It's official. Joe Biden has won the 2020 election.
Across the United States, Biden supporters (and those who only settled for Biden to vote Donald Trump out of office) are overjoyed. After a long and contentious election, their hard work and hope have paid off. After years of phone banking, petition writing, protesting, and worrying, we have brought an end to the Trump presidency.
Many of us are relieved that some sense of normalcy can be restored.
We'll once again have a president who can utter coherent thoughts. We will have a president who will not aim to divide us, but aims to unite us. We'll have a president who will aim to diversify his cabinet instead of having an absurd number of old white men helping him run the country.
However, "some sense of normalcy" has never been good enough for the majority of the country.
"Some sense of normalcy" is not enough for the 34 million-plus Americans who live in poverty or the young adult who can't afford a college degree. It's not good enough for the mother who can't afford her life-saving medications or for the Black man who fears being killed by police if he takes a turn wrong while driving. The United States needs to undergo radical change, and we need to push the Biden Administration as much as we can in order to improve the most lives possible.
During the past four years, Americans have become more involved in political activism. Many of us have gained new skill sets, new ways to advocate for each other, and new ways to draw attention to our causes.
We have raised our voices, and we shouldn't lower them now. We shouldn't mistake normalcy for excellence.
Now is the time to hold our leaders accountable. It's time to voice our opinions and refuse to back down. It is the time to reject normalcy and demand something better.
Now is the time for change.