I have never been ashamed of my family, especially not my mother. After the death of my father ten years ago, she was left to raise five children on a nurse's salary. And instead of breaking down, she womaned up took on both parenting roles. My mother has always been the standard that I held myself to. And while I knew she was not perfect, her flaws were so minute that they were hardly noticeable.

However, this last election opened my eyes to a side of my family and mother that I was not aware of. I am the sole Democrat who voted blue living in a household of loyal Republicans who voted for Trump.

Needless to say, the conversations at the dinner table have changed.

I, for the life of me, cannot understand what swayed my mother to vote for Trump. The same woman that marched for women's rights in the 70's and fought misogyny at the hospital she formerly worked for now turns a blind eye to the horrendous acts committed by the man who is supposed to be the steadfast and honest leader of the free world.

This betrayal was deepened during a recent trip to London. My brother, mother, and I were in Trafalgar the day of the Women's March on January 21. There, gathered in the heart of London, just a stone's throw away from parliament, was the collective female population of Great Britain. Mothers, daughters, fathers, sons, uncles, aunts, friends and political foes had come together with the same goal.

Since my parents raised my siblings and me as equalists, I thought my travel companions would be excited by the sight before them. Yet, as we walked through the crowd, I found myself shrinking from embarrassment as my mother repeated "Make America great again" to each passing protester. And while my brother did not broadcast the same message, he encouraged the behavior and voiced his support during our dinnertime conversation.

There are many millennial women who are experiencing the same conflict as I am. We love our parents, siblings, and relatives, which is why their decision is all the more painful. It's as if they are on a crash course with disaster and we are on the shore screaming at the top of our lungs to warn them of the encroaching danger. But instead of heeding our words, they plow into the oncoming storm at full speed.

Our position as closet democrats has become even more precarious in light of the recent riots that have taken place since the election.

Every day, I listen to my family verbally crucify those protesting Trump and his entourage; claiming that the democrats have "no right to complain when he [Trump] was elected fairly." Each statement is like a dagger being twisted in my gut and pushed deeper. I wish to shout out and tell everyone that they have been played for fools, but I stop every time.

I stop myself because I know that it will not change what has already been done.

Lashing out at my mother and two Republican siblings would only end in a heated argument. And while all three of them are well-educated and open-minded individuals, they are still proud and would rather ignore facts than admit they were wrong.

In many ways, I sympathize with them because they have been so easily led astray and cannot find the path back. This is why, my fellow millennials, we must continue to voice our grievances.

Those of us who are initiated need to stay the course and face these next four years with guts, guile, and determination. Do not judge or cast out the people near to you who were misled by the propaganda and hate speech. To err is human, so we must forgive them of these misunderstandings and try to guide them back to the path.

And if the road becomes too rough to navigate, remember this. We are a family. If something good happens to one, something good happens to all. If something bad happens to one, something bad happens to all. Something bad has indeed happened to the people of the United States, so let us be the good. Let us be the change that we are crying out for.