I almost forgot that Trump won the presidency until I woke up the next day to headlines “Trump Triumphs” and “Stunning Trump Win.” It seemed too surreal for my liberal mind to process. My fingers seemed to scroll through articles and op-eds, all trying to scramble hypotheses together for how the media was blatantly wrong in predicting the results.
In my first class, we were given the space to talk about the results. The discussion floor was opened and the class was silent. What were we supposed to react to? How were we supposed to react? Everyone seemed affected in one way or another but only a few people attempted comments that conveyed a sense of shock and disbelief. Class continued as usual, but a few murmurs persisted among pairs that had undertones of emotional instability.
“Yeah, people on my floor were screaming. We have both Trump and Clinton supporters so it got intense at the end of the night.”
“A bunch of people on my floor started crying.”
Walking around campus, I heard the calls for support and for revolt. Blame got shifted from the bubble the media built itself to the unfairness of the Electoral College. Apprehensive fear seemed to pervade conversations as students tried to grapple with the extreme policies of a Trump presidency. Organized rallies and protests began showing up on my Facebook newsfeed. Not My President. Love Trumps Hate. The polarization between groups appeared in the open. It became clear that the liberal reflections on what went wrong resulted in a plethora of options to express disdain with the finalized outcome. They were all responses to feelings of hopelessness as well as motivation to change the system. The efforts seemed to counteract my thoughts. You are all too late. What is done is done.
I sat in my dorm room alone for the brief slot I had between classes to find out Clinton’s concession speech was about to begin. After a heartfelt introduction by Kaine, Clinton came on stage. She had the same bright smile, but the sense of weariness and defeat was seen. What could she say to make me believe that the fight was not over?
“This loss hurts, but please never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it."
She was speaking to young people -- to me. The world is an open book that I have yet to begin the first chapter of. There are opportunities to get involved either politically or socially to change parts of the system that I find flawed. Clinton rekindled the sense of drive that we so desperately need in this country right now. Hope is not lost as long as we prepare for the future today. Believing that change cannot be instituted is only prepping us to fulfill a prophecy before it has happened. She gave me the sense that I need to learn as much as I can in order to fulfill my role as a future leader. The opportunities are here, but I need to go out and get them.
