Nov. 8, otherwise known as Election day or D-Day as I personally like to call it, has been a day that the American population either looked forward to or completely dreaded it. For me, this was my first election that I was been able to vote in, and wow, what an interesting one it has been.
As for myself, I consider myself fairly liberal. I believe in equality, tolerance, and love for everyone. Growing up in the Bay Area, there's plenty of that to go around. In fact, I never realized how sheltered and lucky I was to grow up there until I moved out of it. When I came to college, I met people who had the same political views as I did, and I met people who had the exact opposite views as me. I have seen incidents of blatant racism against students of different races, gender, and sexualities. It saddened me to learn that there are people out there who believe that there are people out there who are inferior to them.
This brings us to now. As I am writing this, I can fully say that not only am I terrified for my friends with different identities other than a rich white man, but also for myself. As a female Asian-American, I am also in the minority. Here we have a President-elect who has said racist, sexist, and homophobic comments, and the majority who voted for him is expecting me to accept him as my President. Tell me, how can I accept a man like Donald Trump as my President when he has made me and everyone else of my gender and ethnicity feel marginalized and unimportant?
Other people have told those of us who voted for Clinton to remember her emails and how that scandal has ruined her reputation. Let me ask you this, how do you defend a man who has a child rape case filed against him? How do you defend a man who has played off comments about sexual assault as 'locker room talk'? I will never stand by a President like that, nor will I stop vocalizing my disappointment in this election and the majority of the American people.
But, this election has not been all gloom and doom. In the Senate, California elected Kamala Harris, only the second black woman to be elected, and Nevada elected Catherine Cortez Masto who becomes the first Latina Senator. In the House, Minnesota elected Ilhan Omar, the first elected Somali-American lawmaker in the country. In Oregon, Kate Brown became the first openly LGBT governor ever. This is a silver lining from a night which was filled with sadness. I am taking this as a sign that we are moving towards inclusion and equality. I am happy about this and will use this as motivation to fight the injustice that will soon take place.
To my friends and family who are as disappointed about the election as I am, do not fret. We can still fight and have our voices be heard. Learn who your representatives are and make sure you write to them when you disagree with a bill and what you think is best for America. Stand united and know that underneath all of the hate there is a country that truly lives by the American values of equal opportunity, inclusion, and happiness. People make mistakes, this is a mistake but life goes on. Love and be loved, comfort and be comforted. I am the minority, and I will not stand by idly.
