My biggest complaint following the most recent election is that, after seeing outrage from minorities, people have continued to tell us that we must come together in order to get the change we want. The problem with that is minorities have already come together within their own communities and with fellow minority groups time and time again to express their frustrations to little avail.

After the election, multiple protests took place across the country. Students of all races, sexual orientations, and identities took to the streets and public places to voice their pain and fear of what may happen during the upcoming term of our next president.

Since 2013, numerous protests have been held by the Black Lives Matter movement both here in the United States and worldwide. The goal of BLM is to stress the importance and great value of black lives in face of the violence and systematic racism that plagues our country. It is not to say that black lives are more valuable than others but instead worth more than what we are made out to be.

The LGBTQ+ community has also grown stronger and louder with its voice these last few years. Not only fighting for equal rights including marriage for the LGB but also fighting to end discrimination against our trans brothers and sisters as well as fighting for their inclusion, acceptance, and overall equality and well being.

Yet, we are still told that we must come together in order to make a change, despite all of this unity.

There still may be subtle divisions within our communities, but we have still organized, unified, and are constantly fighting for our voices to be both recognized and heard. And, in contrast to the majority, our divisions do not stop us from coming together for the greater good. When threatened with a President and Vice President who both have said and done racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, and xenophobic things in public and private, minorities overwhelmingly supported the opposition not just during the campaign cycle but also when it came to vote.

It may make sense on the surface that a unified minority overpowers the majority, but it is not a reality and the outcome of this election is proof of that and why this suggestion of coming together is so flawed.

The black community, Latinx community, LGBT community, and millennials came together this election politically with their votes. We are outraged because we did exactly what we've been told time and time again: come together and be the change.

We, the minority, united and voted for a presidential candidate who both acknowledged us as not just American citizens but as human beings worthy of equal rights and respect.

And, still, here we are.

The last 48 hours, I have read countless horror stories about children being bullied and people being assaulted and made fun of for being who they are. I have seen my communities, the black community and the LGBT community, mourn and become distressed over the outcome and I, myself, have struggled with those same things.

So, I beg my fellow brothers and sisters to do something other than caving into the delusional thoughts that we did not come together enough to win this election, that we did not do enough, and that we failed not only ourselves but our communities.

Instead, I urge my fellow brothers and sisters of all races, sexualities, identities, and origins to instead take a different road, one where we continue to protest and voice our opinions as loudly as we can.

A road where we remain active politically now and every voting year from now on.

A road where we continue to live our lives unapologetically, creating our art and touching lives of those inside and outside of our communities, and helping each other grow and heal. Our allies are our allies, but we are ourselves and we must continue to fight for our America, one where we preach and practice love and equality and no one has to live in fear of being who they are.