Mourn. Cry. Weep. But There Is Work To Do.
I woke up this morning and I cried for two hours.
I cried because I have devoted my life to serving my country.
I cried because I have fought, tirelessly, against hatred and division that the Trump campaign has made a cornerstone of their campaign.
I cried because I checked Twitter and saw an outpouring of love and support for Muslims who were tweeting, “I’m scared for my children.”
I cried because Black Lives Matter and my country, the one that I have devoted my life to serving and bettering, rejected that rallying cry.
After I cried for two hours, I got up and took a shower. I cried some more in the shower, but I brushed out my hair and got dressed. I made myself look acceptable because I had an interview today. (I got the job, but I couldn’t even bear to be happy about it in the face of what had just happened last night.)
Then I went to school. I talked with some friends. I teared up some more, but I didn’t actually cry. My voice shook a few times when I talked about how angry I was, and how gutted I was, but I didn’t cry.
I don’t know what’s going to happen. I think that’s the biggest problem. Trump ran a campaign of xenophobia, hatred, racism — and even if Hillary had won by a slim margin, the United States would still have to sit with the knowledge that 48% of the country was completely okay with a candidate who threatened to sexually assault women, ban Muslims from the country, jail women for having abortions, and called Mexican immigrants rapists and murderers. There was no policy. There was no plan. There was just bile. Hateful, hateful bile.
So, this morning, I cried. I cried because I have devoted my life to serving my country as an attorney, to defend the Constitution, to become an officer of the court in a country that I genuinely do love with all of my heart. When I pass the bar, I am going to swear to uphold the Constitution and defend it, with everything I have, and I am going to fight for the rights and liberties of those who ask me to do so. That has been my dream since I was a little girl.
I cried because I wondered how many little girls were now afraid to wake up in a world where misogyny and hatred was given the White House.
But there is work to do.
Should President-Elect Trump and Vice President-Elect Pence make good on their promises to (1) monitor Muslims; (2) mass-deport undocumented peoples; (3) jail women for abortions; (4) ban abortion; (5) ban gay marriage; (6) pursue conversion therapy for LGBTQ teens; (7) militarize the police; (8) encourage DAPL and disenfranchise sovereign Native nations; (9) repeal the Affordable Care Act; and (10) place Supreme Court Justices on the bench to achieve any of these goals, I will be there to fight. We must fight. We must not be silent. We must question, and demand basic human dignities. We must protect disenfranchised peoples. We must love one another and support one another. We cannot allow hatred to win.
Love truly does trump hate. I do believe that.
I respect the electoral process. I will respect the Electoral College’s decision and on January 20th, I will be there to greet President-Elect Trump as he is sworn into office.
But I will be there with a sign listing off every single civil liberty I am going to protect. To give notice of my non-silence. To take an oath myself, in not being silent when I see hatred, and checking privilege, and reminding people that we are all Americans, regardless of skin color or upbringing or language. To encourage dissent when needed, and raise your voice as necessary.
This is the United States of America. We, the People, in order to form a more Perfect Union, must hold those accountable who make decisions — and that includes citizens. We are a divided nation. We must, as President-Elect Trump says, come together as a unified country.
The question is, what does that unified country look like?
For me, it looks like a proud stand against hatred, and an outpouring of love and affection and supporting those who are negatively impacted by these decisions.
For President-Elect Trump, the world is still waiting.
History has its eyes on you.
