Even while delivering her concession speech at Howard University last week, Vice President Kamala Harris smiled. She laughed and she reassured people. Since Harris began her presidential campaign in July, she and her team have carried themselves with the promise of equality, human decency, and progress at the forefront.
Whether or not one agreed with her policies, it's undeniable that the enthusiasm woven into the fabric of the Harris campaign was a shift from the bullying and fear-mongering tactics of many politicians. For young women particularly, Harris's campaign was a celebration of women's joy in a world that often dismisses our passions, interests, and feelings. For many, former President Donald Trump's reelection has ushered in a pervasive loss of hope and crushing disappointment, resulting in grief for what could have been.
It may feel personal and devastating for a sexual assaulter, a convicted felon, and authoritarian sympathizer to be elected to the highest office in the country over a highly qualified woman leader. But now more than ever, we can't allow these results and an uncertain future to rob us of our joy and hope. In the face of defeat, resigning to cynicism may feel easier than searching for joy and decency in a world that betrayed you, but those are also the very things that keep us alive, according to Christine Crawford, MD, MPH, adult and child psychiatrist associate medical director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Leaning into your communi.
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