Something someone was in the air on Nov. 6.
If you didnt know about the election, you mightve guessed that someone had died.
You wouldnt be too far off.
Detractors of President-elect Donald Trump protest against his policies in New York City on Nov. 9, 2024.Leonardo Munoz/AFP/Getty Images
At my all-girls high school, the atmosphere was apocalyptic.
Everyone, students and teachers alike, was at a collective loss for words.
A brown-haired girl near the front cried silent tears.
What was most disturbing was the dejection of it all.
WhenRoe v. Wadewas overturned, the halls had been filled with outrage.
They didnt have a primary.
They put forth a Black woman.
They didnt connect with the working class.
Only one party on the ticket attacked the status quo, and it was not the Democrats.
In the end,Kamala Harrisran on hope, and the majority of voters didnt want it.
In the days since the election, it has all soured in retrospect.
The Democrats historic campaign of joy has started to feel like one big folly.
The election was a loss, but we must remember that it is not the end.
Promises made, promises kept, he vowed.
Were going to keep our promises.
Well, Democrats lets keep ours.
Young people like myself are counting on it.
I was unable to vote this year.
But I phone-banked and volunteered with Democrat John Avlon, who ran forNew Yorks first congressional district.
We thought we were going to win but we lost badly.
Yet now is not the time to lay down our arms.
We must work even harder during the off years.
And when national politics seems like a lost cause, we must turn to the local arena.
Work from the bottom up.
The ground is shifting under us.
But when we can no longer trust the ground beneath us, we must turn to each other.
As Harris said in her concession speech, Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.
We are the stars.
We must keep fighting.
