November 6, 2024. There was a thickness in the air I didn’t quite understand. Well, I knew why, Trump had won.
In one of my classes, I listened while the teacher berated anyone who had voted for Trump. I sat there in a class full of students, but it felt like I was the only one there. It felt like there was a spotlight on me. It felt like I was trapped. I wasn’t mad, I was pissed. I was pissed that I had to come to school and go to a class that my parents were paying for, to not even learn.
That 50-minute class felt like an eternity. I left feeling suffocated. I never wanted to go back, and it was a class that I used to enjoy.
On that day I noticed how people would suddenly feel hatred and “lose respect” towards you. It didn’t make sense to me. Shouldn’t we all feel free to support the candidate that reflects our values?
One thing I kept hearing was that as a Mexican woman, I was voting against my own interest.
Yes, I am Mexican. Yes, I am proud of my culture. I come from a family of hard workers. Both sets of grandparents went through the process of immigration and came here legally. From the moment they landed, they worked. They didn’t wait for handouts; they went out to find work.
So yes, I did vote for someone who wants to reduce the number of illegal immigrants. Not because I’m against them–in fact, if they are coming to the U.S. to work, I have no problem. I start having a problem when immigrants come here and deplete resources.
We have veterans who are struggling and put their life on the line for this country. We have senior citizens who worked their whole lives. We have hard-working immigrants who followed the rules of the system. I believe that those are the people who need the help.
I grew up in a Catholic household and attended Catholic school until I started college. Religion for me has always been a way to feel grounded.
I grew up going to Mass every Sunday, and going to Holy Days of Obligation. I still go to Mass every Sunday. For me it’s a way to silence everyone’s voices and opinions about your life.
Growing up, I used to hate going to Mass in Mexico. It always felt like it would take eternity to end, and my goodness was it hot. But as I’ve grown up I’ve come to value those Sundays, not only because I get to dress to the tens, but because it makes me feel closer to my family roots. I’m attending Mass where generations of my family have attended. I plan my vacation around the number of Sundays I’ll be there.
I might not have been the only one sitting in that classroom the day after the election, but it really felt that way. It felt as if parts of me were being broken off.
Being told that only uneducated people voted for Trump made me feel like I was five years old and I had broken a glass.
Not only did I feel attacked, but I felt as if my religion was being attacked. I felt like every minute that passed, I was getting crushed by cruel words.
How can an educator take advantage of their power to make a student feel that way?
At that moment I wanted to be asked why I voted for Trump. I wanted to say something in class. But all I could do was pray, pray, and pray. Because I don’t want to be the person that harms others. I could never do that to someone.
If he would have asked me in a civil way why I voted the way I did, I would have answered this:
I based my vote off of not only morals, but what I see in my day-to-day life. I grew up with a stay-at-home mom and a dad who wakes up at the crack of dawn to be able to provide for my family. I am one of five kids, and I see how the past four years have taken a toll on my parents.
My father is someone I look up to. He’s someone I admire. Many people say a girl’s first love is her father, and I couldn’t agree more. My dad has given everything up for his family. I’ve seen how all the hard work he puts into his job was never enough.
And I’ve always said that I wanted to be like my mom when I grow up. From the way she cooks to the way she raised us, my mother put her life on hold to take care of our family. She spent her time teaching us about our culture and about our religion. I’ve seen the look on her face when she’s paying bills and grocery shopping.
And it wasn’t just them.
I worked at an eye doctor for three years. I remember all the senior citizens struggling over their bills for a simple pair of glasses. I remember veterans coming in without any medical coverage. Not one bit.
How can that be possible?
Lastly, it all came down to my faith. This year has easily been the hardest year of my life. In a whirlwind of familial loss that felt neverending, the only thing I knew wouldn’t let me down was my faith.
Standing in the voting booth, the only thing on my mind was my morals. Morals that I was raised with and morals that I have followed my whole life.
I didn’t focus on what was on the news or what reports have come out on either party. I focused on what I wanted my future to look like, I focused on the country I want my kids to live in, and I focused on my religion.
However, to understand why I was receiving all this hatred, I decided to take a look at the outcome from a different point of view.
Based on the Democrats I had spoken to, a main concern they had was abortion rights. While I do not support abortion, I think it is important to see where they are coming from.
These women were fighting for the women who have gone through a traumatic experience. They were fighting for the right of “my body, my choice,” with their end goal being that no one else can decide what they do.
They believe that no man should have a say in whether they decide to get an abortion. They talk about women who live in abusive households or are in abusive relationships. They talk about not being able to support a child if they are financially struggling.
They’re worried that, with Trump in office, they will no longer be able to have control of what is happening to them.
Democrats were also voting to protect the rights of those who identify not only as male or female.
Someone told me that they will never be able to hold another man’s hand in public. And that had me wondering why they felt like this.
I didn’t quite understand it.
This comes from many conservatives being against their community, but this also comes from their own fear of their rights being taken away.
Personally, I don’t think it’s anyone’s business what someone else is doing. I believe that everyone should live their life however they choose, and should be able to be with whomever they want. Once you’re an adult, you can choose to be who you want to be.
If they feel like they have to change who they are to feel safe, then I see how these things worry the other side.
Take me for example: Republican, Catholic, Pro-life. But I will never bring someone down for what they believe in. Just like I have the right to have my own morals—and worries—so does everybody else.
I’ve met people from a million different backgrounds and beliefs, and I’ve always been the type to treat people equally and with respect. I decide who someone is by how they treat others.
These past few weeks have been hard on many, and I will not argue that. But we have to see the harm we are doing ourselves. Social media has been a horrible place to be. Though we might have the right to say what’s on our mind, we must know when enough is enough. We must know when to draw the line. Take time and talk to someone with different political views, and it might surprise you.
As Ronald Reagan once said, “Peace is more than just an absence of war. True peace is justice, true peace is freedom, and true peace dictates the recognition of human rights.”
We live in a beautiful country. With mountains that touch the sky, beaches that bring peace, and breathtaking views. Each state has something beautiful about it, something that makes it unique. We have history, not all pretty, but history that has made us the nation we are today.
A nation that allows us to have different views, and we must not be hurtful to those who disagree with us. It is up to us to shape these next four years. It is up to us to keep the peace in this land that we love. At the end of the day, we are one nation.
With these weeks leading up to Christmas, I ask you to keep everyone in your heart. Left or right, blue or red—we are all one. Keep in mind that we all have that right to share our emotions and our voice, but we also have a responsibility to lead with compassion. This isn’t about being soft or weak, this is about being human.
God bless each and every one of you, and God Bless America.
Velocity 
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