Dread. Embarrassment. Determination.
I feel dreadful regarding the results of this election because I know America’s future, my future, is not as bright and secure as it should be.
I am embarrassed by Donald Trump’s victory because I know the rest of the world is watching the United States wondering how we let this happen.
However, I am now more determined than ever to fight the consequences that come with a Trump presidency and to never let this happen again.
As Americans, we allowed a racist, sexist reality TV star with zero experience take the highest position of leadership in our country. We decided to let a more-than-capable woman, with 30 years of experience in politics, lose against that man.
Nov. 9, 2016 is not a day I will forget easily. It was a day that I shed many tears once I saw Hillary Clinton lose Florida. It was a day I had to console my friends far and near about the results, even though I was feeling no better myself. Nov. 9 was the day that I heard my former high school had students screaming “white power” down its hallways.
As an 18-year-old black woman with foreign parents, currently seeking a college education, Nov. 9 was the worst day of my life.
By electing Trump, Americans opened the door for dangerous ideologies and rhetoric. By electing Trump, those Americans who had previously hidden their racist and sexist thoughts now feel that it is okay to express them. They now see that if an ignorant man can be elected president without consequences, then they can speak their mind without consequences.
The dread I felt after Trump was elected is not a feeling that will go away, not even in four years when we can elect a new president. The fear I felt that someone would harass me while I walk around campus is one that will not disappear regardless of where I am.
Some say to give Trump a chance, that perhaps he might make a great president.
However, my only question is this: When did Trump give Hispanics a chance when he called them rapists? When did Trump give Muslims a chance when he said he wanted to ban them from entering the country?
There is not a point in his campaign that Trump gave them a chance. Therefore, I will never give him a chance. I will never consider him my president.
All those votes that placed Trump in office are all votes against me.
