As of Saturday morning, Former Vice President Joe Biden has won the 2020 Presidential Election and will be sworn in next January as our 46th President. If you voted for the Biden-Harris ticket like me, you may be feeling relieved, excited, proud, perhaps even overwhelmed. After all, one of the biggest reasons why Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 Presidential Election is because of her femininity. Today, a Black woman of South Asian descent was named Madam Vice President-Elect.
While we have plenty of reasons to celebrate, for those of us with the privilege of not being as affected by policy decisions, there is also plenty of work to do. As Biden so eloquently described in his first speech as the President-elect, “This is the time to heal in America.”
There are millions of people living in America whose lives are regularly threatened by the decisions of policymakers. People of color, DACA recipients, and Muslims have all experienced threats to their livelihood as a direct result of policies and rhetoric wielded these past four years. If you fall into any of these categories (or are among the many others impacted I did not include here), this call to action is not your burden to bear.
I cannot imagine the pain you have felt, and I would never expect such pain to magically disappear with a new administration.
Rather, I am speaking to those whose lives are not altered by a change of power. Those like me who are white, straight, and financially comfortable.
It is essential that we unify as a country to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Especially if the Biden-Harris administration will be working with a Republican-majority Senate, we need to garner support from those conservatives for necessary policy solutions such as a stimulus bill to persist.
Most of us know at least one person who voted for Trump. Maybe it’s a neighbor, or perhaps it is an immediate family member. Show them Biden’s speech. Extend an olive branch.
While you may feel bitter or angry, frankly, the marginalized groups I mentioned earlier have far more reasons to be angry, yet Black people managed to organize and won Biden the presidency.
Now it is our responsibility to take this next step and ensure the Biden-Harris administration has the most success.
Your discomfort in having these conversations is minuscule compared to the discomfort Muslims and refugees felt when the Muslim Travel Ban was issued.
If we don’t work towards bipartisanship, and the divide in this country grows, in four years we may face another Donald Trump as the president-elect. All of the work Biden and Harris do will be reversed through a stream of rapid executive orders, and we will be at square one yet again.
We can start by gently correcting any spread of misinformation, or by reminding disappointed loved ones of Biden’s commitment to representing all Americans, even those who did not vote for him. When Biden inevitably adds Republicans to his cabinet, we should emphasize these additions. We can highlight Biden’s support of the troops and Christian background to our friends and neighbors who prioritize these characteristics.
Hopefully, we can build back the character and soul of our nation, one olive branch at a time.
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