Katie's Blog

My America.

November 7, 2024 at | In Uncategorized | 1 Comment

America, at this moment, feels like a seesaw teetering back and forth between visions and values. As ballots were getting cast and counted last night, it felt like the country had its heart on the line, pumping louder and faster. This election I had the privilege to cast a ballot and to use my voice. Since I can remember I have always been intrigued by politics and how things in our country are done and the policies put in place. Every election I remind myself that it is we the people that have the right to choose and make a difference. 

To me, my America is long gone. I don’t know if I can confidently answer what my America is today, because I myself am trying to figure that out. I believe in democracy. I believe in the right to choose. I believe in equality and firmly stand on anti racism. I believe no one is above the law. I believe in kindness. These are all things I want for my America, but these are all things I wasn’t fortunate enough to have at only the age of 20. When I would say “I’m an American,”  I used to feel proud and call myself fortunate to be one. When I say “I’m an American,” now, I feel ashamed and angry. I have been left in fear for myself and my potential future children, left with the daunting question of, do I even want to raise kids in this kind of country?

This isn’t the way I had hoped for the 2024 election to go, but I did do the most important thing I could do which was taking part in the Democratic process of voting. I will continue to push for not only myself to vote and make a change, but everyone else too. Voting has the ability to change anything you want it to, and I asserted my right to be heard, to push for a country that works for everyone, without feeling like they are trying to be silenced. Voting is something that I have been passionate about since before I was even eligible to vote. It is so extremely important to me to exercise the right to do so, and I think part of the reason I feel so strongly about it is because I am a woman and I will refuse to give up and keep going backwards. 

If we take a trip down memory lane, women weren’t granted the right to vote until 1920. In 1973 the U.S. The Supreme Court ruled to protect the right to have an abortion in the Constitution. In 1974 women were granted the right to take out a loan, credit card, and personal bank account in their name. Nearly 50 years later, in 2022 women lost their constitutional right to have a medically safe abortion. As a young woman I feel I lost more than just the election. 

Growing up being told stories of America and how wonderful it was to be here feels like a fever dream now. I was taught that we were run under a Democracy, something we should be considered fortunate for. That was until I got my bodily autonomy stripped from me. That was until they allowed my grandmother more rights than me. That was until they overturned Roe v. Wade, even though the majority of America did not want that. That was until 2024 when now, the whole government is likely to be taken over by red seats as the majority. 

So what is my America right now? My America is misogynistic. It does not respect bodily autonomy for women. It does not respect women’s health. It does not see women as equals. And it does not feel that women have the right to decide for themselves what to do with their bodies as the woman feels fit. This election showed me the true horrors of what my America is, no respect for women leaving me feeling very disillusioned and angry. The America I knew and loved would have never turned away from me and belittle me as much as it does now. My America has left me hopeless.