Against all odds, Donald Trump is the United States’ President-elect. As viewers watched poll returns, the numbers were stunning. A campaign fueled by free media attention as a result of repeated folly won the presidency and the United States told the world that they were not ready for a female president.
People are shocked, dismayed, anxious and scared. Americans fear the unknown ahead and feel lost with no way out. But we have work to do. The United States is a nation of people who are resilient, strong and—as history has shown—committed to progress. The election of a man who is widely felt to be unfit only leads us to walk a little taller, speak a little louder and stand a little stronger.
What we do now is continue to love. This is not a theoretical or optimistic idea. It is likely that our minority and female population will become more marginalized in the next 4 years than they were in the last 8. There is a possibility that people at high levels of government will strive to undo progress. So we love. We continue to remind these marginalized populations—and all people— that love always drowns out hate. We remind the world that the United States cannot be summarized or represented completely by the ideas and actions of one man or one governing body. We love each other deeply and continue to teach each other and the world what it means to abandon prejudice and love with no holds barred.
We also encourage. Our congresspeople, republican and democrat, will spend the next 4 years working very hard. Bipartisanship is more important now than ever. Party lines need to become blurred in order to properly represent our country. There are 535 congresspeople and 319 million Americans. I vow, and encourage others, to write each of my congresspeople tirelessly for the next 4 years and beyond. I vow to remind them how important bipartisanship and compromise is, to encourage them in times of gridlock and when progress seems more difficult, and to inform them of the importance of equality. My voice matters. Our voices matter.
Remember, in times of difficulty, that we are a strong nation. We have the advantage of social media and widely available internet to disseminate our voices and encourage hope and change. Millennials are the inspired and inspiring generation. Filled with hope and love, we have the opportunity to overcome hate that may attempt to consume our lives.
I will not be discouraged. I have felt nervous, uncertain and defeated, but I will not be discouraged. Now, more than ever, is the time to abandon our fears and hesitations and be the advocates for change the world has always needed. We will not be the first, we will not be the last.
Write, call and visit your congresspeople. Be powered by love. Be steadfast. Do not let an outcome you disagree with break you.
