WASHINGTON – The day after the presidential election, crowds gathered in Lafayette Square, appearing to seek common ground or simply find others to discuss the recent events.

The weather was pleasantly warm at 80 degrees, attracting many visitors and locals to the area near the White House, albeit from a distance.

A tall metal fence, put up by the Secret Service due to fears of Election Day unrest, restricted access, allowing only a limited view of the expansive residence Donald J. Trump is set to reclaim at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

A white man from Charleston, South Carolina, sporting a “Gays for Trump” t-shirt, expressed his excitement about being in D.C. on Election Day. He was thrilled that his candidate was victorious and looked forward to the next four years.

Trump has secured another term in the highest office in the country. Whether labeled as a wannabe dictator, fascist, felon, or unbalanced, he will officially be recognized as America’s 47^th president come January.

He triumphed over Vice President Kamala Harris early Wednesday morning by obtaining the required 270 electoral votes. This marks the first time since Grover Cleveland lost and regained the presidency over a century ago.

Despite closely contested polling in all seven battleground states, voters appeared unfazed by Trump’s criminal background, unpredictable behavior, racially charged comments, and vague policy proposals.

Instead, Americans seemed to grapple with the necessary racial and gender equality that would have supported Harris’s election, an issue likely to persist for the foreseeable future.

“We have deep-rooted issues in America, and we can’t pretend that the election result is separate from the country’s socioeconomic and cultural backdrop,” said Gladys Francis, associate dean for academic student affairs at Howard University. “Patriarchy, misogyny, and racism are significant challenges. We need to examine this situation through an intersectional perspective.”

Addressing Misogyny and Racism

Leading up to this election, I had many concerns. It was disconcerting when President Joe Biden was the expected Democratic nominee; he felt too old, too establishment, and somewhat out of touch. After Biden withdrew and Harris became the candidate, my fears intensified. Regardless of the criticism aimed at Biden, he is a white man in America.

Harris only had a short period of three months to organize her campaign. Although she executed it well, my faith that Americans could look past gender and racial biases to elect the nation’s first woman who is both Black and South Asian as commander in chief was low.

I wanted to be proven wrong. Unfortunately, I was not.

The election revealed a lot of negativity – from the racist memes attacking Harris’s identity, false claims about her racial background being a mere convenience, to the lewd comments made by Trump and his supporters questioning her intelligence and sexualizing her.

Indeed, Trump was at the forefront of this hostility, and America followed suit in a troubling trend of misogyny and racism.

Voting Against One’s Own Interests

I’ve heard Republicans express their fatigue with the status quo, claiming Democrats have let the nation stagnate under their rule. But what embodies the status quo more than the belief that a woman cannot be elected president? What’s more stagnant than the notion that a highly educated and capable woman of color simply cannot break that barrier?

White women, constituting the largest voting group in America with approximately 59 million, favored Trump again. Exit polls indicated that he garnered at least 52% of their votes.

They chose to support a man who has been found liable for sexual assault, who faces accusations from over a dozen women regarding sexual misconduct, who has crudely remarked about women, and who has contributed to the erosion of reproductive rights for women across the country.

Let’s discuss how some people might vote in ways that don’t serve their best interests.

According to CNN exit polls, Trump garnered support from around 45% of Latino voters this election, compared to 32% in 2020. This is a notable change, especially considering Trump’s promises of mass deportations for undocumented immigrants and the removal of all Biden administration open-border policies. He has made a commitment to intensify his attacks on immigrants.

Let’s discuss how some people might vote in ways that don’t serve their best interests.

“I’m concerned about the treatment of immigrants,” expressed Samantha Banks, a 59-year-old salon owner from Washington, D.C., and a Jamaican immigrant. “I am an immigrant myself, and I came here the right way. My parents worked tirelessly for me to achieve this. The notion that immigrants take jobs away from locals is nonsense. We often take the jobs that others aren’t willing to do.”

We need to support one another

I strive to remain positive, though I feel many Americans show a lack of moral integrity when they promote Trump, who has the unfortunate title of being the first convicted felon to win a presidential election.

“This is a political movement unlike any we’ve seen before, and I genuinely believe it’s the greatest political movement in history,” Trump proclaimed early Wednesday from West Palm Beach, Florida. “There’s never been anything like this in our nation, and perhaps now it will reach a new significance as we strive to help our country heal.”

Trump has significantly contributed to the division among Americans. His behavior has included insults, provocation, and direct mockery. As a country, we need to unite and work together to overcome another difficult election cycle, even if our newly elected president isn’t up to the task.

While I feel disappointment about the election results, I am neither angry nor bitter. It’s disheartening to see our nation continuously fall short of its potential. Americans keep accepting and even supporting our persistent issues of racism and sexism.

Unfortunately, the results from Tuesday show that many voters are not ready to embrace new opportunities. I hope this changes in time. In moments of despair, we need to hold on to hope.

“I firmly believe that the moment we give up trying, we are finished,” Francis shared with me. “Even in our darkest times, when it feels as if all hope is lost, we must continue to strive. I must keep pushing forward, not just for myself but for future generations of women.”