REPOST: The Future is Female

The following entry was written by me on January 22, 2017, the day after 45 was inaugurated. While I admire the hopeful and optimistic attitude I had at the time, I urge you reading this, to reflect on how much has changed (more than we can keep track of honestly), and if you have not yet done so, please for the love of democracy GO VOTE. 

Note: If you haven't voted yet, please do not mail in your ballots as they will not be delivered by November 3, and will not count. Either drop off your ballots (especially you, my Washington friends), or make a plan to vote in person (bring snacks, water, sanitizer, your mask and comfortable clothing, since the lines might be long).

January 22, 2017

What a wonderful day to be alive!

If you aren't aware (or have been living under a rock for the past several days), Trump is now officially the President. For many people, yesterday was a very emotional day that most would have never thought plausible. I mean, from the beginning people believed his candidacy to be a joke, or a trick to get Hillary elected instead of Bernie. Either way, this is our reality now: Trump is our president, and while this fact might feel like a crushing weight, it has brought about so much positive change. I mean HELLLLOOOOOO!!!!! The Women's March on DC became an international event. Millions of women, children and men came together to raise awareness for not only Women's Rights, but also LGBTQ+ Rights, African American Rights, Latino Rights, Human Rights. This has been the biggest post-inauguration protest in HISTORY! I just have so much pride being able to witness people of any nature uniting to stand up for one another. I am also thrilled to see how we, as the public, will further assemble and fight for what we believe is right (it is our First Amendment Right after all).

On another note, as of yesterday anything to do with health care, climate change, LGBTQ+, and civil rights have been removed from the White House site, while "supporting law enforcement" has been added. This is a huge demerit in our progress towards equality. As an Environmental Engineer, who is very passionate about this Earth and our environment, I am aware that our planet is quickly running out of resources and unless we change how we treat this Earth, it will naturally try and correct itself. I understand that some people do not believe in Climate Change because "it snowed," but to you I say: Be aware about the fact that Climate Change does not merely refer to an increase (or decrease) in temperature, but also it means that sea levels will rise, flooding habitable land. Our oceans will warm, making it less tolerable for sea life to sustain itself. Climate Change refers to natural storms, like hurricanes, tornadoes, severe heat waves spreading to new climates. It means that mosquitoes carrying life-threatening diseases will migrate North, infecting millions of new people. The fact of the matter is that Climate Change is so so so much more than just the change in temperature, it is more of a butterfly effect, and will cost the human population greatly. While I am aware that we cannot go back in time and warn people of our current situation, I do urge you to take a stand. We need to stand up for our planet, we need to support for each other, we need to let our government know that we will not be silenced or frightened. We are the people of this nation, we are the people who will be affected by policies put in place, we are the people who can fight back and bring about change through peaceful protests, petitions, and educating ourselves so this never happens again.

Nothing is as powerful as people coming together and peacefully standing up for what is right.

Look at Gandhi, the Suffragettes, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. Now it is our turn to help one another, to conserve the progress we, as a nation, have made in the last eight years. We cannot let fear rule us.

As William Faulkner once said, “Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth.”

Now here are some of my favorite pictures from today :)