The 2016 elections are over and Donald Trump is the newly appointed president-elect of the United States. 

  As a staff, we are terrified. 

  Not just for the minorities in America but for the country as a whole. 

  In a previous staff editorial, The Runner’s editorial board endorsed democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for the president of the United States.

  In Clinton’s concession speech she said, “I’ve had successes and I’ve had setbacks, sometimes really painful ones.” 

  She ended her historic presidential campaign with a message to the youth, to her supporters, and to the women. “This loss hurts, but please never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.”

  We, as people, are not defenseless and we’re not voiceless. 

  It’s important to remember that some people in Trump’s party feel the same way we do.  

 Although we are in far now, we must also remain optimistic that those who are representing us in Washington, D.C. will help us every day while Trump is in office. 

  Trump is one person.

  So what do we do as citizens?  

  We get involved. 

  We do everything we can to fight injustice anywhere we see it. 

  Some families are protected from the effects of Trump’s presidency so we have to help fight for the families that aren’t. 

  We fight for our First Amendment, exercise our rights and equal opportunities. 

  Now that Trump is our President-elect, we, as people, need to stand together.

  Everyone who represents LGBTQ, POC, Muslims, immigrants and every other minority should be encouraged to be each other’s allies.

  We live in a world where racism exists, so we need to encourage those who are going to be discriminated against to become allies. 

  Since Trump has been announced as our president-elect, there have been protests not only in cities like Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Oakland and Chicago but also in universities. 

  Students protesting on their campuses like UCLA, UC Davis, UC San Diego and more while carrying signs that say “not my president.”

  America didn’t stop being America last Tuesday and we have never stopped. 

  The thing about America is that our darkest days will always follow by our finest hours. 

  We’ve had dark days before so we must remain optimistic and continue to fight for the voiceless.

  With moments like these, we need to unify as a community and fight for what’s right, not through violence but in a peaceful way. 

  This is not the end. 

  This is the beginning of a long road for the American people.