“We will go on, be brave …”

(A daughter of mine wrote this on Nov. 9 …)

Yes, I cried. I cried for my sisters, my mother, my grandmother, my aunts, my cousins. I cried for the little girls who, on the morning of November 8, 2016, thought they might run for president some day.

I cry for the mothers who today have to explain to their daughters that we will not have a woman who will fight for them in the Oval Office. Today, I live in a world where I do not feel safe. I see a man with a “Make America Great Again” hat and I flinch. I fear that I, my friends, my family will be assaulted by those who voted for a hateful man because he made it acceptable for them to think the hateful thoughts in their heads. I live in fear because of the sheer number of people whose hate was validated on November 8, 2016. It’s not about the “man,” his ideas, his words; it’s about what his win represents. Millions of votes cast, each representing a person who thinks his thoughts, values his beliefs, and hates as he does.

But I won’t give up. As always, women will not give up. Minorities will not give up. We will fight, love, and care for each other. Those who came before us fought hard for our right to be included in elections such as these, and we will make them proud. Our voices were heard, and will continue to be heard.

We will not be silenced, we will not hate. We will do what we always do: go on, be brave, face the world. We will give the next generation of brave girls and women the strength to continue to fight for equality. We will give them hope and empowerment and make them believe that one day, nothing will be out of reach for them. And we will remember that we can survive this.