Dear Blue Dots
Dear Blue Dots,
A couple of months ago we were concerned about our own well-being in the hands of those sworn to protect and serve. A couple of months ago our parents silently wept and our frustration reached a boil, as another three souls were lost in the heat of police brutality. A couple of weeks ago we relished in the brilliance of our excellence, coinciding with the departure of one of the most genuine men to have ever graced the white house. A couple of days ago we were certain that Hillary Clinton—a candidate who admittedly was not the most popular option, but certainly the most qualified of the two contenders, for the position—would become the 45th president of the United States. Not by a slim margin, but by a total and complete onslaught. We were wrong.
On January 20th, 2017, Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States of America. As CNN political commentator Van Jones stated late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning, this was a “white-lash”. 63% of white men voted for Trump, 53% of White women, 67% of non-college-educated whites, 47% of… you get the point. Trump didn’t create the racial divide that we see today, he exploited it. And it worked. I don’t know how to feel. I’m angry that we are still victims of an outdated system. I am scared for my Muslim friends who have to worry about whether or not someone will attack them just for their religion. I am scared for the LGBTQ community, a group that for decades fought for equal marriage rights that now has to fear a vice president who has endorsed conversion therapy to treat homosexuality. This election shows how divided this country is, and I believe the next four years will be a testament to this division. Donald Trump is our president-elect. As a young African American male, I do not feel comfortable uttering these words. Millennials voted, and they voted blue. Blacks voted, and they voted blue. America voted, and they voted red. In aims to “Make America Great Again” they defaced the values that we as a nation stand for. We will not give up. We will hit the streets, we will make our voices heard. We will continue to vote. In 2018 I urge you to vote for your elected officials that will reassure the core values of the Land of the Free built by the oppressed. Trump ran a campaign that tapped into the baseless fears of the white America, but as a nation that continues to take a step forward we must do what it takes to not be silenced. We must challenge any threat to our constitutional freedoms. We must stand tall in confidence and perseverance, not sulk in the ignorance of others. Change cannot be made if we do not do anything.
Moving towards greatness,
Keanine Griggs, 20