Clouds hang over Seattle like they did four years ago when Donald Trump was elected president. People walked through hope and fear to cast their votes. And the rights, futures and lives of young people, women, LGBTQ+ people and people of color are thrown into the air.
As a young, queer girl, mine are among them. This election could affect every aspect of my life from whether I can marry the person I love in the future to whether I’ll have a future to worry about.
Since 2016, CO2 levels and temperatures have continued to rise. More than 200,000 people have died from COVID-19. Tear gas and wildfire smoke drown cities. What kind of world will I be growing up in if another four years pass with an incompetent leader who doesn’t care? Who will win?
But I know it doesn’t matter. Either way, I’m going to keep fighting for my generation’s right to a future. Either way, I’m going to stand with my fellow humans doing the same. It’s not our president who defines us, makes the decisions. We do. If democracy dies in darkness, let’s turn on the light.
Hannah Lindell-Smith, Seattle
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