COLUMN: President-elect Trump wins if creative minds stand on the sidelines
On Wednesday, the day after the Nov. 8 election, I witnessed tears, sadness and disbelief from some students on Central Michigan University's campus.
As a journalist and a woman, I took part in grieving the shocking results of Donald Trump being our next president. I was concerned for my own basic rights, as well as the rights of my friends.
The post-election blues have been hard for me to handle. I know the same is true for many others who were the targets of bigoted, racist, homophobic, and sexist rhetoric dished out by President-elect Trump during his campaign.
As a reporter and editor who contributed to election night coverage for Central Michigan Life. I had a job to do. I remained unbiased in my reporting.
Removing my own biases was my top priority. I took off my election night press pass at 5 a.m. on Nov. 9 and collapsed on my bed for a few hours of restless sleep. In those moments, my opinions were stronger than ever.
I spent the craziest election night in history interviewing multiple Democratic legislators in Detroit for what was dubbed as the Democratic Party Victory Center. Optimism turned to anxiety, then desperation, and then fear among Michigan Democrats and Hillary Clinton supporters from the city as a toxic republican was elected President of the United States.
I was more conscious than ever of my own anxieties about the future, determined still to keep my views from piercing the veil — the worst thing a field reporter can do.
I spent Wednesday going through the motions in a worried, sleep-deprived daze. I was experiencing the hopelessness that President Trump wants anyone not at the very top, with privilege and entitlement, to experience. I'm not letting him win anymore. Now my mind is clear. I am determined.
Instead, I’ll continue my work to make sure CM Life staffers are reporting on issues that matter in a fair, accurate way, with a persistence and drive reinforced by a Trump presidency.
If you are in opposition to Trump, you cannot stand by and act like you have no power, even after a man who doesn't respect you is elected to the nation’s highest office.
I will work harder than ever to make sure I am performing my diligence as a journalist, artist, poet and activist to overcome Trump's hateful and divisive presidency.
We must all do the same. Let's establish a creative movement of unity and inclusion before Trump takes office. Pick up a pencil, a paint brush, or your creative expression of choice and make yourself an agent of change.
Share it with the world, vent, and stop talking about moving to Canada.
Now is not the time to bow out of or leave while we try to build a better nation. By not expressing yourself, you are letting Trump win – again.
