As a citizen of the United States and as someone who grew up there, hearing the results of the 2016 Presidential Election was very difficult for me. I spent that night crying in my living room alone, fearful of the events to come. I want to say for anyone who is a U.S. citizen as well who is a person of color, apart of the LGBTQ+ community (like I am), a woman (like I am), or any other minority, now is the time to protect and support each other. I previously wrote a short article on reaching out for support in times of distress, and I consider this a very important time to be reaching out for support. This is a scary and potentially dangerous situation for many people from the United States, but we can’t let fear drive us away from each other. To all the people from the U.S. who are affected deeply by the election results, I understand how you’re feeling right now and encourage you to reach out to others during this time. You’re not alone, and your feelings are valid.
To people who are not United States citizens, Canadians or otherwise, please reach out to support your American friends – especially if they are a minority of some kind. This is a very stressful and emotionally damaging time for us, and we need your protection and support now more than ever. There have already been reports of escalated attacks on minorities in the U.S. and for many of us, it feels like we are under attack from many Trump supporters (obviously not all, but a lot).
I don’t know what the future holds for the U.S. or its citizens, but all I know is that right now, many of us are feeling deep emotional pain and fear over this. Please support us, and support each other, during this time of significant distress. To stress my earlier point, you are not alone and your feelings are valid.
Written by Shelby Rogers