Dear White America,

Recently, it's been brought to the media's attention that your leader, Donald Trump, spoon fed you what you wanted to hear, in order to receive your support. This is just a theory that's been going around, but I do have a level of sympathy for you all, seeing as the promises that were spoken might not even see the light of day. Regardless, what Trump decides to do when he is sworn in as president is a concern for another time. Right now, I would like my words, the words of a Pakistani-American Muslim, to reach you. To allow you a glimpse into what life will look like now for a minority living in the United States.

My parents left their homeland of Pakistan to come to the United States because they thought it was the land of opportunity. This is an idea that is shared among anyone who comes from an immigrant family. My parents sacrificed their lives back home, just to ensure that their children, and their children's children, would have a much brighter future. But regardless of what Trump decides to do, it seems like this future is bleak right now. Not because of the laws that Trump wants to pass, but because of the tremendous support he received about said laws.

Trump promoted ideas of racism, misogyny and bigotry (just to name a few), and it was shocking to see that there were people in this country who felt the same way. A friend of mine stated that the "closeted racists" came out during this election, and I hate to admit it, but he was right. People who come from an educated background all agree that racism has been in play since our nation was founded. But it is still so heartbreaking to see that there are so many people who align with these oppressing ideologies.

But why are people endorsing oppression? Is it because you all hate what you don't understand? Research from polls show that Trump got most of his support from rural America. These are places where minorities aren't really seen. In these places, all you see is white and nothing else.

I can see how a white male could vote from Trump and support his ideas because these ideas do not affect him, and he's never put himself in the position of people that are affected. The only impression he has of minorities probably comes from the media. This is problematic because the media does not do a sufficient job in capturing the authenticity of minorities. No. All Muslims are terrorists, all Mexicans are illegals who steal jobs from the documented, all Blacks are menaces to society, and any minority threatens the well-being of the majority.This is how the media portrays minorities. So I can understand, I can empathize with you all, who wanted Trump to eradicate the nuisance that minorities are portrayed to be.

But regardless of the color of our skin, are we not all human? Do we not all have loved ones? Do we not all feel emotions of love and frustration? Do we not all deserve respect? My mother doesn't wear American clothes. She wears Pakistani clothes everywhere, because she feels comfortable in them. They remind her of home, and symbolize her pride in being Pakistani. It makes me lose sleep at night thinking that now, these same clothes that she wears with such pride, will turn her into a target. And this is a fear shared by any person that doesn't have a white complexion.

We are told at a young age to not judge a book by its cover. But I didn't see that ideology when Trayvon Martin was shot. I didn't see that when it came to the unjust murders of black men across the nation. I didn't see that when a woman in a hijab was attacked on her college campus by someone donning the same red hat you all wear so proudly. Do these instances not resonate with you as much as they resonate with us? Do you not have loved ones that you want to protect?

Certainly you all do, because Trump was your ace, because he promised to stop ISIS. That protected you from Muslims. Trump also promised the deportation of illegal immigrants. This secured your chance to provide for your families. So to an extent, you all acted in a way to defend yourselves from "threats", but in reality, you became the threats that you feared. Peers have told me about little children crying, because their families will be torn apart, due to deportation. Africans Americans have not seen any real progress at all this year. And now, they have to look at their skin as if it were a sin. This is the reality that you all helped create.

With all that being said, I don't hate any of you. After all, you may not comprehend the consequences of your actions to the fullest extent. But I do, along with every other person of color. Because these consequences cause us to live in constant fear, while you continue to live your day-to-day life in peace. I only hope that my words can educate you, and shine some light on people of color, people in the shadows.

But White America doesn't necessarily mean all of the uneducated whites in this country. It also applies to the Hindus that voted from Trump, because of their distaste for Muslims. It also applies to the Hispanics, who looked the other way, because they're documented. It applies to any of the minorities that turned their back on their own kind. It applies to anyone who has experienced the struggle of living in a country that favors one race over theirs.

And to my fellow minorities, who might find their way to this letter, I leave you with this. The US Constitution opens by stating: "We the People of the United States" But it is, indeed, a turning point for us all, in the United States. Our constitution will read as: "We the Minorities of the United States", because right now, more than ever, we must stand together. Let us put the "united" back in United States.

Thank you.