As the results of the 2016 election were arriving during the night and into the morning hours, a cloud of despair was looming over the country in the eyes of few. My eyes were among them. As a feminist, and a woman in general, I find Donald Trump to be misogynistic and discriminatory, and I fear not only for the fate of womanhood but of minorities and the country in it's entirety. But I would like to discuss my fear of womankind because this is a group of people I can most obviously relate to.

I had the utmost confidence in Hillary Clinton's win on November 8th even knowing it was going to be a close race, and I certainly did not expect the reign of Trump. The thought that is constantly pecking at my brain is not the fact that Trump won exactly but that Hillary did not. Hillary has several qualities of a successful politician. She was not only Secretary of State for 8 years but also a senator for 4 years and a First Lady for 8 years in times of many crises and scandals. Donald Trump had no political experience until this election. The question I am posing is, is this the first time a man with less experience and less qualifications was given a superior position over a woman with more to offer? The answer, my dear readers, is no. As a feminist, I am a firm believer in empowering the modern day woman, so this national insult is disheartening to say the least.

Upon learning the results, I felt powerless, weak, and defiled. I felt as if since Hillary couldn't shatter the "glass ceiling" of the male dominated presidency, then how can I feel empowered as an up-and-coming woman? I spent awhile reflecting and feeling what needed to be felt and I am still feeling. I listened to Hillary's speech the morning after the election, and she was gracious and unfaltering in her morale despite this loss. She is still empowered, and I am inspired. I have an unfaltering belief in female empowerment now more than ever, so I am here to tell anyone with the same despair as me to power through. We need the strength of feminists everywhere. The election seemed to be 3 steps backwards in our movement, but it doesn't have to be. I urge you to continue, or to begin, promoting positive views of women and feminism everywhere you go because this country needs our activism. You are necessary and significant to this movement because you are the future of America. Love trumps hate.