It’s been about a week since America made an irreversibly bad decision in choosing Donald Trump as the next President of the United States. In this time he’s began to settle into his new power, and choose his cabinet. But we shouldn’t settle.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances” (Bloom p. 81).
In the wake of Trump being elected, marches and protests have done a lot to shed light on what a bad choice he was, and the Constitution gives us the right to assemble/protest. No matter how much the right wing media tries to say otherwise, you have that right and no one can take it away from you. So grab some friends, make a sign, and join a march to take full advantage of your rights. However safety should always be your first priority, so stay out of violence, and if you see something say something.
For all the introverts out there, one way you can make your voice heard is by writing. Whether it be a 140 character tweet or a 500 word think piece, your words are powerful. Following the election more and more publications (Including Affinity!) are looking for pitches, so don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Writing in general is a therapeutic way to channel your emotions into something, even if you’ll be the only one seeing it.
Regarding the election it’s self, there is one thing we can do as a last ditch effort to keep Trump from being sworn in. The Electors of the Electoral College don’t officially cast their vote until December 19th, which gives the ones planning to vote Trump time to change their mind. You can contribute to this effort by emailing your electors who voted for Trump, and make your case as to why they should change their vote. 15 states that Trump won that don’t have any laws keeping the electorates with the winner are: Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.
“We lived through times when hate and fear seemed stronger;
We rise and fall and light from dying embers, remembrances that hope and love last longer”
-Lin-Manuel Miranda
