I watched the election results roll in from the edge of my seat at the Bench, a space in New York City where culture and politics collide. Surrounded by political strategists, content creators, and journalists, I felt like each state being called was a new cut that wouldn’t stop bleeding. The excitement in the room quickly turned to concern, and then to disbelief, as the race began to tilt toward former President Donald Trump. Now, with Trump officially declared the president-elect, that feeling has only intensified.
For me, what’s perhaps more troubling than Trump’s win itself is how we ended up here, having already been through Trump’s first presidency, his 2020 campaign, his 34 felony indictments, his two impeachments, and his one conviction. A Trump victory isn’t just an outcome of an election, it’s a wakeup call that has been ringing since 2016.Â
It’s easy to assign blame after an election. As a journalist and an advocate for press freedom, I’ve seen people point to specific failures of the Harris campaign’s messaging, or to the news sources and algorithms that now shape our political discourse. And those are valid critiques, though, from a media studies standpoint, it’s much bigger than that: The vanishing role of traditional media, replaced by an over-reliance on platforms like YouTube and TikTok as news sources, has created a profound challenge in reaching and informing voters. The growing gender divide in these audiences has given rise to a political reordering, one in which traditional media structures fail to reach a rapidly evolving electorate. Trump didn’t just embrace these shifts; he dominated them, as shown with his performance in rural areas, battleground states, and his gains with voters of color.Â
As a young woman of color, I know people like me may feel more politically disillusioned than ever.
But even after breaking all this down, that’s just from a media POV. There is truly so much at play that has gotten us to where we are — from the state of the U.S. economy to the country’s involvement in foreign affairs — that it can almost feel too big even comprehend, let alone try to fix.
So, the question is, where do we go from here?
As a young woman of color, I know people like me may feel more politically disillusioned than ever. It’s tempting to disconnect and disengage — the thought of continuing the fight for our fundamental human rights against plans like Project 2025 is exhausting, particularly for those who have come of age in an era where Trump has dominated the political stage for almost a decade. Many of us feel as though we’ve spent our entire adult lives reacting to crises, witnessing the rise of extremism, and, at times, being told that democracy itself may be slipping away. But we have to keep working — and we can.
The key is to start small. State and local elections, community organizing, and local policy advocacy are the bedrock of sustained political progress. Take elections: They shape policies on issues we face daily, from local economic policy to solutions to the climate crisis. While it may feel like the progressive momentum of the presidential election went to waste, it actually caused significant impact, like helping pass measures protecting abortion in seven states. This is huge, and shouldn’t be overlooked.
The belief that we can’t save everything doesn’t mean we have to stand by as it all burns to the ground.Â
For grassroots organizers and activists like myself, it’s no question that we will continue to wake up every day committed to effecting change on the local, state, and national levels, no matter who occupies the Oval Office. So, as we prepare for a second Trump presidency, I urge you to stay active and alert — talk about the issues you care about, build trust within your community, engage in local policy decisions by holding your lawmakers to account, and ground yourself in facts.Â
Autocracy thrives when the electorate is exhausted. It relies on our collective fatigue, on the cynicism that tells us there’s no point in trying. Right now, it might feel easy to disengage, to tune out, to convince ourselves that our voices don’t matter in the face of what feels like an unstoppable tide. But apathy is exactly what enables authoritarianism to flourish. The belief that we can’t save everything doesn’t mean we have to stand by as it all burns to the ground.Â
Our communities are worth fighting for. I know I, for one, will continue to fight like hell. I hope you join me.
Pratika Katiyar is an activist, winner of the Her Campus e.l.f.ing Amazing 22 Under 22 Awards, and was named one of Glamour magazine’s College Women of the Year.