For more voices, read The Bolt special edition this Friday, Nov. 18.

I’m not going to lie; last week was rough. I found myself crying a lot, sometimes even at small things, like seeing someone wearing a Trump shirt in the library. I’m disappointed in this country and I feel like America has let so many people down. People of color, women and members of the LGBT+ community were counting on America to pull through and not elect a racist, sexist, homophobic bigot. And we failed.

I’m scared for what this means about my future and my friends’ futures. I’m scared that my friends of color are going to be harassed or be victims of hate crimes because of the racist rhetoric Trump has made acceptable. I’m scared, as a woman, that men will try to regulate my body and take away my right to choose. I’m scared of a lot of things. This isn’t the America I want to live in.

And so what if Trump isn’t even going to be able to do all the things he says he’s going to do? The fact that he wants to do them and has gained so much support behind these ideas make them a real threat to America, whether or not they are actually put in place. I don’t want this to be the new normal.

I want it not to be okay for him to say these things in the first place. It doesn’t matter that he’s not actually going to build the wall; just the fact that he wants to and people want him to is enough. This election has revealed something about the American public that I’m having trouble coming to grips with. People either voted for him because they’re racist, or they voted for him because they are able to overlook the fact that he’s racist, which is almost as bad.

I was upset because I couldn’t do anything. I felt helpless because I couldn’t vote and I felt like my voice wasn’t being heard. This past weekend, I drove to L.A. with a few friends and we were part of a protest with 10,000 people. This was the first time I’d felt empowered since the election on Tuesday. I didn’t protest because I thought we were going to change anything about the election. I know Donald Trump is going to be our president. I protested because I’m angry and sad and scared and I can’t just sit by and say, “Oh well, we’ll get him next time.” I needed to protest to show that I’m not happy with the result of this election and to show that I stand by the people who are going to be negatively affected by this election; I don’t stand by Trump and his policies. The protest wasn’t violent or destructive; it was inspiring to see people come together to show that they won’t stop fighting for equity and justice. Chants like “This is what democracy looks like!” and “My body, my choice! Her body, her choice!” aren’t violent and destructive; they’re uplifting and empowering.

I’m scared and upset, but I’m also ready to keep fighting.