The morning after the election results, my best friend called me in tears. “I don’t understand.” I knew how she felt and I didn’t have an answer for her because I didn’t understand either. “Do people really not care about me?” The gnawing ache in my stomach that had been growing since the results came in ratcheted up into a frenzy. I listened as she spoke about her family’s struggles living in the south as African Americans. Tears welled in my eyes as she told me she feared for her little cousin, who was only fifteen years old. “They’re going to be bolder,” she said, referring to the racist and ignorant individuals that, sadly, often run rampant in our community.

“What about the LGBT community?” This one hit me just as hard. I thought about my sister and how happy she had been about the recent achievements America had made in regards to same-sex marriage. I thought about my cousin living in Seattle and what this would mean for him. I thought about the friends in the LGBT community I had made over the years and worried about their rights.

A deep sadness washed over me as I thought about myself as a woman. My rights were in jeopardy as well. Anger surged through me at the thought of so many Americans voting for a man who is racist against Hispanics, African Americans, Native Americans, and Muslims, to name a few. I couldn’t fathom how women, especially, could vote for a man whose lifelong misogynistic views meant an enormous step back for women’s rights.

I’ll admit that my initial reaction was a loss of faith in the American people. Then I realized something. Donald Trump may be the next president of the United States of America, but he’s not the voice of America. We are and we do not have to take this presidency lying down. We cannot allow this man to take away the rights and protections that we have worked so hard to put in place. How do we stop him? By watching and making sure our voices get heard when our values get threatened. Hillary herself said it best in her concession speech:

“Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and a chance to lead. Our constitutional democracy enshrines the peaceful transfer of power and we don’t just respect that, we cherish it. It also enshrines other things: the rule of law, the principle that we are all equal in rights and dignity, freedom of worship and expression. We respect and cherish these values too and we must defend them. And let me add, our constitutional democracy demands our participation, not just every four years, but all the time. So, let’s do all we can to keep advancing the causes and values we all hold dear.”

If you’re deeply saddened by the results of this election, take heart and take a stand. When a law that threatens our freedoms or the principles that we cherish is put forth, make sure your voice is heard. If racism, hatred, homophobia, or sexism begins to climb up out of the pits that we’ve banished them to, make sure your voice is heard. If oppression rears its ugly head, make sure your voice is heard. Write your congressman (or woman), sign petitions, create petitions, protest peacefully in the streets, inundate the media with cries of justice. Stand up for what is right and do not give up. Our country needs you, now more than ever.