As many of us now know, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are two of the final candidates for the 2017 presidency. As the national conventions continue and the presidential nomination approaches us, I wanted to take the time to reflect on how far we have come as a nation, especially for women.

Back in the late 1700s as our nation was freed from Britain, our founding fathers declared that we would live in a nation where all men were created equal. Unfortunately, it was a far cry from the actual conditions our ancestors experienced. Unless if you were a rich white man with a good education (or even just a rich white man), you were already facing challenges.

Each year, though, our vision of having a society where all people would have value, respect, and equal treatment transformed. In the Civil War, the slavery of African Americans was challenged. Around the 1920s (Roaring Twenties or The Jazz Age), American women gained the right to vote and even changed their ways of life (shorter dresses, shorter hair, longer leg exposure, etc.). Around the mid 20th century, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X fought (one with Love and the other with Black Power) for African American rights. These events are among the several other movements made to bring forth the issue of giving minorities and women a voice of their own.

As an African American young woman, I am in awe with how far we have come to give women and minorities a chance to shine on their own with fewer sources of criticism; however, I am still saddened by the hundreds of lives that are wiped out or even challenged negatively.

We have witnessed good sources of history and bad sources of history at the same time. On one end, Barack Obama became the first African-American President of the United States with the help of our votes. Additionally, we have a female presidential candidate who has the potential and the drive to become our next president. Sure, Obama and Clinton have their flaws, but who has ever been flawless? Like us, they are human and all humans make mistakes now and then.

On the contrary, I am still sickened by the acts of violence made between individuals of different races, genders, and sexual orientations. I am saddened by the resistance faced by people here and people in international countries, giving all they have to receive a better life. I still experience fear for those in danger. I still have trouble fathoming how some individuals have the audacity to hurt other people.

Despite it all, I am truly proud of Clinton and Obama. They have done so much for our country and made so many contributions to our country. Years ago, almost no one would have guessed that an African American man would become the president someday. I bet very few believed a woman could ever run the country as well. Looking back, I am still feeling a positive spirit rise from inside, knowing that we are living in a significant era of history, especially for those who used to have no voice.