Trump’s platform is fear-inducing, especially for those with non-dominant identities in this country (for example, people other than cisgendered, heterosexual white males). A short list includes: undocumented immigrants and Muslims fear being deported, Black people fear the police being more empowered to kill us, victims of sexual assault fear coming forward, women fear a rapidly lowering glass ceiling, disabled people fear they may not be recognized as human and mocked, and let’s not even start on Pence’s beliefs on conversion therapy and its implications for the LGBTQ+ community. We also recognize that fear maintains the status quo, because being afraid can be paralyzing, and paralysis leads to inaction. We choose action over fear.
We are four friends. Three of us are Black women with a podcast called HellaBlackHellaSeattle, and we use our platform to deliberately create community and highlight people of color who often go unnoticed in a very white city. As the fourth, I am a white woman dedicated to guiding white people in understanding the profoundly oppressive impact of white privilege in people’s everyday lives. Our relationships began over twenty years ago, we love each other, and our collective goal is to make this world a better, more inclusive place, even in the face of the impending Trump presidency. Again, we choose action.