It is one week since Donald Trump’s victory, and everything in my world is a little darker now. I am a senior in high school, not even old enough to vote. I live in California, a state that would proverbially explode if it turned any bluer on the electoral map. I am a woman, making me a member of one of the many groups of individuals that has been a victim of Donald Trump’s disrespect and denigration. I fear for the environment. I fear for the message that we are sending to our youth and to other countries, both allies and enemies, as a result of our choice.
But unlike some of the others who harbor similar feelings of resentment toward our President-elect, I do not have to fear being deported or separated from my family. I do not feel like there is a target on my back because of the color of my skin. I am not a member of the LGBTQ+ community who fears that I will be subject to newfound intolerance and harassment, or in some cases that my right to marriage will be revoked. Some of the things I do have, though, are morals, empathy, a passion for politics, and a firm belief in civil rights. And the knowledge that all of these things are very real fears for many of the people around me has shaken me to my core.
Each day I check the news, bracing myself for what I will read. Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook are flooded with personal accounts of people that have been physically and verbally assaulted by Trump supporters in the last four days alone. Through their actions (after a victory, mind you), Trump supporters have made their message loud and clear: All minorities are a glaring encroachment upon our newfound Trump-Land. Civil rights no more.