I’m notoriously known by my close friends and family as one who just goes with the flow. It’s not that I don’t care about anything, because I do, it’s just that I don’t normally know enough about things to take a stand. When it comes to politics, I am probably one of the lesser educated citizens on how the system works, but I do understand basic common sense.
It’s not a surprise to anyone that Trump’s upset last night has taken the nation by storm. And I, like many of you reading this and millions of people across the nation, have had my world turned upside down. Throughout the election season, I watched all the debates and kept up to date with the news. I saw the numbers and I knew how it went back and forth between the two candidates, but I never actually could put myself in a scenario where Trump was president. Yes it was a realistic possibiltiy, yet my brain couldn’t wrap itself around the idea.
His campaign always seemed like a joke to me. Not in a funny way but in a “yeah he’s running but realistically Hillary is going to win” type of way. And because I automatically assumed he would lose, I never read into deep about his policies and the impact they would have on the country.
I am a college student right now. A young woman at a point in her life where every adult concept matters. I used to be adamant about not labeling myself as a feminist, but here I am, sitting here distraught about the fact that I may soon lose basic freedoms that I took for granted. I am a supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and the progress that it has made in the past years is unbelievable. And now I’m in disbelief that I may soon watch it all slip out from under us. I am an American citizen who now cares and is ready to take a stand for what I believe in. I didn’t care about politics or making any ground-breaking movements. But that was before we elected an inexperienced white male to run our country because we are based on white supremacy.
All of a sudden, I now care. This is a new feeling for me, but I’m determined to make a difference in some way. The next two years with full republican control will be a change Americans will have to adjust to, but if we let our voice be heard, we too can make changes in this country.
No one should be scared to live in a place we call home.