For many millennials, our first election was definitely not what we expected. With the intense election results that stunned most of the nation, it might be hard to see a bright side of our country's situation for the next four years. However, in the background, there were a lot of good things that came out of this election. Every cloud has a silver lining.
1. Minnesota has elected the first Somali-American lawmaker in the country.
One of the biggest topics over the past election was immigration, refugees, and religious tolerance. As of yesterday, Ilhan Omar became the first Somali-American lawmaker. Oh, and she's a Muslim. Oh, and she was a refugee. In an interview with the Huffington Post, she says, "It is the land of liberties and justice for all, but we have to work for it. "Our democracy is great, but it's fragile. [...] We need to continue the progress.." This is certainly a big step forward for the country and rights and representation of minorities and women.
2. Oregon elected the country's first openly LGBTQ governor.
Only one short year ago, the nation was united in support of gay marriage and the topic of LGBTQ rights. In yesterday's election, Kate Brown was elected as Oregon's new governor. She is the first open member of the LGBTQ community to hold the highest state office. In her winning speech Tuesday night, she exclaimed, "I believe that times call upon us to take action, and I believe that if we work together we can shape both the place and times in which we live. " The government's job is to represent the people of the country, and this is a great way to start and move forward.
3. Nevada elects the first Latina to the US Senate
An extremely close senate race ended in victory for Catherine Cortez Masto, the first Latina senator. As a granddaughter of an immigrant, her campaign was focused on immigration and breaking down Trump's "wall" idea. After her victory on Tuesday, Ms. Cortez Masto tweeted, "It's about time our government mirrors the diversity of our nation. " Her words could not be more true.
4. Our nation came together for a simple vow.
Hillary supporters were shocked to learn the results of Tuesday's election, and that is understandable. However, throughout this time of uneasiness and fear, many groups around the country have come together for peaceful protests and rallies showing their support for minority groups and those that may feel unsafe because of the current change in power. This sense of community is a big step forward in showing support and hope for the underrepresented population and peace.
Though the situations now may seem bad from a large perspective, there is so much to be positive about. The saying "every cloud has a silver lining" is so true. There is always a good side to a bad scenario, all it takes is looking from a different angle.
