The day after

Processing the results

Image+courtesy+of+Grace+May

Image courtesy of Grace May

America, a country built on the fundamentals of equality and freedom, took ten steps back last night. Blinded by bravado, our judgement became clouded. Instead of relying on experience and intelligence, we supported unrealistic claims from a juggernaut that used his abrasive personality to divide more than unite.

And while there really wasn’t a great choice, there was a better one. It was one that, while not free of scrutiny and missteps, was better than the alternative. But protest votes blocked her path.

Bigotry, hate, and racism won. And we sat by and let it. Instead of taking this race seriously, as we should have, we made jokes and skirted around reality.

There were record turnouts for young voters, but that didn’t matter. It wasn’t that there weren’t enough millennials voting, it was that too many made flippant decisions. We supported divisiveness and divisiveness thrived.

Most of us will not feel the impacts of Trump’s politics. We are cushioned by our privileged, upper to middle class lives. Our rights will not be infringed upon. Our lives will not change. But the lives of others will. Muslims, women, Hispanics, journalists, the LGBTQ community, immigrants, and African Americans all fear the repercussions of our votes. They are afraid that what they have worked so hard to secure will crumble down and that life in America will change.

That’s what we are: fellow Americans.

But this isn’t how it ends. It can’t be.

We have come too far to let hate win over love. There is love in this country, and it is everywhere. We can and we must band together to protect the lives and well-being of our fellow Americans.

That’s what we are: fellow Americans.

We live in the same country, we walk the same streets, and we breathe the same air. No matter the color of our skin or our sexual orientation, we live in this country because of the people that came before us who knew it was a better place to be in.

We can’t let the American Dream be squandered by the host of the Apprentice, who isn’t anything more than a reality TV star with a soapbox. The new generation of Susan B. Anthonys, Elizabeth Cady Stantons and Rosa Parkses must take a stand and push out the hate with overwhelming love and strength.

Dwelling in anger only makes the problem worse.

If you’re happy with the way things worked out-and half of you are-good for you. The American political process did its job for you.

But, if you don’t like the outcome of this election, stand up and fight for what you think is right. Don’t sit idly by. Volunteer, become an advocate, let your voice be heard, and when the next election comes around: VOTE.

Together, there isn’t a problem that Americans can’t fix.