In Darkness, There is Always Light

When it all unfolded, my first reaction was disbelief.

Now, after two days of processing, reading peoples responses, listening, Ive realized something that makes me even more sad than the terrifying outcome of this election: Those impacted most by it were, in fact, not nearly as shocked and surprised that a hate-mongering, racist, misogynistic bigot and bully was elected for what perhaps is the most powerful position in the entire world. These people - people of color, Muslims, ethnic and sexual minorities, trans-people - have seen their safety, rights, civil liberties and entire humanity trampled and violated time and time again by individuals, institutions, laws and policies that favor those who already hold power and privilege at the expense of those whose rights need protection the most. It saddened me even more to realize that the society Trump represents has been every-day reality for millions and millions of Americans all along. And now, it has been validated, accepted, even rewarded.

There have been articles and posts on social media, lamenting the result of the election but calling for unity and support for the president-elect. Ive heard this rhetoric before. Its the same language that was used by political leaders in my country of birth, Finland, when the nationalist right wing movements started gaining more ground here, as in all of Europe.There was talk about how the two extremes needed to be open to dialogue and discussion - one extreme being violent racist Neo Nazis, and the other extreme being those who stand up against such hatred, racism and violence. If standing up for basic human rights and equality of all people is extremism, then call me an extremist.

We do not need to come to terms with this. We do not need to show our support, or be team players, or be reasonable at the face of such horrifying victory of hate, misogyny, intolerance and - lets be honest here - white supremacy. We do not need to show our respect to the president-elect, because he has done absolutely nothing to deserve it. We do not need to be open for dialogue with the opposing side or be open-minded to differing views. This win for Trump was a win for everything we have to stand up against and continue to oppose, more loudly now than ever before. And most importantly, we need to keep lifting each other up, finding our communities, building small streams of resistance in the places and spaces we occupy until those streams turn into rivers, and rivers into waves strong enough to turn the tide of bigotry and hate. Because in the middle of all of this darkness, there are glimmers of light that can and will shine through even a storm as dark and scary as this. So find those glimmers, and let them fill you up until the light overflows from you to others - let it spread and overpower all this intolerance and hate, bigotry and racism.

Ive found many glimmers of hope already. From the secret Facebook community, Pantsuit Nation, with now over 3,2 million members all sharing stories of inspiration and hope, resistance and change, propping each other up without pushing anyone else down in the process. This group has been filled with so much support and love, unity and tolerance, that it has become a sanctuary and safe haven for literally millions of people.

I found strength and inspiration from my friend and former colleague Becky, who wrote:

So no, I will not apologize for any of the words I have used to describe Trump supporters. And while he will be my president, I will not unite in support of him. But I will fight for the rights of other marginalized people. And I will donate to causes that I believe in. And I will work for social justice in my personal and professional life. And I will raise children who know of the importance of empathy and fighting for what's right. And I will do whatever I can to ensure that the mid-term election doesn't look like this.

I am energized by my friend Andrea, who tirelessly campaigned for Hillary Clinton in Nevada, inspiring especially other Latina women behind her and rallying votes and supporters for Hillary:

And by Sandy, who has been a fierce activist and organizer working for economic and social justice, building real resistance and change from the ground up. I find light in all the amazing young women who I get to work with through Girls Globe , who raise their voices against injustice and intolerance from every corner of the world every day. Lauren , who fights for sexual and reproductive rights. Joanna, a social justice warrior who said:

#whitesupremacy , #racism and #sexism won but no matter how many times you keep saying I don't matter, you fuel my fire to keep fighting for love, for peace, for social justice, for my fellow brothers and sisters.

And the bright shining stars of this election: Ilhan Oman , who was elected in Minnesota as the first Somali-American legislator in America; Catherine Cortez Masto , the first Latina Senator in U.S.; Kamala Harris , the first Indian American Senator and Californias first African American Senator; and Tammy Duckworth , first Thai American Senator. The glass ceiling may not have been broken on Tuesday, but it definitely got many more cracks - and the light is shining through. Perhaps one of these women will be our first female president?

These voices have always been strong, and now they are even stronger. Find strength in your echo chamber and let it amplify your voice until it gets strong enough to break out and reach masses outside of your immediate circle. Find those who are willing to take your hand and march side by side with you, even when the road ahead is unknown.

We do not need to come to terms with what has happened. We do not need to accept it, or deal with it, or unite behind our new President. We can and must keep fighting against the things he has stood for, things he has said and done, things he will attempt to do as President. We are not the extreme here - because fighting for civil liberties, human rights and equality should never, ever be considered extreme. It should be our default setting, our norm, our joint goal.

Right now it is still very, very dark. But I see the glimmers of light around me, and they did not go out on November 8th. In fact, they got brighter. And the brightest one of all, for me, is my own son, who is the biggest reason for me to not lose hope. Some might argue that he could stand to benefit from the privileges he was born with, but I disagree. A world that does not uphold and respect the most basic principles of human dignity, equality, human rights and social justice is not a world I want my son to grow up in. I do not want him to learn that the way to push himself up is by pushing others down. And the example I want to set for him is that being silent at the face of injustice is accepting it and normalizing it - and we should never be silent.

So I will keep finding glimmers of hope around me, and lifting them up. Raising my voice against any and all injustice. Fighting for my own rights as a woman and as a human, and for the rights of my black friends, gay friends, disabled friends, Muslim friends. But the one thing I will not do is accept this or embrace this.

Right now, it is dark. But there is always light. So find that light, let it fill you up and overflow - until it overpowers the darkness.

Illustration by Elina Tuomi.