Over the past eight years, I’ve watched the political climate in our country reach far beyond the confines of public policy. 

America has relied on immigrants to lay down our railroads, build our cities, and establish some of today’s largest corporations. Yet we continue to tolerate and even encourage the xenophobic rhetoric from our nation’s leaders. Women may dedicate their lives to their careers, overcoming generational barriers, yet still find themselves second to men. And all that they’ve accomplished—through determination and sacrifice—will be questioned, belittled, and dismissed. 

I am the granddaughter of immigrants; I am an Indian woman. Born just seven months too late to vote in the 2024 presidential election, I trusted the adults who are supposed to protect future generations to vote with empathy, humanity, and vision. Success is the equal result of hard work and also sheer luck. If you are one of the few whose life is untouched by the outcomes of this election, remember just how lucky you are. You did not work for the privilege of being born in this country, being able-bodied, being heterosexual, or being a man. You were lucky. Not everyone shares that reality. But that doesn’t make us any less American or any less deserving of protection from our governing body.

My heart is heavy for the millions of women who are no longer autonomous in their reproductive rights. The women who found that, despite their collective power and volume, their trauma falls on deaf ears. For the first time in my life, I am no longer reading about the tragedies of the past that have written our history. I am living them. We are witnessing that our rights can be taken away if we do not actively defend them. The Constitution, our most sacred document, was written to safeguard our freedoms. Yet we continue to give the elite unchecked power, allowing them to place themselves above the rule of law. We generalize entire groups of people as criminals while failing to hold our own elected officials accountable. Defaming those who disagree with you, fostering division, and devaluing diversity has never, and will never, reflect the spirit of democracy. 

We are living in a time of war, economic turmoil, distrust, and uncertainty. Although Chicago is a largely progressive urban area, even here tensions are high. The border crisis and high costs of living are visibly apparent in the state of our city. It’s natural to find fault in our current leadership. We want to see action and change. And it’s our right to be vocal for it. My parents have worked hard to give my brother and me the life that we have. I would never wish hardship upon anyone who, just like them, has admirably provided for themselves and their families. But as we consider our own interests, I hope we don’t lose sight of our humanity. I hope we can resist the temptation to turn to false promises of prosperity from violence and division at the expense of our friends and family.

Now is not the time for your apathy either. Take the time to care, learn, and grow. I hope that, together, we can vow never again to succumb to hatefulness and repression in the name of politics. I hear and understand the frustrations of this country. I feel it too. I also have faith in the power of knowledge—and in my generation’s ability to use it. 

We should find solace in knowing that, in the broader sense, we all share the same goal. I look forward to a better America. One in which we not only respect each other, but are deserving of that respect.