Herewith the words of some 9th and 10th grade NYC public school students the morning after the election, November 9, 2016. They are responding to the question, “How are you and your family affected by the election of Donald Trump (DT)?”
“My family is affected by the fact that DT does not like Mexicans, Spanish and black people. DT only cares about his people and himself. My uncle has been in this country for 16 years. He does not want to become a citizen now because DT is president.”
“I’m scared what is going to happen next. First of all, he is going to part families. My parents are from Mexico. They are not rapists and criminals. My parents work for us so we can have a better life than what they had. DT is a bad president for the US.”
“I feel frustrated and mad. I don’t understand why people voted for him. He says a lot of bad stuff about immigrants. His wife is an immigrant too. I don’t want my family to be deported because all my family are immigrants. I’m scared what might happen to them.”
“If he actually sends back immigrants, they will probably give my custody to my biological father. I’d rather be given up for adoption than to live with him.”
“9/11 and 11/9. One of the worst days in American History. I am scared for Muslims, immigrants, LGBT, lower class citizens, black people, Mexicans and anyone who isn’t a white male first class citizen. I am scared for my future as DT may want to make life a living hell for lower class citizens. I am scared for my parents. They are immigrants. Hard working immigrants. I am scared to see if the future of my parents is destroyed. If all they worked for is gone.”
“After January 20 I won’t see the US as before to be honest.”
“I feel really devastated. He’s just a rich, racist, unfair man that wants immigrants to be deported. It hurts me because some members of my family are immigrants and I would accept to see all the years they’ve worked here go to hell. I want my family to be united and not separated by a raciest man with the worst reputation.”
“Trump is worse than Hillary because he is not smart and doesn’t know what he is doing for our country unlike Hillary.”
“When I woke up to see I saw DT won. So I kept reloading to see if this was true. Yes it was even if I didn’t want to believe it. All I thought of was how messed up people’s vision have of women, Latins and most of all, immigrants. So I thought, ‘why don’t I show these people that we deserve to be here? That’s why I try my best to finish high school and then go to college.’ Yes, my parents are immigrants and I am too. Although I would love to be in Mexico, it’s a hard life over there. That’s why we came to the USA. I don’t worry about me. I worry about my cousins’ lives. If my family gets deported it will be sad.”
“I’m very disappointed. You guys picked a monster. People bust their asses just to get a roof over their head and food in their stomachs. It’s disturbing to think he is going to take people back to the struggle they came from. I hope he tries to improve education for EVERYONE! No one should be stuck on stupid, struggling to get a job and homeless. We just let a monster hold everything we made.”
“I don’t want my daughter to grow up thinking that women are insignificant from her president. She needs to know that she should be Mexican and proud. My daughter and my whole family needs to be assured that this person who won the election will not be deporting us and building a wall to separate us from other countries. My family has come to terms with what the outcome was. Now we just have to watch what happens.”
“This election was stupid. We allowed a man with no political experience to become president. That’s like allowing a teacher to become a heart surgeon. Sure, Hillary did lie, but your parents lie to you every day. DT CANNOT MAKE US SLAVES AGAIN. WE WILL NOT BE PICKING COTTON AND SINGING SLAVE TRADE SONGS. All n all the only real effect that we will feel in 2016 is white privilege. White people will start to feel bold. This isn’t 1900 and I am not Rosa Parks. You will not treat me like I am less than the average human.”
“I am so angry right now. The things he has said in the past makes me want to throw a pie in his face.”
“I feel like the world is going to end. How in the WORLD did this nasty ass man win? I hope that he doesn’t even last four years.”
“I feel like this is a joke, a prank. I hope this next four years will be OK because I’m sad right now.”
“I think the election was a setup because DT won.”
We found one optimist:
“I’m not worried because there are three branches of government and they have to confirm Trump’s decisions. I wish Obama could stay president.”
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