As Joe Biden was elected to be the 46th President of the United States over the weekend, a wave of relief crashed over the nation. Thousands rang bells and rallied in the streets celebrating Biden’s win, while others were simply glad that Donald Trump would no longer be the President. There was also praise for Kamala Harris as she is set to be the first female, Black and South Asian Vice President. However, a question has been posed: What’s next for Trump supporters? Will they be done using the man as a means to justify their own awful morals and values?
Now, make no mistake, I frankly don’t give a damn about what people who choose to idolize a notoriously hateful and evil man do with their lives. However, those who used supporting Trump as a personality trait must now go unnamed once again, living under the guise of microaggressions and dirty looks in public settings. Then again, who am I to say that the blatant discrimination of people in marginalized communities will stop? It goes without saying that Trump played a huge role in racists, xenophobes, and et cetera being more open about their hatred, and even enjoying doing so.
After the results rolled in, many users took to Twitter saying things along the lines of, “regular racism is back!” While racism is clearly no joking matter, this shows that marginalized communities, especially Black people, use humor as a coping mechanism to bring issues to light. This does lead to the point that the Trump supporters that were so outright are most likely not going anywhere and will reminisce on the last four years as if they were the greatest thing since sliced bread, but has been made clear time and again that it has been the complete opposite.
Amidst the joy of the news that America would not suffer another Trump presidency, many have also said that people should not celebrate these politicians as they have flawed histories of their own, namely Kamala Harris and her history in the police force. While this is true, this should not take away from her historic win, at least, not as of right now. The difference is, though, is that while she cannot change her past, she is working alongside Biden to put policies in place that will ideally positively impact the future of the United States.
Do the results of this election mean that race relations are solved? Does this mean that America will be reborn into streets made of gold? Absolutely not. But what is important is to recognize that America has been at a visible divide for this long, and it is up to us to make a change by putting people in place that are able to accept accountability and press forward for a hopeful future.