The world has not ended, it has changed. I will admit that I was shocked as the results of the election began to trickle in, but I tried my hardest not to lose hope. Hope was the guiding light throughout President Obama’s eight years as our leader, and I refused to let that go. However, Secretary Clinton would go on to lose the election, and our hearts, minds and souls would go into a state of disbelief. I spent the better part of Wednesday angrily crying, thinking, tweeting and trying to remove this relentless feeling of darkness in my chest. I was, and still am, devastated about how our dear nation changed within a matter of hours. Being a proud Democrat, I naturally began to think of the negative repercussions that would affect millions of Americans. I thought of the healthcare that would be lost, the families that would be torn apart, the bitter relations with some of our foreign partners that would ensue and the progress that would be eroded in a matter of months. It was a dark state of mind.

 Before I went to bed on Wednesday, I watched President Obama’s speech on President-Elect Donald Trump’s victory, and I was humbled. I began to see the small breaches of hope peaking through the dark clouds above us. I remembered that throughout human history we have been faced with challenges that were sure to set us on the course for failure. Maybe this is just another battle in our quest for a democracy that is inclusive and respectful to all who pledge allegiance to her. I realized that we have to get back up, just like Secretary Clinton did time after time, and keep fighting for what is right. It serves us no justice to complain on social media about the hell that we may face come January 20. It serves us no justice to become pessimistic about our fate. It serves us no justice to sit in solemn silence and wait for the next election to oust our current elected officials. We have a constitutional and American responsibility to rise up and take on the challenge before us. President Obama would never have given up in the face of the greatest adversity of our lifetime.

 Never lose faith in the American values of freedom and justice for all. This is still our America, and we must shape it to be a more perfect union. We may be bruised, but we are not finished. I want everyone who is feeling defeated to know that we can still make a difference in this nation today and  beyond. We can demand an end to partisan districting in the House of Representatives, we can call for more equality and we can spread love to all those who hate us. This is not the time to sit back and become complacent or so demoralized that we have lost the will to fight. Everyday brings a new opportunity to take small steps to defend our freedom and give equality to those who lack it. I implore everyone to remember that we are “stronger together” and that “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” Like Secretary Clinton said, “our best days are still ahead of us,” and I believe that to be very true. Even through this painful time I will not stop fighting for those at the bottom because their suffering would have been in vain if I were to give up. We owe it to them to never lose hope.