Why I’m proud of the UCSB community after last night’s protests

We’re taking a stand against hate

 

I will admit I was never eager to watch the latests news on politics or excited to read articles uncovering political issues. But as this campaign ran for the past year and a half, it inevitably caught my attention. The beginning seemed like a joke, but we still had hope. As it continued, we began to get scared as candidates were dropping, and all of a sudden we were left to vote for one of the two major candidates on election day. Today, there are so many emotions to be felt for everyone in this country.

In the past 24 hours, I’ve read a number of posts and articles, I’ve watched a handful of videos, and I’ve observed some painful reactions. Through these sources, my mind and heart have been opened up in such a short amount of time. As I read a letter to supporters of Trump, I felt my heart literally ache. As I watched the video of Hillary’s supporters bawling as they watched the polls go up, I had chills running up and down my spine. As I heard my suitemate hold back her tears in our bathroom only to stop fighting and start crying, I formed my thoughts into prayers.

I am not writing to tell people they voted for the wrong person or to put my hate into words so that all my friends and family know I am against the results. I am writing to explain my heartache and pain. I was told that “him winning doesn’t even affect us,” or “my vote didn’t even count, California’s 75% Democratic anyway.”

After hearing these words from my friends, the only thoughts that ran through my head were, that’s not the point. I’m feeling grief from the fact that our country has elected a racist and sexist man to lead our land of the free. Nine year old kids are asking my sister, a teacher assistant, if their parents are going to get deported. I am devastated to know that parents are terrified as to what they’re supposed to tell their kids and that some of my friends are beginning to live out four years of pure worry and anxiety. 

However, as tough as this time is, I have already seen such unity and love within my small community at UCSB and back home. Watching people stand together in the Pardall tunnel, at Storke Tower, it’s hard not to feel a part of something special. Since last night, I have been a part of group chats sending out messages of pure love and the encouragement to reach out if anyone needs anything at all. I have watched Snapchat stories of students rallying through the campus together and participating in a safe protest for not only themselves, but for the people they love. I have scrolled and read through Instagram and Facebook posts advocating for all of us to keep our stand and just love.

In the midst of all of this, I am reminded of a quote by Mother Theresa that I stumbled upon in middle school but have found the true meaning as I write this today: “I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”

We have elected a new leder and it may be a chaos to many of us, but it is important to remember that we are still us. We have the ability to love and show each other respect, just as we did before and as much as we can do better from this day forward.

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