I’m not the most political person out there. I don’t know the names of all the big players and I don’t know what exactly filibustering entails. But on November 9th, 2016, I woke up with a sick feeling in my stomach.
My parents always taught me that no matter what, first and foremost, it is important to be a good person. My parents taught me having a degree to my name or a huge bank account meant nothing at all if I was not a good person. My parents taught me that success would follow if I treated others with respect, understanding and compassion.
I was astounded that other Americans, with loving families and parents just as supportive as mine, did not view the world the same way. While casting their ballot, my fellow Americans did not stop to think if the candidate and now president-elect, had the virtues and the character of a man or woman worthy of the title. It hurt me deeply, as a woman and a person of color, because I felt forgotten and uncared for.
It made me believe, just for a second, that no matter how hard I worked, I would never attain the same level of trust that people would put in a man who did not as hard as I did. It made me believe that a vast majority of Americans still do not perceive people of color with an open-mind. It made me disheartened that people do not show respect for Americans with disabilities. It made me afraid that people could put their trust in a man who bragged about sexually assaulting people and later dismissed it as “locker room talk.”
I’m scared to death that people will dismiss negative attitudes towards women because hey, if our president can treat women with such a little respect and still be held in such high regard, we can do the same. My heart grew heavy as I thought about what the election results reflected about the conscience of the American population.
I’m going to be honest and accept again that I don’t know about ins and outs of laws and constitutional rights or the intricacies of politics on such a grand scale. But I do know that today, in a time like this, we have to make up for the results of this election, and act with immense integrity. We have to show the world that we do not stand for sexual assault. We do not stand for a non inclusive America. We do not stand for bigotry and racism. Our hearts and our minds are so much bigger than that.
