At 8 p.m. E.S.T on November 8, 2016, results from the polls began pouring in. I had any combination of five different tabs open at one time: The New York Times, CNN, Associated Press, NPR and fivethirtyeight. All of these sites were following the results of the ongoing polling, and I watched as Hillary Clinton’s chances of winning this election depleted before my very eyes.
The night started with the New York Times projecting her to have an 85 percent chance of winning the race. The results were called around 2:30 in the morning on November 9, and Trump had won with 279 electoral votes.
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To say that I was in shock was an understatement. While I wasn’t keen on a presidency under Hillary Clinton, to watch her lose to a man with no real qualifications to become president was devastating. I sat in my room, for over five hours, ignoring all homework and obligations, watching the results of the election as they came in.
There is so much at stake for so many different people in our country. This election was about so much more than a president. There’s the open spot in the Supreme Court, that will now likely go to an extremely conservative Justice, shaping the outcome of cases for years to come. Women’s reproductive rights are on the line, with everything from birth control to abortion on the chopping block. Immigrants in this country are afraid of not only their fate, but the fate of their children. Refugees who have come here from war-torn countries are likely to be turned away. Stop and frisk policies have the potential to be enforced and promote racism against people of color. So many people are at risk now, and it’s all because of one man.
I have seen more sadness and anger on my campus today than ever before, and we’re all scared. I have a friend who is African American and a part of the LGBTQ+ community, and she didn’t leave her room today because she was anxious about what she might face when walking out her door. I watched someone walk by and say, “Hail Trump!” on my way to class this morning. I am scared for my LGBTQ+ friends, and the very real possibility of the rights they’ve worked so hard for being stripped from them in the coming years.
I am afraid for the people of color on my campus and the racism they may face. And as a woman, I am afraid for my own rights. I am afraid for the defunding of Planned Parenthood and about the discussion around a possible overturn of Roe v. Wade. I am afraid of my reproductive rights being taken away by men who cite the Bible as their reason for their views, believing that it's the only way to think. I am scared of the hatred that has plagued our country in the last year, and the division we currently have. And I am scared of what this hatred and division will bring about in the next four years.
I’d be a hypocrite if I were to say not to sever friendships or unfriend people because they have supported Trump throughout this election. But I will say this: start the conversation. If you really don’t know where you stand with politics, talk with people from both sides — and make them all civil discussions so you can really understand what both parties stand for. If you are set in your ways, then start the conversation of change. Your words have more of an effect than ever before. Use them to your full advantage. Educate people, and make your voice heard.
But most of all, hold your loved one close and remind them of your support. Hug your friends — and the strangers that need it. And remember:
Love trumps hate.
