Editorial: Students must continue to fight for equality, inclusivity

Voters across the nation elected Donald Trump to the presidency Tuesday, along with a Republican-controlled Senate and House of Representatives. This government looks bleak for many, but we cannot let the results disillusion us from the American dream.

The UCLA community, which voted heavily for Hillary Clinton according to the Daily Bruin’s exit polling, turned its shock into anger early Wednesday morning as more than 1,000 students marched into Westwood Village to demonstrate against the election.

We are just as shocked as the rest of the community. Jokes aside about moving to Canada or giving up on our democracy – we cannot afford to jump ship at the prospect of disappearing social progress.

The viability of the American dream has been undercut by a history of exclusion, both violently and legally enforced. Tuesday night was a tragic defeat for many fighting to make it fairer and more inclusive. Now, more than ever, students must engage with the political system and motivate our generation and the next to do the same.

Repercussions will resonate around the world, even in true blue California. Already, Trump’s rhetoric has generated anxiety and panic among minorities. He has threatened to make more than 3,000 undocumented students at the University of California and California State University face deportation. His running mate’s position on gay and transgender rights will make thousands of queer students wonder if they will be barred from businesses and bathrooms. A greater number of hate crimes will threaten thousands of Muslim students – a trend the community already experienced in 2015. And black students will wonder if all their efforts to persuade others that their lives matter have been wasted.

There is no way to list every insult Trump has levied against various marginalized communities. His victory shows a worrying movement against these communities, particularly in states that turned red election night. Students showed their outrage, and they must continue to express that passion and channel it into change.

Political undulations are what make democracy successful, and those who are appalled by what took place Tuesday night must inevitably swallow what the country decided. If we are to truly pay homage to those who have fought for our democratic and political rights, however, we must fight even harder now for the values and principles that we believe will bring the country forward.

While the 2020 election – or even the 2018 midterm election – seem distant opportunities to make this change, students must keep the political energy strong. A lot must change if we are to change the electoral map in the coming years – the political and social divisions that enabled Trump’s victory must be repaired. While the personal welfare of many is at stake over the next four years, it is only by expressing solidarity between us all that we can hope to achieve security and justice for everyone in this country.

The dream that these United States will stand for all of us is not dead.