I believed. I believed in a country that was good and hopeful, where women could be treated the same as men, where racial justice could be served, where immigrants like my grandmother could thrive, and where the LGBTQ+ community could be equal. Today, I woke up to find that this was not the country I know and love.
Today, I feel lost. Lost for words, and lost in a country where I no longer feel safe as a woman, as a person of color, and as an American. Today, I am fearful. Fearful for my own future, fearful for the futures of my friends and family of color, and fearful for all those who Trump and his supporters have marginalized during his campaign. I am fearful for the teenage girl in Texas, who will not have access to Planned Parenthood or an abortion clinic. Fearful for the Muslim boy who will be called a terrorist at school, and for the Mexican immigrant who will be taunted and labeled a rapist.
Today, I cannot be optimistic. I cannot be optimistic because this election has proven that even the most qualified woman will be overshadowed by the unqualified man who yells the loudest. I do not know how to explain this phenomenon to myself, let alone our nation's young girls. Today, I am downtrodden and hopeless. Tomorrow, maybe even more so. But my best hope - my only hope - is that the next few weeks, months even, will be another story. That we will protest and keep fighting for what is right. That we will not be silenced. That is all I can hope for, because honestly? I have very little left.
