On November 8th, my whole world—along with the worlds of millions of others—turned completely upside down.
Everything I thought I knew about this country vanished for a second; I stood back, shocked that we could really let hatred, sexism, misogyny, bigotry and xenophobia win.
Being a woman, a minority, a child of immigrants and an aspiring journalist, I’m pretty high up on the list of people Donald Trump attempted to disparage and discredit. However, I refuse to let that silence me. Before any of those other labels, I am an American citizen, which means I have certain duties. Those duties include being informed about the nature of what is happening in our country; no matter how upset I am, I feel compelled to be in the loop.
I cannot turn a blind eye to what happens for the next four years because it directly affects how my life is going to go. Besides that, I will always hold former President Barack Obama to the highest esteem, and one of his biggest platforms was about hope. In his final speeches, including his emotional farewell speech, he implored us to be hopeful, and that change comes from the people. I wholeheartedly believe that.
That being said, even if we are upset with our current leadership, we have the power to change that. However, we only have that power when we are informed.
When we do things like tune into the inauguration or his press conferences, we can mobilize and make a difference.
There is strength in numbers, and when we all know the state of our nation, we can come together to find solutions that suit us better. To quote Hillary Clinton, “never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.”
Although I will always have Secretary Clinton in my heart, I accept that there are going to be four years of Donald Trump. I am not necessarily thrilled about this fact, but that is how it is, and I care too much about my future to just mope around and do nothing but be angry.
I will always be sure to know exactly what is going on with his presidency so I can hold him accountable and be a better citizen by being informed.
Things looked gloomy November 8th, but knowing that simply being informed can make a difference makes me extremely hopeful for our future.
Remember to do your part and stay informed, Colligiettes! Don’t be afraid to stand up for what you believe in!