I was 16 years old, a sophomore in high school on November 8th, 2016, when President Donald Trump was elected as the 45th president. Little did I know his presidency would change my life. Being female, South Asian, and Muslim in Trump’s America has been challenging to say the least. I grew up in a small town in Connecticut where I was one of the only kids of color in my class, from a young age this affected me. I hated feeling different. I never felt like I could fit in, and on top of that, I had to deal with the ignorance of people at such a young age. This would annoy me more than anything. However, after Trump was elected in 2016, this annoyance turned into fear. I was afraid of Trump’s America.
Trump’s presidency caused a divide in our nation. After November 8, 2016, sexism, hatred, anger, racism, bigotry, xenophobia became more open and visible. Donald Trump has made degrading remarks about women using insulting words like “fat pigs,” “slobs,” and “dogs”, not to mention bragging about groping women. After watching our leader make these degrading remarks, many people have become bolder in admitting their hateful thoughts and there has been a rise in violence and fear. Women, people of color, Muslims, the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, and children of immigrants were all put at risk after the election.
After Trump was elected in 2016, I felt I had to hide my identity. I was afraid to be discriminated against, so I decided to conform to being white. I would never admit that I was Muslim, and I felt ashamed of my race and South Asian roots. Being a female and watching Donald Trump get elected made me feel weak and powerless. I will never be able to understand why so many people would support someone who has caused so much suffering to countless groups.
After graduating from high school, I decided to attend St. John’s University in Queens, New York. I wanted to get away from my small town and experience the real world. Growing up and being a young woman in Trump’s America is scary. However, I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to go to college in New York. I have gained so much confidence and have become so much more aware. Living in Queens, where there is so much diversity, I have become proud of my differences. I have met many amazing people from all over the country and all over the world. I have faced discrimination and harassment due to my gender, age, race, and religion. I’ve realized that people make others feel weak to achieve dominance. For example, some men harass and treat women as objects so they can seem more powerful. Being a female college student in Trump’s America has taught me that although we live at a time of open prejudice and hate, things will only become better if I stop fearing and hiding and start standing up for myself.