On the morning of November 9th, 2016, I was woken up by the sounds of the riveting lyrics, “Yea yea yea, f*** Donald Trump.” It was the day after the election, only hours after Clinton conceded to a screaming Cheeto. It was the beginning of the saddest day I have experienced at UC Berkeley.
Whiteboards hanging on the doors of my dorm floor read variations of “Still With Her,” “Not My President,” and “Love Trumps Hate.” The people on either side of me in line at Caffe Strada were attempting to rationalize the result. Support and counseling were made available by UC Berkeley's administration. My French exam was canceled, and Sproul Plaza was packed with students demonstrating their love and support for the people affected by Trump’s election.
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While it was a sad day on campus, it was also a day that showed the power we have not only as students but also as individuals. The students at Sproul became a symbol of hope. Berkeley reminded me that although the unthinkable happened—a racist, misogynistic, and deplorable man was elected President—the voices of love and tolerance were still alive and not going anywhere. Over two months later, Berkeley and Oakland once again exemplified the power we have as individuals to create change.
On January 21st, the Women’s March in Oakland proved that the flame of anger will not burn out. With the inauguration here, the best way to channel our emotion, our outrage, our confusion, is a collective gathering. With the remarkable turnout at the Women’s March and the increased support for Planned Parenthood, it is clear that people are willing to fight against the administration. In the face of the inauguration, we cannot let this passion and involvement fade. The best way to cope with the inauguration is to remember that we do not have to be silent in the face of Trump.
I encourage you to have conversations now about your concerns for the next four years. Creating progress in politics is a long term battle—if we quit voicing our concerns, then we will see no change. Standing up against something or someone you do not believe in is difficult—it takes resilience and persistence. But, if we silently accept the next four years, then we will have taken the side of the oppressor.
Let’s channel the powerful example of the individuals of the Berkeley Free Speech Movement of the 1960s and ensure that the progress our nation has made is not reversed. We have to stay strong, and we have to be resilient. We are allowed to be sad, to miss Obama, and to wonder how different it would be if it was Clinton being sworn in. But, after all of that, rather than surrendering to an administration elected through the propagation of fear and hate, we will rise up.
