United We Stand

As someone who typically vows to keep politics off her social media, I feel a bit hypocritical for sitting down to write this. But as a human being, and as someone whose core values centre around equality and civil rights, I feel compelled to speak on the subject.

I am still heartbroken. Not because “my party lost” or because “the Republicans are taking power,” but because of the millions of people whose lives will be affected by a Trump presidency. This election was not a matter of Republican versus Democrat or even Donald Trump versus Hillary Clinton, but a test of our morals. And it pains me to know that we failed — miserably. After so much progress over the past couple of years (such as breaking the racial barrier in electing our first African-American president or legalizing same-sex marriage), we have single-handedly hurled ourselves back years in terms of civil rights.

This was an election where we could not afford to be selfish. We had to think not just of our own safety and interests, but of the safety of our fellow Americans. And I sit here and I wonder, “what on earth is this going to teach our children?” By electing Donald Trump as the forty-fifth president of the United States, we are not only telling our children that is okay to bully, to mock, to slander, and to hate our neighbors — but that they can achieve greatness by doing so. The President of the United States is the spokesperson for America and the role model for so many young people whether we like it or not, and in electing Donald Trump, we’re telling the world that this is America, and that this behavior is acceptable.

But that is not what America is to me. Donald Trump wishes to “make America great again” by ridding our nation of the one thing that made it great in the first place: diversity. If there is one thing I have always cherished about this country, it’s the diversity we have here. I love meeting and seeing people of different cultures and backgrounds intermingle with one another in a peaceful manner. Our diversity is what makes us strong. And the fact that Donald Trump cannot see that saddens me. He ridicules and dehumanises minorities to horrific stereotypes which have only further dived the United States of America. By wanting to deport over 11 million undocumented immigrants or in wanting to ban Muslims from entering the United States, he is denying so many people the freedom and opportunity the stars and stripes represent. He is putting an end to the “American dream” for those who so desperately need hope to cling on to. I have always loved how America is regarded as a beacon of hope and opportunity to those around us. It speaks volumes to me that people are willing to leave everything behind, some even willing to risk their lives, just to live in the United States. Unfortunately, it speaks volumes more when people like Donald Trump slander immigrants who are only trying to make a better life for themselves and/or their families.

I remember my mother telling me there was no way Donald Trump would ever be elected. The thing about my mother is that she’s an eternal optimistic; always seeing the best in mankind. And I believed her. I didn’t think people could possibly be so blind and ignorant to elect a racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic fear-monger with zero political experience. And while, yes, I was aware of how many people hated Hillary Clinton, I never thought it was enough to allow a man like Donald Trump to take the presidency.

This election was extremely personal to me, just as it was to so many others. I would often laugh when people asked, “Seriously, Marina, why don’t you like Trump?” Despite how obvious the answer was, I would always begrudgingly reply, “Well, I’m a woman, I’m Latina, I was raised by a single mother, and I come from a lower middle-class family. Trump has nothing to offer me.” But this election was not just about me. It was about my friends and my fellow Americans whose lives would be drastically altered if Donald Trump became president. Trump, a man whose Vice President wants to enact electroshock conversion therapy in hopes of turning gay Americans straight; a man who condones water boarding and the torture of the wives and children of our enemies’ for information; a man whose misogyny can be summed up by his infamous statement of “grab them by the p*ssy;” a man who believes all Mexicans are criminals and rapists; a man endorsed by the KKK, the Neo-Nazis, and the dictator of North Korea; a man who wants to ban an entire religion; a man whose rallies incited violence; a man who believes building a wall will solve our problems; a man who bullies his opponents; and a man who has no answer for any of the ridiculous plans he’s spoke of. This election was not personal to me just because of my Mexican heritage, because of my gender, or because of my socioeconomic status. This election was personal to me because I have compassion for all human beings — especially those not “cut out” to live in Donald Trump’s heinous version of America.

With that being said, I do not necessarily believe that all of his supporters are inherently bad people. I’ve learned that there are two kinds of Trump supporters. The first, of course, are the ones who support and voted for him solely because of his sickening hateful rhetoric. The second, and equally frightening, in my opinion, are those who acknowledge that the comments he’s made are morally wrong and insist they don’t condone it, but are willing to put aside all the hateful things he’s said simply because “he’s a wealthy businessman.” I’m astounded by the fact that people have the ability to turn a blind eye to such things when they are well aware that what is being done and/or said is wrong. But then again, this is unfortunately, not a new chapter in our history books.

I do not know what these next four years hold, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified. But what I do know is that we cannot allow someone as ignorant and bigoted as Donald Trump to defeat us. To all those he has scapegoated, to my Latinx, Muslim, POC, LGBTQ+, immigrant, and female friends: I love you. You are all beautiful and you are all important no matter what Donald Trump has to say about you. You are stronger than any of this, and you will rise above. Because if there is one thing I have learned, it’s that no matter the case, love is always stronger than hate. So be who you are, and be proud of it.

Express your sexuality more than ever. Express your culture more than ever. Express your religion more than ever. Be exactly who you are, and be louder and more unapologetic about it than ever. Because at the end of the day, all that really matters is that you are kind to one another, and that you are kind to yourself.

Marina Cortez is a Spanish language major at Old Dominion University. When not in school, she spends her time writing novels, essays, poetry, and lyrics. She is an activist for equality, and received the Frederick Douglass and Susan B Anthony Award in Humanities and Social Sciences for her dedication to civil rights. Her hobbies include writing, photography, and makeup artistry. You can find Marina at wattpad.com/user/unorthodoxxx