24 Hours of Post-President-Elect Trump America
Note: I’m not in the States at the moment — I’ve been watching the months leading up to the election, the vote, and the consequences unfold from abroad thanks to social media and streaming live tv.
I am horrified and ashamed and sad and scared.
It’s not just about Hillary losing and mourning the positive impact her policies would have made and not getting our first woman president. It’s not because my “team lost”.
I am very concerned and afraid for my fellow Americans and people around the world. The hate and fear and anger that motivated many people to vote for Trump has been validated and unleashed.
True, it’s not all of America — but his misogyny and racism and xenophobia and homophobia resonated with millions nationwide. “Make America Great Again” primarily meant one thing: great again for white men, and at the expense of many, many people.
Think of how you can help and protect others.
Think about your own words and actions.
As the MTA says: if you see something, say something.
Don’t be a bystander. Don’t be silent.
We need you, we need each other.
These are not my stories. This is a selection of posts from our fellow Americans that I’ve read in the past 24 hours.
So I am downtown and a group of white dudes are looking at a woman wearing a dress standing alone minding her business. We all get not he subway. When she walks past the group, one of the men yells grab her by the pussy. One of the dudes literally then tried to touch the woman inappropriately. The woman yelled and the guys laughed. A group of people and I literally there the 3 dudes off the subway at the Wood Street.
I don’t want to speak hate or be spiteful but man I’m in tears! I have been rushing around all night and my last stop was at speedway! I ran in and wasn’t paying attention to anyone! As I was running back to my car I heard some guys yelling but didn’t turn around! Then I heard them yell yeah we are talking to you nigger go back to Africa Trump doesn’t want you here! I stopped and turned but realized saying something wouldn’t change anything. With my hands shaking and tears burning my eyes I got in my car and headed home! Now as I scroll down tl my tears can’t stop. There is so much hate and people I thought I knew saying so many derogatory…
At York Tech High School in York, Pennsylvania, white students openly marched with Donald Trump signs and chanted “white power.”
Black students were called nigger
Asian students called japs.
Latino students threatened with deportation.
Young men openly grabbed the breasts of young women because Donald Trump said he does it.
Hey guys, so today my sister went to school and the first thing she heard was “I can do anything now because I’m white” and to top things off is three kids told her “goodbye” because she’s “getting deported.” Things got so bad that my mom went up to the school to sign her out, she had been crying and so pissed off.
Muslim student brutally assaulted by two Trump supporters in Louisiana. Hijab ripped off.
Placed on their car in NC:
“Can’t wait until your ‘marriage’ is overturned by a real president. Gay families = burn in hell. Trump 2016”
A day after the elections and this already happens (strong language below):
After work here in good ol Bloomington, Indiana, me, a black woman trying to cross the street to go to a store got approached by white men in a truck. As they sped their truck up to me, they rolled their window down and yelled “Fuck you nigger bitch. Trump is going to deport you back to Africa.”
This just happened less than 24 hours after America voted Trump for president. 24 hours… in my 33 years of life, I’ve never had blatant racism shown to me than in that moment. So if those that say racism is a thing in the past, I’ll be sure to tell you about my experience and the other experiences that other minorities will face in the upcoming days, weeks, months, to come. I teach my kids respect and love, but a new day has come and now the “true” Americans will show their true colors.
Today in Venice Beach someone from behind a fence sprayed me and another pedestrian of color with a hose until we were forced to walk on the other side of the street. At the time, I was in complete shock and just tried to get away from the water. Afterwards I sat on a bench in my wet coat and bawled.
I’ve walked past this fence hundreds of times. It is in my neighborhood. It made me realize how many white people feel they can openly express their bigotry without fear now.
This morning at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Muslim students found “Trump” scrawled on the door of their prayer room, realizing that our campus is not immune to the bigotry that grips America.
We awoke on November 9th to a chilling wakeup call. And as we open our eyes and start to move and organize in the face of these new realities, we ask for your support.
San Diego State University student walking to her vehicle when 2 males made comments about President-Elect Trump and the Muslim community confronted her and grabbed her purse and backpack. They removed her car keys before fleeing the area. The victim left the area to contact the police. When police arrived on scene, her vehicle was missing. She was uninjured. The investigation is ongoing into the hate crime, robbery, and vehicle theft.
“Go Back to Africa Nigger.”
Yelled at a Black woman in Washington State. My friends know this dear woman well.
High School in Central FL:
“Y’all black people better start picking your slave numbers. KKK 4 Life. Go Trump.”
Principal in Pennsylvania admits white students were chanting:
Cotton Picker, You’re a Nigger, Heil Hitler.
In Philadelphia:
Sieg Heil, Trump, and swastikas on windows of a local store.
Yesterday during lunch at Royal Oak Middle School in Royal Oak Michigan white students loudly chanted BUILD THE WALL, BUILD THE WALL.
This is what happens when Donald Trump is elected president — even young students force their bigotry on their classmates now.
A woman woke up with her SUV tagged with “Trump” and “Black Bitch”
“My mom literally just texted me, ‘don’t wear the hijab, please,’” wrote a Twitter user named Jannatin. “And she’s the most religious person in our family.”
Some snapshots from a surreal day working with elementary school kids:
-a 5 yo boy beaming at me as he asked how to spell “love” and “president” so he could write “I love president trump” on his paper….so we talked about how special it is that we get to pick our own president.
-an 8 yo girl very matter-of-factly telling me she wasn’t happy or sad but just really hoped our new president would make sure America was safe and that everyone would get along, while her classmate said he didn’t know how he felt….so we talked about what it means to have “mixed feelings” and that it’s ok to be in the middle.
-a 10 yo boy saying he was sad and scared because some of his friends were saying mean things about people who supported HRC and other friends were saying there was going to be a world war 3…so we talked about how it’s okay to have different opinions from your friends as long as you respect each other. We discussed what it means to be “optimistic” and ways to think positively even when something worries us.
I didn’t really know how to handle my kids’ innocent but complex feelings, so I did my best to encourage them to celebrate their freedom of choice, stick to their beliefs, and practice optimism in the face of the unknown.
At times today I found it truly challenging to maintain my composure. It’s hard to project neutrality and optimism when you are inwardly seething and scared. But kids will soak up whatever messages and values we convey, whether intentionally or not, so the onus is on us to make sure they’re good ones. I for one believe we can show our kids that we are bigger than the divisiveness and fear that currently define our country.
If your work or school or organization is making space for you to share your truths and process your perspectives today, give thanks. Revel in expressing yourselves. Create opportunity for others to do the same. Don’t take it for granted. Do make the most of it.
Signed,
A desperately sad first-generation immigrant Jewish woman slogging through the day in a well-meaning but ultra professional environment that has not so much as acknowledged that an election took place last night
Never forget: there are so many things we can do on a daily basis, with our actions and words, and to support those who need it.
I wanted to post this link to end on a note of taking action and giving support — it’s the first resource I saw and potentially not the best.
I am trying to find ways to do what I can to help my country be better and safer for everyone — today, tomorrow, and in the future.
