Of all the topics I could write about, the election is by far the most intimidating. What could I possibly say that would add to the already enormous amount of information out there?
If you’re reading this, maybe you’re voting for the first time in a national election. Maybe you’re feeling optimistic, determined, and excited. If you’re like me, maybe you feel anxious, uncertain, and a bit hopeless. Maybe you’re exhausted from the constant coverage of the election. Maybe you just can’t get enough of it. Maybe you’re just compulsively rewatching The Office to escape reality. (No? Just me? Darn.)
Maybe you’re protesting. Maybe you’re calling folks every day to encourage them to vote. Maybe you’re using social media to advocate for your vision for the future. Maybe you’re translating important information into different languages so each citizen can be informed of their rights. Maybe you’re talking to friends and family members to ensure they have a voting plan.
Okay, so I’ve officially overused the word “maybe.” In my defense, 2020 is the year of “maybes,” the year of unactualized potential.
For all of the exhaustion of the American people, there is also a collective energy pushing towards a better future. I know this because Americans are breaking early voting records. I know this because of the persistence of the Black Lives Matter protests to organize against police brutality during a pandemic. And I know when I see the drive of my peers to actively engage with both their schoolwork and the world around them that hope is not lost. Frankly, we are just too stubborn.
The events leading up to November 3 are proof of the collective agency of this nation’s youth. That is a fact that will remain in our consciousness well beyond the next four years. That is a testament to our collective power. No history book could erase that.
As young people, we’ve discovered a reserve of shared energy used to create change for centuries — we are merely adding to an already overflowing cauldron of resistance and persistence. No matter the results of the election, we will keep building together past November 3rd.
Our Woman on Campus, Saloni Kumar ‘23, writes about her experience as a college student, giving us a closer view of the undergraduate culture of Simmons!
Follow her on Instagram.