By: Victoria Marsala

Victoria Marsala — Sat, 12 Nov 2016 22:57:44 +0000

Now that we are post-election, we actually have some evidence of how it’s affected our nation, and some people’s reactions are nothing short of horrifying. The KKK is alive and well, victory marching through the streets after Trumps win, and there has been an outbreak of hateful crimes from his supporters (graffiti tagging of swastikas, the N word, etc. in public places and on people’s personal possessions, Muslim women having their hijabs ripped off, assaults and robberies, etc.). I don’t think I’ve ever felt more unrest or fear in our country than I do now (honestly I remember 9/11 but I don’t think it impacted me as much because I was too young to really process it), and the one thing that really has been getting to me, is people saying “I don’t get why everyone is so afraid, he really doesn’t have that much power,” or “give him a chance, it probably won’t be that bad,” or “everyone is so upset about this election, I hate how people get so worked up over politics,” mind you all of these people have been White. No, he doesn’t have a whole lot of power, but that isn’t what I’m afraid of; it’s the fact that his campaign and victory have attracted a certain demographic of people who now believe it is okay for their White Supremacist sentiment to resurface, and yes it is politics but the politics were VERY personal this time. Everyone who is afraid has every right to be afraid, because it feels like we’ve taken 20 steps back as a country, and all the things the people of the past have fought so hard to overcome are reemerging in a big (and terrifying) way. While all of this is very scary, I can honestly say that I still have a lot of hope. The sheer amount of people I have seen protesting, supporting people of color, the stories I have heard(nearly 300 students walking a girl from Baylor University to class after being called the N word), all give me hope. Love always trumps hate, and in the midst of everything I have seen so much love being spread to people of color, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, those with disabilities, etc. It warms my heart to see that so many people are not willing to sit idly by, and no matter what happens we will show solidarity with underrepresented communities.

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By: Victoria Marsala