On Tuesday evening, we elected a man to lead our nation and stand up for ALL its people. He won the electoral college votes, and thus won fairly through our democratic system. Shouldn’t we all just shut up and go home?

No, I refuse to.

I grew up in Southern California, surrounded by undocumented immigrants--who were doing the work that no one else wanted to do. I grew up reading about the Holocaust and 1960’s Civil Rights Movement, which emphasized to me that we do not judge individuals by the color of their skin or the religion which they identify themselves with. I grew up with a gay best friend, who only wishes to be seen for her character and not who she loves. I went to a high school that was filled with people of all shades, backgrounds, and ethnicities, who were on my cross-country team or represented us in the top ten. I grew up with a Muslim family, whose values consisted of making sure their kids went to college and their grandparents were taken care of. I grew up with a strong mother, who reminded me time and time again that it does NOT matter if I am a woman--I can do anything a man could do.

Have Your Voice Heard: Become an Odyssey Creator

Now, as an adult, I’m faced with a decision to make: passively allow someone who I feel will rip apart the progress I believe to have developed, or make myself vulnerable and openly protest against him.

This would mean giving up the privileges that protect me in order to stand up for someone else. Yes, I have very fair white skin. I am a cisgendered straight woman. I do not wear anything that represents any kind of religion. I am able-bodied and educated. I make enough money to survive in New York City. There are many things that are in my favor, that unfairly do not exist for someone else.

This would mean sharing content on social media that I believe exemplified what I thought, whether it would upset someone else or make me unpopular. I have generally tried to avoid talking about politics on my pages--I try to maintain many professional relationships and represent myself only through my work. But I can not keep quiet anymore.

This would mean standing outside and protesting, whether it rains or snows or is in extreme heat. I would be leaving myself open to verbal and physical attacks. I would be put in dangerous or unfavorable situations. I would be taking away time and energy from things that I love. But, I have to stand for those whose voices are not heard. I have to represent them, when they are not seen. It is my duty as a human being.

Or, I easily can blend in with the crowd and not make any noise, while thinking, “This is not right.” That’s not how I was raised.

Does it hurt to be called names or be spoken to in a condescending way by people you thought you were friends? Yes, most definitely. Do I feel fear when posting what I do online or stepping outside to protest? Yes, I do. Yet this sick feeling in my stomach, the fact that I can hardly eat or sleep, and this overwhelming sense of dread pushes me to continue on.

Do I want to lose friends? No, definitely not. Do I intend to antagonize others? No, I do not. However, I feel like this is what I must do--share what I think and encourage others to do the same. History has shown that when we are passive and quiet is when evil manifests.

Remember reading Anne Frank’s diary? She wrote about finding the good in every single person, even if they had committed heinous acts against her. That is what I keep reminding myself. I tell myself we all want the same things: to be loved, to be respected, to feel safe, and to be free to make the decisions that serve us best.

The individuals who argue with me on Facebook, while it is depressing, remind me that they are also concerned. They too want the best for themselves and for the people they love. They are also angry and disappointed, and see a broken system. I can not hold their responses personally, even if it hurts my feelings.

I know many people who voted for Trump, but had always treated me with respect and had helped me in previous times. I refuse to disrespect them for their political decisions, as I hope they would not disrespect me. I know there was a wide variety of reasons why they voted for him, which does not make every Trump supporter a bigot. It’s frustrating, but I feel as though I have to make that clear.

We went through the last year and a half as a collective American people--we suffered and felt uncertainty. I will never ever understand the feelings of pain and confusion that immigrants, people of color, individuals of various religious, the LGBTQ+ community, and many more are feeling, because of my privileges. However, I decide to stand for them and support them. In another aspect, I will also never understand the confusion and frustrations of those who feel like the system left them behind, which is what many Trump supporters felt. I also was privileged in that regards and I am acknowledging that.

What concerns me now is what will happen next for us--as Americans, all together, whether we are divided politically or not. The next four years look frightening, not just because of what our president-elect is promising, but because of his behavior and rhetoric. He has openly disrespected women, was endorsed by the leader of the KKK, and is promising to make Muslims register themselves. His vice president is against reproductive rights and supported conversion therapy. I understand the idea of accepting and respecting him now that he has been decided president--but I wholly do not agree with it and will not follow suit.

I love way too many people in this world, and it is these same people that he can hurt. Some of these people voted for him, in hopes for a better life and a promising future. Others did not vote at all, frustrated and angry at a system that they believe violated their rights and rigged the system. I am not angry at anyone, and I do not hate anyone. I don’t even hate the man himself. My message here is simply of love. I am writing this because of the people that I love and what I will do for them out of this love. My Muslim grandmother, who cooks for me every time I see her. My Mexican godparents and best friends, who have made me their family. My lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer + friends, who make sure I have fun every time I see them. The strong, badass women who constantly inspire me. My Native American friend, Filipina friend, Cuban friend, and Lebanese friend who treat me like a younger sister. My classmates and mentors who are from all over the world, believe different things, and have the same hopes--they make me a better person. I love you. I’m here for you. I stand for you.

As far as myself--I should be unconcerned, right? With all the privileges I stated before? Or should I be unconcerned because “there’s no way he could do all those things”? Or is it because “nothing is going to happen”? What’s the worst he can do to me, right? Well, it’s not about me. That’s what I’ve learned more than anything. This goes beyond me.

Apart from admiring Anne Frank, you know who I admired more? Miep Gies, the woman who housed her and her family. She put everything in her life at risk, because she knew the way people were being treated was not right. By the way, while Hitler did not win the German presidency, he was fairly appointed to chancellor.

I’ll leave you all with a quote I’ve been posting everywhere, because I have never believed it more than I do now. While I emphasize a message of love, I also reiterate that I will not stop or give up. Whatever may happen, I believe in the power of the people.

“When evil men plot, good men must plan. When evil men burn and bomb, good men must build and bind. When evil men shout ugly words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love. Where evil men seek to perpetrate an unjust ‘status quo’, good men must seek to bring into being a real order of justice.“