions. Get to know your congressmen or women, and write them a personal letter. Also, getting involved in a local advocacy group is also a great initiative. If you’re questioning, “how will I know if my representative is having a town hall meeting?”, well according to Emily Ellsworth who worked in Congress for 6 years, stated “sign up for their email list and you’ll get notifications.”
Although some choose to show their displeasure by flooding the streets in protest, we can implement other ways of ensuring our voices be heard. It's time for most of us to stop idling by, and stop being distracted by the new "challenge" that keeps us distracted, and start getting active.
