In light of election day’s events, I would like to share my story for why I will always vote with an open mind and heart. My story starts in a high school and a town completely lacking diversity. For the most part, everyone from my town was the same. The same white middle-class family with conservative values because they never dared to step outside of the bubble. Living there my entire life, it was easy to get brainwashed because there was no exposure to race at all. It was so easy not to care about people of different races and sexualities struggling in our country because it was something that did not concern our little community.
When I got accepted to Carnegie Mellon University, I was reluctant to go because I knew the numbers, and I was afraid to face diversity head on. I chose to come to CMU because I was tired of living in the same town with same people every day of my life. This was the greatest decision I ever made, not because CMU is an excellent school, but because it has allowed me to meet so many different types of people. Coming from the bubble that surrounded my hometown, it was incredibly refreshing to meet people of different cultures, races, and backgrounds. With each person I met, I started to realized how sheltered from the world I truly was. The sad thing is, I think a lot of people live the way I did prior to coming to CMU. Coming here made me realize my values in life, and see that every human being deserves the same unending rights.
I see the Carnegie Mellon campus as a smaller scaled version of the United States of America. It is a melting pot, full of passionate people who are ready to pave their way in the world. One of the main reasons I think our country is so divided is because so many people in our nation stay in their bubbles and do not dare to venture out and meet new people. This is a probable cause as to why racism continues to thrive in our nation. America was supposed to be the melting pot of nations, but the melting never occurred. However, at CMU the melting took place. Engineers are friends with students in the humanities. Dramaturgies are friends with architects. Straight people are friends with gay people. Athletes are friends with artists. And students of all races are able to develop great friendships. If only America could the follow the example that CMU sets.
When November 8th came, I was worried. I was worried for my friends that I have made here in college. Believe it or not, CMU is a bubble too. A liberal bubble. We all believed that Hillary would win and that thick glass ceiling would be shattered. All human rights would be protected, not just people of a certain race, sexuality, or gender. When I went home to the suburbs of Pittsburgh to vote, I wanted to cry because every yard I drove past had a certain sign in front of it. A sign that would make my friends back at school tremble with fear because the rest of America was not with us.
This election has divided us as a nation. When I returned to school to watch the results, people were in disbelief and there were plenty of tears. Personally, I was angry and I still am because I believe most of the nation voted for a certain man out of hatred for a certain woman. I am not here to tell you how to vote because I respect this process and your right to vote as you wish, but I must say that I am disappointed by how hatred impacts the decisions we make as a nation. Most of all, I am heartbroken for my dear friends who represent the makeup of this country because they are under the understanding that their way of life is going to be threatened.
As you can tell, I voted for Hillary. However, I did not vote for her because she is a woman, I cast my ballot for her because she represents the diverse community that I now live amongst and love. As a liberal university, we were crushed on Wednesday. It felt like the end of the world, but all hope was not lost. As students walked to class on Wednesday, they were greeted with many large signs outside of the Purnell Center for the Arts that read: LOVE. Throughout the day, the voices of students peacefully protesting echoed throughout campus and it indicated that our voices will not be silenced. Most importantly, we will never fail to stand up for what we believe in.
The aftermath of this election may be worse than actual race itself. People are spreading hate. Friendships are being broken as a result of which candidate they voted for. American flags are being burned. Tears are being shed. Mockery is happening at full capacity. And people of different races, sexualties, and genders are being bullied.
If you are a Democrat, do not lose hope, but more importantly never do anything to disgrace this country such as burning the American flag. That is a true sin. We are Americans first and foremost, and our political parties should always come second. And do not provoke Trump’s supporters and tell them that they voted for the wrong candidate. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and you must respect theirs even if you do not share it. Do not wish that Donald Trump fails. You must remember that if he fails, so will the great country in which you live. Do not say that you are disgraced to be an American, this country will always be great, no matter who the president is.
If you are a supporter of Trump, do not mock, do not bully, and do not believe that you are superior because your political candidate won this race. Please take this time to respect the beliefs of others. Just think if this situation were reversed, you would be protesting as well. If you see Hillary’s supporters peacefully protesting, do not scoff and say that nothing will change because that is ignorant. They may not change the outcome of the election, but they can change something greater. These peaceful protestors will be the changemakers of our society. The thing is, we are more similar than we would like to admit.
The day after the election, students were chanting, “I will not hate. I will love. Love trumps hate.” I can only hope that one day this is something we will all be able to agree on. Just as we can agree that not all Trump supporters are uneducated and not all Hillary supporters are well educated. As a woman, Hillary frequently mentioned the idea of breaking the glass ceiling in relation to women’s rights, for hope that one day women will be treated as equals of men. While I strongly believe this is a priority, I think we need to strive towards something else. Something that will unite us all.
There is a statue on CMU’s campus of people of different ages, genders, and races walking towards the sky. This statue is the perfect representation of exactly what we need to do. Together, we must come together to face our future as one nation. Together we could represent a thriving middle class, a society where your gender does not determine your pay, and a world where every human being regardless of race, sexuality, or gender has equal rights; because those rights are human rights.
To Mr. Trump who will soon be president: I wish you the best and pray for your success. You are no longer representing the Republican party, rather you are representing America. Represent her well.
To my Madame President: Thank you for giving a voice to women. It is something you have fought for your entire life. I truly believe that you deserve to be the President in your lifetime. One day that ceiling will shatter, and I can only hope that you will get to see it happen.