I remember a conversation I had with my sister six years ago. I had said to her:

“I don’t want to move to America … people there are mean.”

I was twelve years old at the time. I was young , naive and unexposed to the rest of the world. I had feared moving to the U.S. because of all the overdramatized bullying I had witnessed in typical Hollywood films about American high schools. Fortunately, I ended up in a community full of wonderful and accepting people; my naivety and ignorance were apparent and I told myself not to make unfounded judgements anymore.

But now I am 18 years old. I am still young, naive and unexposed, not simply to the rest of the world, but to the rest of the country I live in. I have been lucky enough to live in communities that value differences, embrace them, and advocate for their celebration but this has made me ignorant.

For two years, I sat through high school history classes, learning about the people, politics, and events that helped make America what it is today. This, of course, included the discrimination, oppression, marginalization, and unjust killing of people because of differences. The legal ownership of humans as property, the silencing of women’s rights, the classification of homosexuality as a mental disorder, the difference in quality of education based on skin color … we look back at these things and think “Wow, that’s crazy.” I remember feeling shocked but I was equally excited as the 1950s and 1960s chapters had begun. Change. Change was happening; brave individuals and groups stood together to make a difference and their voices and actions were finally being acknowledged.

While finishing U.S. history at the end of my high school junior year, I was able to visualize a timeline of progression and change throughout the years of this country’s history; overcoming political, economic, and social challenges and becoming the place I am privileged enough to receive my education. This country has come so far … but it’s 2016 and Donald J. Trump is president.

This election was eye-opening. I realized just how delusional I was and that I had once again, made an unfounded judgement. Though I was aware of continuing racial injustice, gender discrimination, and other terrible acts of hate in this country, I had underestimated their extremity and frequency. Despite the absence of de jure discrimination, it’s 2016, and a single man has evoked racist, misogynistic, and xenophobic sentiments throughout the entire country. Acts of hate have been overwhelming communities and people feel justified in performing them because of the man who will now lead this country.

But hate only begets hate. I’ve read a countless number of post-election Facebook statuses that call out people for not voting, badmouth those who voted for Harambe or even a third-party candidate, or suggest that everyone who voted for Trump is a “white supremacist” and “bigot.” Despite the rise of oppression and discrimination as a result of the election, I’m sure we have all become more aware of the country’s current state. Rather than focusing on what we could have done, why don’t we work towards what we can do.

Recognizing a problem, acknowledging it, digesting it, and dedicating yourself to changing it is the only way to make a difference. Everyone comes from different backgrounds; we are all entitled to hold our own opinions and beliefs. That is what makes America unique. However, that should never be a justification for hatred, oppression, and violence.

Stand together, stand tall and strong

because love trumps hate.