I am a person who grew up unafraid of this world. You can call that white privilege, which it is to an extent, but it is also a force of positive male and female role models that led me to my confidence. My father taught me to fight, to be whoever I wanted to be in the face of danger and disparity. My mother taught me that a woman could be anything if she set her mind to it. I had intelligent, resourceful teachers of many different races, genders, ages, and sexual preference. I grew up hashtag-blessed, and I walked the streets with a smile on my face and conviction in my heart. And then, we reached the year 2016.

I am now a woman racked with fear. I am afraid to bring children into a broken world during my child bearing years. I am afraid to get married in a country where so many people still advocate against the right to love for all citizens. Love should not be held to a standard where we check off a box determining its significance. I am afraid to walk the streets in multi racial neighborhoods because we have now tormented minorities into (understandably) reacting upon their fear of white people. I am afraid of men who view my body as an object, because despite the ability to protect myself, there are still men who are biologically programmed to be stronger than me. I am afraid of a potential war where new technology and growing hatred could destroy this land that has always been my home.

And it is not just myself that I fear for. I have family members who are Italian, but their deep olive skin could make them targets among radical hate groups who only see color. I worry for female friends who drink for fun and leave themselves vulnerable against the threat of rape culture. And if the day ever came where they were subject to the unfortunate reality that one in every four women incur in their lifetime, I am afraid they will not be able to receive proper care and options for their bodies because of a lack of funding and exceedingly antiquated ideals being perpetrated by the men in our government. I fear for the beautiful, intelligent, genuinely kind Muslim woman who gave the commencement speech at my high school graduation, for she is no longer being given her first amendment right to religion without persecution. I am afraid for Native Americans, the true first Americans, who are once again the subject of discrimination and slander by a man in charge.

As a sit here, a young woman experiencing these emotions with such a raw energy for the first time in her life, I take notice that my fingers are shaking as I type these letters onto my computer. This will go down in my personal history (and perhaps history in general) as one of the scariest years to live through. There has been so much anger, violence, rage, discrimination, protest, and sadness that it breaks my heart. I hate to think that so many people have experienced this feeling not just this year, but every year of their lives. The time has come to take action and protect these diminished souls. We need to stop focusing so heavily on making America great again, and start trying to make America good again.

To see more reasons why people are suffering from fear, visit Why We're Afraid.