Fearful Yet Not Defeated by the Election Results

It was a very somber day at Towson University the day after the election. The weather fit the mood of the students. There were clouds in the sky, it rained on and off, and the air was chilly.  As I walked into my first class on Wednesday, there were a few people missing and conversations were hushed. My journalism professor couldn’t bear to talk about the election coverage because she was too upset. The most heartbreaking moments I witnessed where the ones that some students shared at the Latin American Student Organization or LASO; I heard students share the fear of being women in the workplace, being homosexual, and I heard students share their fear of their loved ones or themselves being deported.

There has been heavy tension among the students. A tweet by Shaun King brought to light just one of the few instances where people have been attacked.

 

President Schatzel sent out an email to the student body announcing that they have launched an investigation in an effort to find the students responsible for the harassment.

There are many different movements that show how enraged people are that Trump won. Many jokes throughout the campaign made by many people including several celebrities that they would move to Canada if Trump were elected. The night of the election Canada’s immigration website  crashed. This is just one of the few instances that show American’s rage .There are also several petitions to impeach the president-elect as well as a petition for California to secede from the United States.

Hashtags such as “I’m still with her” and  “Love trump hates”  are just a couple of the few hashtags that people have used all over social media to protest Trump’s future presidency. There have also been many anti-Trump protests occurring nationwide; including one that happened in our very own area. People marched to the Inner Harbor and to the M&T Bank to protest Trump.

The scariest part for Dreamers is Trump’s threat to “immediately terminate President Obama’s two illegal executive amnesties” as well as increase deportations. It has been estimated that 11 million undocumented immigrants could face deportation if Trump follows through with his threats. However great the fear, Dreamers have still not given up. The hashtag “Here to stay” was trending on Twitter the night of the election. Many tears have been shed at the speculation of what Trump will try and do the millions of undocumented residents but one thing is clear among these unique group of students: They are not afraid to fight back.

One student at Towson’s LASO club said we need to be the generation that fights back. We need to be the next police officers, lawyers, and government officials because that is where we win this fight. Unfortunately, the riots have begun. People are burning American flags in the streets and making death threats towards Trump and his supporters. This is not the way to fight back. If we fight back in this manner we are proving them right.

LASO has planned a walk out this coming Monday, November 14th at noon.  Join the many students against Trump’s hatred, racism, homophobia, and misogyny. Let’s walk out of buildings, libraries, classrooms and stand together in Freedom Square to show that we do not support hate among our community.

Despite the prejudice and racism that is happening among the country, there is hope. Six different women have made history. Nevada elected Catherine Cortez Masto to the Senate making her the first Latina senator in U.S history. Kamala Harris was also elected to the senate making her the second Indian and African-American women  to serve in the U.S Senate. Stephanie Murphy defeated a 23-year old Republican incumbent and will be serving in Congress as the first Vietnamese-American woman in history. Oregon elected Kate Brown as the first openly LGBT governor. Former refugee Ilhan Omar was elected as the first Somali-American Muslim female legislator and Pramila Jayapal is the first Indian-American women to hold a a seat in the House of Representatives.  These women are our role models. We have to continue in their footsteps by taking advantage of all our educational resources, peacefully protesting and supporting one another in this tough time.

  

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