Four days have past since Donald J. Trump was Elected as president, and I'm still in shock.
On November 8th, 2016 Donald Trump was elected as our 45th president of the United States. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. It felt as if I had been stabbed in the back. I felt betrayed. As our president-elect began his victory speech I began to break down. No, not because the candidate I voted for didn't win, it was much deeper than that. A man whose campaign was fueled by hate, managed to beat a woman with an e-mail scandal, who was more qualified than the man whose only plan is to "Make America Great Again!" I was visible shaken, because all I could think about was the future.
First I thought about how I would find a job after college with his plan for the economy. Then, things got scary. It became crystal clear to me that racism is alive and well, and that my well being does not matter to the millions of people who voted for him. As a black women I began to fear for my life. I fear that my rights will be taken away from me and that micro-aggressions will turn into open acts of racism. I felt like those who voted for him were selfish. I thought about how my life was going to change. I thought about individuals who identify as LGBTQ+, people of color, and other women. I knew that hate crimes would rise, and I wasn't wrong. So many acts of hate have taken place over the past few days. Hijab's have been snatched off of the heads of women, the N- word has been written on people's cars, and women have been sexually assaulted while minding their own business. A lot of minorities are angry, women are angry, and people that have compassion are angry because they realize that this will set our country back decades--is that when America was great? During the Civil Rights Movement? Because my intuition tells me we are in for another one.
Dear fellow POC, people with disabilities, people who identify as LGBTQ+ and women. You matter. I care about you and there are plenty of people who stand with you. It's going to be tough, but we must show resilience and spread love, because this country needs it. It's okay to be angry. Let that anger ignite a fire within, get out and protest and use your voice because that's all we have.
