A Letter to the President

Congratulations. Trump won the presidency. If he is a man of his word then "America will be great again", but a country that has been built by slaves and thrives on the mass incarceration and oppression of minorities hasn't ever been great. It will never be great until we realize this truth and actively work against it. 

Working against the infinite number of systemic inequities in America will be a difficult task, but I am confident that we will rise.

I'm currently afraid. I feel weak. But I will not lie down on my back and allow the morals I cherish to break down. I am sitting in a room surrounded by people who are crying because we fear that the systematic oppression and inequity that we already face as people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and adolescents will increase because of this election. I feel weak. I feel scared. But I know that I will continue to fight back. I know that my peers will continue to fight back.

I will fight back by no longer tolerating the people who threatened to come out to the streets with guns if you didn't win and protect their white, cisgender selves. These are types of people that have historically threatened, oppressed, and trampled over others, even if some couldn't do it economically. We will no longer tolerate their selfish and destructive hatred. 

We will fight you, but we will not use violence. I will not tell you to "fuck yourself". We will not stoop down to your level and abandon the morals that we believe make America, or any country for that matter, great. We will treat others with respect. 

We will be strong, courageous, and resilient. We will continue to push for diversity, equality, and representation. We will value difference. We will paint the walls of our spaces with images of strong women so every girl knows that she's beautiful. We will sing songs that connect us back to our roots whether their Pan-African, Asian, Latinx, or European ones. 

We will fight for our rights. We will fight for what is right. We will hold up our heads and protect our peers, brothers, sisters, and families. We will succeed.  

We are not fighting you, Mr. Trump. We are fighting the injustice that has existed in our country since its founding. We are fighting the oppressive and ignorant people who have been around long before you stepped onto that stage and announced your presidency. I have lived in this oppressive culture for sixteen years, a fraction of the time it has existed. I believe that it's time for a real change.