In a country that is divided into two major political parties, our people seem to be more divided than ever on a basis of political party affiliation. Anybody who knows me will tell you that I am a huge feminist, somebody who deeply cares about the Black Lives Matter movement, a proud biracial female, and overall an extremely liberal person. I am not ashamed to say that I voted for Bernie Sanders in the primary election, and Hillary Clinton in the general election this past November. I was raised in a college town by two VERY liberal parents. I'm a Hispanic female, and a first generation American whose immigrant parents have worked their tails off from the day that they arrived in this country. I blog about social activism in a clearly liberal mindset. I wear my Nasty Woman shirt with pride, and I was extremely upset, disheartened, and hurt when Donald Trump became the president of the United States. I have no positive words to speak about Donald Trump, I talk mad crap about him with my dad, but I can respect that other people may feel the same way about the candidate that I wholeheartedly loved.

My best friend was raised in a conservative, very religious household. She is White and her family has been in the United States for a few generations. This is pretty much the opposite of my upbringing. Most people would see these existential, vital differences as reasons to immediately stereotype a person. I admit that in the beginning of our friendship, we did have a few bumps in the road due to our opposing beliefs. I think it is human nature to think that you know exactly who somebody is because of the labels that they identify with. It is important to realize, though, that human beings don't come in cookie-cutters.

Nicole and I became friends our sophomore year of high school and just kinda clicked. It works; we work. We enjoyed our friendship because we were both bookworms, the "mom" friend, Chipotle addicts, and sensitive individuals. Our friendship continued on as we enjoyed going on beach adventures, exploring the city, and jamming out together at concerts. We developed so many traditions and grew closer over time. After our tiffs in our younger years of high school, we built a really strong bond that hasn't changed at all, even with us going to different colleges now.

Our senior year of high school, Nicole and I endured a lot of hardship in our lives with both of us holding the other up during the difficult days. Through the tears and the difficulties, we weren't looking up at each other and seeing a republican or a democrat - we saw a friend.

When I look at Nicole, her political beliefs are the last thing that comes to mind. When I look at Nicole, I see compassion, I see thoughtfulness, I see genuine love, I see a kind heart of gold, I see generosity, I see a family-oriented individual, I see an amazing aunt, I see an insanely driven work ethic, I see a nurse in training, I see a friend who is always going to remain by my side. I don't see a person with opposing political views to mine.

Nicole has every right to be a Republican, just like I have every right to be a Democrat. Everybody has a right to believe what they want to about government, money, and social issues. Whatever it is that Nicole believes about all of these things has no effect on me, and how she treats me. While people may strongly identify with their political views, it does not change the essential traits that truly define a human, at least in my book.

Republicans are not all racist, some are and some are not. Democrats are not all anti-racist, some are and some are not. Republicans are not all anything but humans and people who believe certain things about how government should work. Democrats are not all anything but humans and people who believe certain things about how government should work. Despite your political affiliation, we are all Americans. We are all humans.

I'm all for standing up for what you believe in, and so is Nicole (although she isn't obnoxiously loud and always talking like I am). I believe in standing up for social justice. Just because Nicole is a Republican does not mean that she doesn't care about issues like these. In fact, she listens to all of my feminist rants more than most of my other friends, regardless of whether they are republicans or democrats. Nicole believes that Black lives do matter. Nicole's heart wishes for good lives for every individual.

Nicole isn't a good person because she is a Republican. The Republican party didn't raise her. Nicole is a good person because she was raised in a home where she was taught to love others. I was raised in a household in which that same value was firmly instilled in me, and my parents and Nicole's have probably never voted for the same candidate in any political election. While politics are important, they aren't everything, not even close to it. Somebody's political beliefs do not define the kind of person that they are. It's about how you act, and political labels don't dictate the quality of anybody's character.

More than anything, I believe in love. Nicole is somebody who has shown me nothing but love, and I hope that she feels the same way about me. This friendship full of unconditional support, encouraging words, squishy hugs, and a lot of chicken fingers, is something that I cannot imagine my life without. I think that many people can learn a lesson from this friendship - you don't have to believe in all of the same things to have a healthy, successful, and loving friendship. We may believe in different things politically, but we, as people, believe in love above all. Love can break all barriers.

I love you, Nicole.