Fact #1: I did not vote for Donald Trump

Fact #2: I truly believe his election was the best thing to happen to the Progressive movement.

Here's why.

November, 2016: after running on a campaign of racism, xenophobia, sexism, and bluster Donald Trump has been elected President of the United States.

Liberals were shocked.

Some advised unity and giving the new POTUS a chance, others sprang into action.

Three months later on January 21, 2017, nearly 4 million people from cities across the United Staes marched for women's rights and against our newly sworn in President. They were joined by thousands of women and their allies from sister marches on all seven continents.

It was a day of unified protest unlike anything the world had ever seen, and sure it had its flaws, but it was a powerful symbol nonetheless. The Women's March also sent a powerful message, the Progressives were ready to move away from their keyboards and finally take action.

You see until the election of Donald Trump, the Democratic party had been afflicted with what my friend Brayan so aptly called "Lazy Liberals." These were the people, many of them young and/or white, who cared deeply about the issues surrounding inequality and social justice. However, caring and an occasional social media post was really as far as they ever got.

I was one of those people.

I saw black people being killed by police, but I did not march with Black Lives Matter. I knew that women's reproductive rights were at risk, but I did give generously to Planned Parenthood. I knew that the pay gap was far greater for women of color, but I still used the misleading "77 cents on the dollar" statistic when discussing and writing about equal wages. And when Bernie Sanders lost the Democratic nomination, I did not enthusiastically campaign for Hillary Clinton.

For all of that and more, I am truly sorry.

I believe, or at least I hope, that I am not the only one who feels this way.

Since the Women's March I have seen a movement of people standing up and taking action unlike anything I have ever seen. It's not just women either. It's scientists and park rangers and teachers, people who truly care about the world around them and have finally been pushed over the edge.

These people aren't just voicing their concerns either. They're organizing protests, marches, and boycotts in numbers that are a little shocking. Most importantly though, they're registering to run for office.

The Democratic Party has seen a surge in interest from normally under-represented groups in campaigning. Men and women from all walks of life including veterans and LGBT persons have become so fed up with the government not representing them that they will represent themselves.

They're not alone.

Thousands of women have registered for incubators and other programs to learn how to run a political campaign. Even scientists are discussing leaving the lab to run for public office.

Imagine a US government where decisions about women's health care are made with at least half the table being women. Can you imagine climate change policy being written by scientists, and education policy being written by teachers and professors?

Before the election I would have said sounded impossible, now it seems like something that can be achieved if we all work together.