Since last Tuesday I have not been able to adequately express my feelings, concerns or questions. The most recent President-Elect has rendered me speechless. I’ve been distraught, I’ve been confused, and I’ve been hurt. But not for myself. I’m hurt for all the marginalized groups or people who have been threatened, insulted and been made afraid since the beginning of this demagogue.
I’m afraid for my friends. My LGBTQ+ friends, my undocumented friends, my friends of color, my friends who are disabled, my friends who are women, my Muslim friends, my environment and my friends who simply struggle with his anti-love and unaccepting personhood. Most importantly I am afraid for our children.
Living in a country whose President condones racism, sexism, violence, and everything our parents taught us not to be- this will heavily influence the children of our country. What’s going to happen to them? Our public schools have seen an increase in bullying, unaccepting language and actions. Our children are helpless to the hateful propaganda that they are being exposed to. Letting them grow up in a country full of hate will only give a lifeline to a world of hate. Continued hatred will only further marginalized oppressed peoples. We will fall into a regression, and all the hard work that has been done to get us to the progressive state we’re in now, will crumble.
Among so many other concerns and fears that our President-elect inflicts is the fact that he has twenty-something open court cases against him. He’s currently in the process of settling a few, including his fraud case involving T***p University. His offenses range from tax fraud all the way to rape of a minor. How did an alleged criminal become our President? He is an alleged, violent criminal. The political institutions in place give a political explanation as to how he got elected, however, why and how did the American people get to this point?
My only hope is that the American people recognize the mistake we’ve made and work to fix it. Because I know we can make the change, if we want it. We can turn all of our hopes into realities.
I hope people vote in the next election. I hope hateful rhetoric stops. I hope we can come together in the midst of hate and find interconnectedness I hope we can face racism and sexism. I hope this motivates active engagement with efforts to make change.
We will vote in the next election. We will make hateful rhetoric stops. We will come together in the midst of hate and find interconnectedness We will face racism and sexism. We will motivate active engagement with efforts to make change.
**All opinions of the writer are completely her own.