To quote Hamilton the Musical, "We won! We won! We won!" Yes, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the official victors of the 2020 presidential election. The past four years have been long and grueling. Every day I woke up and hoped that President Trump wouldn't attack innocent Americans for simply living and being themselves. Most days my wish never came true, as bills that attacked our planet, the LGBTQ community, immigrants, and the most vulnerable of people of our country went into place on a constant basis. But, we finally used that exhaustion and anger to vote Donald Trump out of office.

This election was not simply won by the Democratic Party, but by the millions of activists, students, grassroots organizations, and everyday people who put their heart and time into this election. However, even though Biden will be our president, this does not make him our savior. This systematic racism, inequality, limited access to health care, and all injustices in America will not simply be fixed or protected on January 20 when Biden becomes the 46th president. We cannot think like that because even though this election proved a major victory for human rights and justice, hate still prevailed. The fact that the race was as tight as it was demonstrated this. According to The Associated Press, roughly 72,405,426 people and counting, still cast their ballots for Donald Trump. After four years of witnessing him enact Muslim bans, blatantly deny rights to the LGBTQ community, call white supremacists "fine people", call members of our own military "suckers" as they put their lives on the line for our country, and outright deny science as 243 thousand Americans have died and continue to die due to a violent pandemic, they still voted for him. Over 47 percent of voters in this country still believe that he deserves the power and responsibility of being president, knowing all too well what he would continue to do given the opportunity. This no longer pertains to a partisan issue. It should not be a partisan issue, but a matter of decency and having compassion for human lives. Nothing should be political or partisan about a leader who ignores their citizen's struggle and stands idly by as they suffer and die. Nothing is political or partisan about siding with people who lynch others simply for the melanin in their skin. Trump is beyond politics and the dangerous game of partisanship; he is a symbol of hate and the lowest level of selfish scum who possesses no care for human life of any kind. The most ironic part about that lends itself to the lives of supporters that he ignores as he puts their lives at risk only to make himself feel better and superior.

Now as we walk into a new presidency, we must remember that hate and ignorance exist. We must hold the new administration accountable. Actions such as making college more affordable and healthcare affordable were strong platforms on the President Elect's campaign. Will they sign bills and executive orders into place that will actually accomplish this and help Americans or will this be another Democrat administration that creates hope with words, yet lets us down with a lack of action. We have come to a crossroads in American politics where helping citizens through progressive actions such as universal healthcare or free higher education gets branded as socialism with a negative connotation. We are no longer in the Red Scare of the 1970s. The American people must open their eyes, get past their own ignorance, and see that Democratic Socialism is not communism. Democratic Socialism simply advocates for a government where both the economy and society should be run democratically—to meet public needs, not to make profits for a few, according to Democratic Socialists of America. Democratic socialism goes hand and hand with democracy and can be seen in almost every democratic nation across the world, except in the United States. This is in part because of Americans' negative and misconstrued ideas on this topic. At the end of the day a more progressive America with implementations of Democratic Socialism, in which most of Generation Z and Millenials advocate for means social and economic reform that allows for ordinary Americans to participate in the many decisions that affect their lives. Simple as that. No extremism, no communism.

With Donald Trump soon to be a former and one-term president, a nation in the middle of a deadly pandemic leaving millions of Americans in social, medical, and economic crisis needs major reforms to aid us out into a brighter future. Now, we do not stop fighting or become complicit. Now, we must continue to rise just as before and hold our new presidential administration accountable to their words and campaign promises.