I have decided to write this article while it is still fresh in my memory. I hope that for a very long time I remember the night of the 2016 election.
I have been a democrat all my life. However, in the years before I came to college, I did not speak my mind because my family and I have very different views. Ever since I came to college, I have been very democratic and have spoken my views very openly.
So, when I was given the opportunity to go to the Democrats of Georgia watch party, I jumped at the opportunity. I knew that no matter what, the night of November 8, 2016 would go down in history. If Hillary Clinton won, we would have the first female president. We would be creating a nation on love and acceptance and breaking the glass ceiling. America would be pushing forward with the democratic agenda and towards making America equal for all. If Donald Trump won, America would be supporting hate. America would be making the conscious decision to move backwards 50 years.
When we arrived at the watch party, I was in shock. The huge room was filled with such positive energy and love, it was overwhelming. My friends and I took a seat in the front and instantly made new friends with the people around us. The four other people sitting with us were not strangers for long. We chatted the whole time about making Georgia blue, what we wanted to do for America, and the hope that we all shared. We rejoiced together every time a state turned blue and we also cried together as things got down to the wire. We were all staying postive, thinking of every outcome, and just hoping that our lady would win.
As midnight rolled around, the room started to get a different atmosphere. Some people had left for the night, but most had decided to stick around. Everyone left over had moved to the front to watch the announcement. Strangers were holding hands and holding each other close for comfort and support. The room became alarmingly silent as the night began to end, and they had even turned the TV’s sound off. We began to realize that maybe the outcome would not be good after all.
Sadly, my friends and I had to leave before the final announcement was made, but I think it was for the best. On the way home, our car was silent. One person would chime in, trying to keep the spirit high, but we just did not know what to say. Halfway on our way home, one of my friends announced that Trump had won another state. My stomach began to sink. It took everything in my body not to break down in tears as we headed back towards campus.
When we arrived back, several of my friends were watching the TV with high anticipation. With tears in our eyes, we decided to try and go to bed. Before we could get to our room, my roommate announced that Donald Trump had won Pennsylvania and thus, secured his place as president.
I have never been so heartbroken in my life, watching my friends cry and scream in terror at what is to come. I began to cry because there was no holding it back as I thought of all the repercussions that were about to happen. My sorority sisters are in the LGBT community and they have worked so hard to gain their rights, and the U.S. has just elected someone who will not only criticize them, but also potentially take away their rights. My friends and I cried as we realized that Roe v. Wade might be reversed and that Planned Parenthood might be shut down, ultimately going back to tell us that, as women, we have no right to our bodies. I watched as my friend called his father in tears, worried that his dad may get deported now that there will be so many crackdowns.
And finally, it hit me. The one part of this that affects me dearly. If Trump repeals Obamacare, my mother will lose her insurance. MY MOTHER, who is a survivor of breast cancer and has to go to the doctor at least four times a month. She will not be able to take her prescription medicine, which means that the cancer has a higher chance of coming back. She won’t be able to take her anxiety or blood pressure pills that help her get through daily life. And if the school still gives her insurance, like they have to, it will pay nowhere near as much as it does now. Ultimately, the loss of money will put my family in more debt.
So yes, last night I cried. I held my friends close and started thinking of ways to protect them if someone tried to hurt them. I got no sleep, and wondered how this could ever happen. But that was last night.
This morning I woke up with a different attitude. I stood tall and realized that no one can take my rights away if I fight for them. With Donald Trump as president, good change can still happen. It is just going to be a lot harder now. However, difficulty has never stopped me before, and it hasn’t stopped the millions of people that Donald Trump wants to shut down. So today, we start the fight. The fight for equality for the LGBT community and the minorities. We will fight for religious freedom and help people who want a better life become legal citizens.
Donald Trump has done nothing but fuel my fire to help others. So I hope America is ready, because the democrats, my friends, and I are about to set America ablaze.