On November 9, 2016, the world was stunned with the news that Donald Trump became the President-Elect of the United States. Since then, the country has been even more divided. About half the country is celebrating, whereas the other half experiences a mix of fear, pain, anger and shock. Throughout his campaign, Mr. Trump has essentially attacked anyone who isn't white, straight, abled, male, American-born- the list goes on; the ones who have been attacked are basically the ones who are not rejoicing over his election. Riots and countless acts of violence/dehumanization have appeared nationwide as a response to his victory.
This is why, in my last article, I mentioned that the stakes after the 8th of November are greater.
Our country's still in crisis, and he hasn't even been sworn in yet.
I was one of the shocked constituents who witnessed the election results on November 9th. As someone who's a minority in more ways than one, I empathized with other voters who felt that they would not be acknowledged under a Trump administration. I was just shocked by the fact that a man who had insulted about half the country, who at times seemed to have no tact or empathy, could be elected into office. (And no, I'm not saying this because I'm "biased by liberal media" or whatever rebuttal you wish to use; all I had to do was hear him speak and hear that not everyone was addressed fairly during his campaign.)
The question is: what now?
The answer, no one knows for sure.
He hasn't been sworn in yet. He hasn't done anything yet.
The anxiety for a lot of people is understandable. However, it's not productive (as someone who overthinks and worries about any and everything, you can trust me on that). So what do we as a country do now?
Unite, fight to make sure everyone's rights are maintained, and above all, love each other. We can't survive as a nation if we see each other as an enemy. It doesn't matter who you voted for; the results are in. But guess what? We're still Americans. We still live here. We still have a say in our government. We're all still human.
Don't look at others as a target or as subhuman due to their race, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, etc.; look at them as another human being who can really help "make American great again." We'll get through this together, but we have to stand with each other, not against, if we are to make any progress in this country.
We're "one nation under God," so we need to act like it.
