I woke up yesterday morning devastated. I was still in shock from Election Day. I couldn’t stop thinking about my stepdaughter, my son, and my future daughter, who’s half-baked in my uterus right now. I cried. And when my two-year-old son asked me, “Mama, what’s wrong with your face?” I explained to him that a very bad man became the leader of our country and that the fact that a very bad man was chosen over a very smart, capable Black and South Asian woman made Mama very sad. He gave me a “big hug and a big kiss” and told me it was time to get up now.
I wasn’t yesterday, but I’m ready to get up this morning. As Anne Helen Petersen wrote in her Substack , this is not 2016; it’s a lot worse. But that doesn’t mean we can give up. Now is the time to regroup and plan our next moves.
When they lost last election, they responded with panic and violence on January 6 and beyond. That’s not our style. We will respond with love and support. We will help our neighbors and those in need, and we will spread kindness wherever possible.
We will begin to organize and prepare for the 2026 election when we will start to vote more of our candidates back into office. We will join grassroots organizations to support bodily autonomy, refugees, and the LGBTQ+ community. We will support businesses owned by Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, Asian, and other people of color. We will continue to educate ourselves.
We will encourage those who voted for him to make noise when he doesn’t live up to his promises. We will call him and his party out when they step out of line.
It’s OK if you’re still crying in bed or eating candy by the fistful or doomscrolling. I’ve done all three in the past 24 hours. When you’re ready, let’s start building each other back up. This certainly isn’t the first time in history that our country has turned on women, but we can do everything in our power to make it the last.
We’ve got a snow day here in northern New Mexico, and right now my home feels quiet and cozy. May we continue to seek out the joyful moments in life, no matter how small.
