Presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, with her husband, Bill Clinton, during her concession speech.
The night of November 8th, I sat in front of my television and watched in horror as the map slowly but surely turned red. Around 2 AM EST, the Clinton chairman told us to go get some sleep because they will have clearer results in the morning. As instructed, I slowly dragged myself off the couch and into bed, praying that when I woke up in a few hours, it would be the end of this nightmare. Six hours later, I awoke to the sound of my alarm. I immediately went onto Google News only to see that the nightmare did not end. Our next president was Donald Trump. I sat up in my bed, hair all over the place and makeup clogged under my eyes, and I just cried. I cried because Secretary Hillary Clinton deserved this presidency. I cried because the ideologies Trump represents (i.e. racism, sexism, bigotry and plain ignorance) now has the platform to be entrenched even further into our society. I cried for our past: the Holocaust, Jim Crow laws, Japanese internment camps and the illegality of women voting and gay marriage, because it seems so likely to be our future again. I cried for all the Mexicans Trump called rapists and murderers, for the women he degraded and for the Muslim families he wants to ban. I cried for our nation.
As a woman, it’s been especially hard swallowing the fact that one of the most qualified candidates to ever run for president lost to a way less qualified, white man. These results have made it impossible to try to process what the future has in store for me and other women/minority groups. Secretary Clinton’s concession speech had me in tears. I hope to show my daughter this speech one day to help her understand that no matter how hard it is to break the glass ceiling, no matter how many set-backs we experience, we need to keep our chins up and “never stop believing that fighting for what is right is worth it”, as Secretary Clinton said in her concession speech.
I’ve been with Secretary Clinton since the beginning of her campaign. It’s been a dream of mine to see a powerful, intelligent woman gain a position of power once thought unattainable for our gender. I will forever be indebted to Secretary Clinton for putting on a brave face and showing women we do not have to be afraid to fight for what we want. But, as a Clinton supporter, there are a few things I want all Trump supporters to know and other fellow Clinton supporters to listen to.
1. I will not flee America. I will accept Trump as president and “give him a chance to lead with an open mind”, as Secretary Clinton said in her concession speech. And even though I vow to do this, Trump must know that I, and hopefully every other citizen in America, will hold him accountable for every decision and comment he makes, which leads me to my second point.
2. I refuse to be a quiet citizen. I feel my voice growing more than ever, and I plan to use it against any racist, sexist policy our new representatives may try to enact. I will not flee because now is as important as ever to stand our ground. We need stand up for those who do not have the option to flee and whose voices continue to be silenced. We must continue to fight for what we believe in and not run from it.
3. Just because I’m accepting a Trump presidency, does not mean I respect his supporters. This election was more than just politics and policies. It was about values. If you voted for Trump because you claim to be a Republican and wanted to support your party, that is not an excuse. You voted into office a racist, sexist, xenophobic, bigot who has said an uncountable amount of irredeemable and hurtful statements. Our nation is divided, and until his supporters recognize why most of America is so upset about this result, it will continue to be divided.
4. I do not hope that Donald Trump’s presidency fails. This may be optimistic, but I pray this election result is the only step back our country will take. I pray woman healthcare rights and gay marriage won’t be reversed. I pray racist immigration policies won’t be enacted. And, overall, I pray he proves us wrong; our future depends on it.
I wanted this election to be the one I tell my kids about; that I voted the first woman president into office and bullies never win. Unfortunately, this election made a different history we all feared. I’ve been through a rollercoaster of emotions. The feelings of being scared, sad, disappointed and even numb have never left my side. Yet even though I’m feeling all those terrible things, feelings of hope and optimism are starting to surface within me.
I have started to count my blessings for everything I have: my friends and family, my dog, an education and I know deep in my heart Trump cannot take these things away from me. Unfortunately, not all American citizens have this privilege of feeling safe with their loved ones, but I hope they know I stand with them. Not on the sidelines cheering them on, but I am committed to fight with them for the human rights they deserve. A Trump presidency is no longer a meme, it’s our reality. There’s no point in continuing to slump, fuel your anger into something good for our country. It is now up to every single one of us to make the best out of this and to prevent America from regressing farther than it already has.