(source: unknown*)
Today has been such an emotionally-charged day. Never did I ever think I would witness such an election period and never did I think someone like Trump would become President.
As I watched him take the oath, I cried. This has been the first time I’ve cried since knowing he’d be our next president. Honestly, part of me thought there was a small chance it could change: that it was all a farce, that he’d resign, etc. I later realized I was going through a stage of grief: denial. So when the tears started flowing today, I was surprised.
As I watched recap footage of President Obama today, I cried again. This time I understood my sadness. It was not because my candidate lost, as others have so ignorantly assumed. I’ve endured elections in the past where my vote didn’t go to the winner. While it was no walk in the park, I still felt like we’d mostly be alright.
When the salty discharge appeared again, I realized it was because of who was leaving. It was because of everything President Obama stood for, that joy we felt when he won in 2008 (I balled then, too) and how lucky we were to witness such a monumental event. It was about how blessed we were to see a sign of progress (and no, I do NOT believe just because we had a black President, it dissolved racism).
It was about losing a man who allowed gay people the right to marry. It was about losing a President (and First Lady) who showed such elegance, class, and realness in spite of critics and those who questioned their integrity. It was about seeing the impact of a strong, black family and how they shined as role models.
It felt like a major break-up. It felt like fear over how our country (and our people) may change now. It felt like sorrow over being reminded that people still didn’t care that a man who uttered horrible things about so many of us could become the leader of America.
It was never about Hillary losing.
*If anyone knows who created this lovely flag, please tell me so I can properly credit them.
