BY JENN GONZALEZ-SANTOS ’17
Fear is all that has come to mind during this election. I fear for myself, I fear for other people of color and I fear for my loved ones. This fear has only gotten worse during the development and progression of Donald Trump’s campaign. The name calling, the accusations, and the stereotyping have impacted people on a global level. Trump is fully aware of the people he has hurt, but he continues to deny his actions and ignores others’ feelings. A president is someone who’s supposed to take care of a country and serve as a role model for its citizens. As many would agree, Donald Trump doesn’t fit these descriptions nor is he qualified. He has negatively targeted every possible community, including Muslims, Latinx people, Blacks, Asians, LGBTQ people, women, the disabled and immigrants.
I am the daughter of two hardworking Latino immigrants. My family and I have been very impacted by this election. Donald Trump targeted immigrants even before his campaign began by calling them lazy, by saying they take American jobs and by calling them all Mexican, drug dealers and rapists.
Well guess what, Donald Trump? My parents are not lazy. They work two full time jobs and work seven days a week to make sure I can afford Mount Holyoke’s $60k tuition. Not only do they pay for my education, they also help financially support my family in El Salvador who didn’t have the chance to immigrate for a better life. Let’s not forget they also pay a ton of taxes.
Guess what, Donald Trump? My parents are not taking American jobs because they work as janitors, which Americans find to be a shitty job anyway. So how are we taking your jobs, when you already don’t want them? Also, all immigrants are not Mexican. I’m tired of uneducated people referring to the whole Latinx community as Mexican. There are 20 Latin American countries and 13 dependencies — educate yourself. As for calling us rapists, why are we being the only ones targeted? A California judge just allowed a privileged white male to receive a six-month charge for raping a woman at Stanford. That’s okay though, right, because he wasn’t a person of color? Oh, and the drug problem. The influx of drugs coming from Central and South America is due to the huge demand coming from Americans. So before putting the blame on other countries, Mr. Trump, I would suggest you look at your own.
With all of the existing racism in this country, being a person of color is extremely difficult in the United States. Although that’s difficult, being a person of color at a predominately white institution has been my biggest challenge. I feel like I personally don’t belong here because of the lack of support and diversity. Nevertheless, through organizations on campus, I have found my safe haven. By being on the board of MEChA, the Latinx political activist org on campus, I have been able to create amazing friendships that have developed into an amazing support system.
As a senior, I don’t think I could have made it here without the support of people who are also going through what I have been through. The outcome of this presidential election will affect us all very differently. It will effect some people more than others, but that shouldn’t stop the support. As POC, we already believe we don’t belong in this environment, so show us that you’re here for us. Show us your support. We are amazing Mount Holyoke women, and we can get through this together. Let’s show Donald Trump and others who are trying to divide us that we will not give in. The next four years with him in office will be difficult, but let’s fight for what we believe in and hope for the best.