I believe in America. I believe in its promise of opportunity and its pledge of acceptance. This is a country not made for any one person from any one place or any one family. We do not have kings. We do not have lords.
I also believe in an America that has lost its way. Though once a nation on the path to correct its original and enduring sins, America has lost sight of its identity. It has traded aspirations of unity for celebrations of hostility, corrupting the very notions of patriotism it so proudly paraded for the better part of two centuries.
Somehow, I still believe in the American people. Perhaps this marks me as foolish. For months, I had allowed myself to believe that this nation was ready to look past gender and skin color to see the quality of a candidate. And many people were—clearly just not enough.
Maybe I am wrong to maintain this belief. Clearly there are tens of millions that do not care about facts when they are so entrenched in their feelings. I cannot and will not speculate what moves someone to knowingly vote for an autocrat. Nor will I extend the grace of claiming such actions stem from ignorance. Every voter knew precisely the nature of their candidate.
Despite everything, I still believe in America. I need to. I am confident this machine will keep turning. But that’s not what truly matters now. Many speculate that difficult times lie ahead for vast swaths of our population, and I find myself agreeing. Every vote sends a message, and a substantial portion of our people have made a hostile declaration. Whether through complicity or active involvement, they have signaled their acceptance of an unwelcoming and unsafe America. They have made it crystal clear: if you look different, speak different, or love different, this country is not for you.
This stance is not just absurd and disgusting—it is profoundly un-American. That is why we must do better. We must be better. We must make it abundantly and emphatically clear that authoritarianism has no place here. Hate has no place here.
In the coming days, check on your loved ones who face greater risks. Check on yourself. Beyond this, I confess my gameplan ends. I have no clear answers for how to accomplish our goals. Protesting works only under a receptive system of governance. Community organizing functions best when the community holds leverage. All I can say with certainty is this: we have a voice, and we have a platform. Let us use both to their fullest potential.
While I cannot predict with certainty what lies ahead, despite the insidious promises of the incoming administration, know this: this platform will remain steadfast as a space for community, resistance, and hope. Here, you will find a place to organize, to advocate, to demonstrate, and to be heard. When voices are threatened with silence, we will amplify them. When rights are challenged, we will defend them. When communities are targeted, we will stand with them. This is not just a promise—it is our unwavering commitment to the democratic principles.
Mr. Editor,
With all due respect, I believe that there’s a typo in your piece. You wrote “We do not have Kings” and “We do not have Lords”.
Correction: “We DID not have Kings”, and “We DID not have Lords”, is a better assertion.
The upcoming months and years, will reveal if indeed we remain a pluralistic, open, “Exceptional” nation or a proven Authoritarian, Fascist, Plutocracy.
Cheers.