On November 3, a black church in Greenville, Mississippi, was burned. “Vote Trump” was spray-painted on one of the charred exterior walls. The incident is being investigated by local authorities as an arson, and the FBI is currently leading a civil rights investigation. Mayor Errick Simmons of Greenville called it a hate crime that was likely being used to intimidate voters before the election. In October 2016, a Trump supporter threatened to assault a black woman and used racial slurs in his verbal attack on her. In September 2016, two Muslim women were assaulted by a female Trump supporter; she tried to rip off their headscarves and told them to “get the [expletive] out of America.” In May of 2016, a black Muslim woman was attacked by a woman who said she supported Trump because he said “that he would send ‘all of you terrorist Muslims out of this country.’” In December 2015, Trump supporters at a rally yelled “Sieg Heil” and “light the [expletive] on fire” as a black protester was being removed from the premises. The list of violent incidents involving Trump supporters goes on here, here, and here.
Yet this morning, America woke up to our new president-elect: Donald J. Trump, a billionaire, businessman, and reality TV star with no prior government experience. It feels like a dream. Or perhaps, more accurately, a nightmare.
There is no doubt that there has been some hateful rhetoric from basically everyone this election season, from supporters and candidates of both parties. What makes Donald Trump’s campaign different is the pervasiveness of this rhetoric, its explicit presence, and the candidate’s refusal to own up to or truly apologize for any of it. He has bragged about his avoidance of taxes and his ability to commit sexual assault, and he has attacked women, the disabled, Muslims, Mexicans, Latinos, African Americans, prisoners of war, immigrants, refugees, and so very many others. He has led a campaign based on hate and fear.
I went to bed at one in the morning on Wednesday, November 9. The presidential race was yet to be decided and was still very closely matched, but I am a person who needs her sleep. The first thing I did when I woke up was turn on my phone and google “election results.” What I saw there shook me to my core. I didn’t think it was possible. I think many of us didn’t think it was possible.
There has never been a presidential race in which the outcome has resulted in such terror among the American people. Many Trump supporters are expressing the belief that opponents should “get over” their loss and “just accept” their new president. What these people don’t realize is the profound impact that this election could have on the lives of minorities in America. Trump has promised to appoint Supreme Court justices that will overturn the Obergefell decision and to sign the First Amendment Defense Act, an act which would allow for discrimination against members of the LGBTQ+ community. Trump’s vice president, Mike Pence, is a proponent of gay conversion therapy. Trump is anti-abortion except in cases of incest, rape, and when there is a danger to the mother, and he wants to defund Planned Parenthood. He had promised to repeal the Affordable Healthcare Act, which provides for free birth control, among many other important provisions. That’s just some of the highlights.
With a Republican-controlled House and Senate, we are potentially looking at an America where all of our recent progress is erased in the very near future. People will be able to deny their neighbors the right to work, shop, marry, and generally live their lives because of who they love. The reproductive rights of women will be largely restricted. Minorities of all kinds will face more hate and bigotry than they have ever seen in our lifetime.
The second thing I did this morning was text my mother. I think she summed it up best in her reaction: “I am embarrassed and afraid.” When a news story about our president-elect comes on, she has to turn off the TV for the benefit of the ten-year-old daughter in her house. She must raise a young teenage son with this misogynist and racist occupying a position that should provide a role model for people everywhere. She must send a second daughter to college while a man accused of multiple rapes leads our nation.
The time has come for us to stand together as a country and try to defend the rights of our fellow Americans. Spread peace, spread love, and oppose ignorance and hatred wherever you encounter it. Support one another in this time of fear. The sun will continue to rise, and we will continue to fight for equality, respect, and acceptance. We need it now more than ever.