I’m still with her
by Olivia Hamilton
At 2:30 am, on Wednesday, Nov. 9, I shed the first of a million tears. I was hit by a wave of grief I have never felt before. I mourned the election of a man who has disrespected my gender, and I mourned the loss of a woman who was so qualified to be president and so close to breaking the highest glass ceiling.
In honesty, I am still grieving Hillary Clinton’s loss. I am still grieving the America I thought I knew: a country that would choose a qualified candidate for president over an unqualified, dangerous one. I am still struggling to come to terms with the fact that so many Americans (although not the majority) voted for a man who brags about sexual assault. In my eyes, voting for that man is an endorsement of his behavior, and having millions of Americans endorse that behavior is more painful than I could have expected.
But unlike Wednesday morning, I now understand the power of grief. My grief is not the same as the grief someone feels after a loved one dies, but it is grief for my understanding of the country, and my understanding of who Americans are. This type of grief can lead to action, and for me, it will lead to political action.
America let me, and many of my friends, down. But never before have I seen so many of my friends inspired to make a difference. In her concession speech, Clinton spoke directly to the girls of America, knowing that many of us feel lost and hopeless, and encouraged us to continue pushing forward. She said, “And to all of the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.”
Her words made me reflect on my time canvassing for her in Pennsylvania. The Sunday before the election, I went door to door in Bucks County, PA, urging people to get out and vote. I was upset that I could not get my voice heard in this election through a vote, so I found another way to get involved and make a difference. That is what girls do; when presented with a barrier, we use our creativity, intelligence and strength to knock it down.
Women have fought for rights in this country for so long, and our work has been so successful. Suffragettes worked tirelessly to give women the right to vote. The women’s movement of the ’60s and ’70s achieved significant successes for reproductive rights and equality and opportunity in the workplace. Even Election Day was a victory for women; there will be a record number of women of color in the Senate, who are incredibly smart and qualified, and who are ready to fight for the nation. We have come so far; we have so much to be proud of.
This election is a call for women to once again come together and fight, and for men to join us. We need to push for paid family leave and equal pay for equal work. We need to ensure that Donald Trump does not defund Planned Parenthood or appoint Supreme Court justices who will overturn Roe v. Wade. Beyond fighting for policies, we need to make sure that Trump knows it is unacceptable to make any young girl or grown women doubt her value because of her appearance. And we also need to protect and advocate for the rights of minorities because LGBTQ rights matter, black lives matter, immigrant families matter and American Muslims matter. We owe this fight to the women who fought before us: the women who would be appalled at the election of Trump. We owe it to Hillary Clinton, who has dedicated her life to us, and whose work and progress cannot go unnoticed. Most importantly, we owe it to ourselves, and to the children who will be born into and after Trump’s presidency.
I may fear the possibilities of a Trump presidency, but I also have never felt more empowered to get my voice heard. Young girls and boys, and grown women and men, should feel empowered too. We can protest, we can exercise our right to vote, we can canvas for candidates during midterm elections, and we can come together. If Trump refuses to respect anyone as president, and if he takes rights away from anyone, we have the ability to speak out and make a difference.
Only 56 percent of America voted on Election Day, which is one of the reasons we have Trump as our president. While Trump won the Electoral College, Clinton won the popular vote, so the majority of Americans did reject hate and pessimism for love and optimism. Whether you voted or not, and whether you voted for Trump or Clinton, it is the duty of every American to oppose hatred. If Trump promotes policies grounded in hate, 100 percent of America needs to step forward against him. He may be president, but the force of the American public is infinitely stronger and more powerful than he will ever be.
Donald Trump may set us back, but Americans will continue to move forward. My friends and I will become more politically involved, and I hope to see all Americans become more active in government. And someday, hopefully soon, we will elect a female president who is as qualified, intelligent, compassionate and capable as Hillary Clinton, and she will shatter the glass ceiling once and for all. When we do, I know that I, and many other Americans, will dedicate the victory to Hillary Clinton, who, in the face of a painful loss, gave the country strength and a million young girls hope.
I hold a profound amount of gratitude for Hillary, who fought for me, empowered me, and urged me not to give up hope on Nov. 9, even when I wanted to. I thank her for inspiring me to channel my grief into action, my tears into strength. Trump may be president, but she will always be my champion, and I am more proud to say that I’m with her — her love for America, her respect for Americans and her grace and strength — now than ever before.
