Not even 24 hours after the Trump's election and already fear is setting into the hearts of the people. Today some professors canceled class while most others took a break from lectures to have a discussion about what had happened. We talked, ranted, vented, and even cried. Yes, we cried. We told stories of our fears, we really let it all out. I just wanted to share a few stories from my peers with you guys. I wanted to put real faces to these abstract fears, you know, bring the humanity into it. I'll be changing the names to protect identity, but the stories are real. They're the stories of my friends and classmates. People I see every day are being shaken to their cores by the harm already stirring, only hours after the election. So often we just hear stories that people are unhappy, but it's important to remember that there are real people behind the headlines with real lives, real emotions, real fears.
Abby is a sophomore anthropology major. She's from L.A., and she feels safe there. Her father, however, is not as lucky. He is living in a small town by New Orleans. He is black. He called Abby this morning when he saw what happened. He told her that when he went out to get the mail that morning, a number of people drove by yelling n***** at him, throwing things and shouting threats. She said she had never heard her father cry before but this morning he broke down, and she listened to him cry over the phone. He is afraid for his safety. She told him to get out of there, go somewhere safe. He doesn't know where to go, he doesn't have anyone to stay with. He feels lost, and afraid. He told her that he wasn't going to leave the house that day, it just wasn't safe to go out. Just take a minute. Think about it. Are we really returning to a place where people are afraid to leave the house because of their race? Is this what our world is coming to? I keep saying that word, but scary is really the only thing I can say about it.
Ahmed is also a sophomore, and an engineering student. He is from Egypt. His family is all still living there, and he goes home for winter and summer breaks. He sat up late last night with his roommate, who is also Muslim, as they watched Trump win. They talked for a while, trying to lighten the mood, asking each other what they think will happen to them now. Ahmed said he probably won't be going home this winter, and instead will be visiting a relative living in Canada, because it's safer there. He still wants to go home over the summer though, and every other break. He said he's worried that if he leaves to go home, he won't be allowed back in, despite having a student visa. He's also afraid that if he stays, his family won't be able to come over. He wants to stay here, get a job, and help his family immigrate someday. But he's afraid that because they are Muslim, they'll be denied. He's being put in the place of deciding whether to risk seeing his family, or setting up a good life for himself. He's afraid of getting harassed here too. Our school is in a conservative area, Ahmed said he's afraid to go too far off campus now, because he doesn't know what the backlash will be against him if he makes a wrong move. I gave him a hug after class, and we talked for a while. He told me, trying to force a smile, that he's been through a revolution at home and he made it out just fine, what's one more? He's trying to keep himself optimistic in the shadow of this fear. Nobody should have to wonder if they'll be barred from going to school because they're Muslim, nobody should have to worry about not seeing their family again because they want to go to school. This is the country we're creating. This is what Trump is doing to us, and it's only been a day. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say other than I hope we can make it through this together.
