I know that America is fiercely divided, but inherently strong. Our country was built to withstand obstacles and continue to move on, stronger than before. This election divided an already separated country, but cannot break us.
While neither candidate was perfect, we, as a country, have made the decision to elect a new president. And while some may long to deny it, this is our reality today.
We, as a country will move forward.
It is what we are known for doing, and we must do so together.
There will never be someone that will completely and wholly represent each individual in such a colorful, opinionated and unique country such as the United States. It is not realistic. Only you can fully represent who you are. That is what makes electing one individual to represent so many millions of people so incredibly difficult.
What is realistic, is moving forward in as unified of a way as possible. This is a lot to ask of a country that can ignore the fact that the election was filled with words and actions of racism, sexism, sexual assault, lies, characteristics of bullying and trust issues.
As I said, neither candidate was perfect, nor was the process, but we elected a new president and now we must come together to move forward.
I know what I stand for:
- Respecting others who are different from myself through their race, religion, sexual orientation and background.
- Understanding others with views that are different from my own beliefs.
- Courage to accept that I am not always right.
- Ability to listen to each other and voices that are different from our own, and grow.
And finally, I hope and dream that we, as a country, can come together and move forward.
Move forward for ourselves, our families, our neighbors and those who live differently from us in a country that we all call our home.