At 12:05a.m. on Wednesday, November 9^th, I texted my friend asking him what had just happened. His response was:

“Caitlin this is what it feels like to get kicked in the nuts.”

This was honestly so true that it was sad. I had this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach that would not go away. Both of my roommates and I had just finished crying after it was official that Donald J. Trump would be our next president of the United States.

As students at U.C Berkeley, the results of the election felt surreal. We live in such a liberal bubble that we failed to realize that there are many other states that are conservative—so many that it was enough for Trump to win the Electoral College vote. My roommates and I went to bed in the early hours of the morning exhausted, shocked, and disappointed.

I woke up feeling even worse because the reality had sunk in. I was living in what felt like a nightmare. I put on my all black mourning outfit and reluctantly walked to class. But what gave me hope was witnessing the demonstrations I saw on campus. It filled me with nothing but gratitude seeing the unity of people speaking out and expressing their opinions. Berkeley High School students gathered around The Campanile and voiced the fears that we all share. As one of the students revealed that both she and her mother were survivors of sexual assault, tears welled up in my eyes. There was so much passion, and I could not help but feel thankful to live in a place where students stand up for people whose lives are now at risk due to the newly elected president whose campaign was based on hate-filled remarks against minorities.

While not all Trump supporters may be explicitly racist or sexist, they did vote for a man that enables this type of discrimination and harassment to happen. This is demonstrated by the rise in hate crimes that have occurred since election night. In the end, it does not matter if the intention of Trump supporters is not aimed at discrimination because the fact is they helped someone who has openly singled out women, people of color, the disabled, the LGBTQA+ community, Muslims, Latinx, and immigrants.

Later that night, I participated in the protests in Downtown Oakland. It was comforting knowing people shared the same frustration and fears. It is important in times like these to hold onto your loved ones, and know that now is the time to make a difference. Doing things such as making a donation to Planned Parenthood or volunteering in your local Showing Up for Racial Justice chapter can help ease those feelings of helplessness many of us felt in the first 24 hours after the election results.

It is a hard pill to swallow, but this is our new reality. This is what we have to live with for the next four years. While Trump won legally because of the Electoral College, it is important to stay aware and up to date with current events. (You can also sign this petition regarding the fact that Hillary still lost despite winning the popular vote: https://www.change.org/p/electoral-college-electors-electoral-college-make-hillary-clinton-president-on-december-19?utm_medium=email&utm_source=notification&utm_campaign=signature_receipt&share_context=signature_receipt&recruiter=632603855) Now is not the time to fall asleep. Now is the time to stay woke and get ready to defend your rights and other people rights as human beings. We are all equal, and we all deserve the same fundamental rights. And somewhere out there is our first woman president. She is watching, she is preparing, and she is going to break that glass ceiling.