It is a sad day for America, indeed. My husband and I watched the 2016 Presidential Election coverage until almost six-thirty in the morning. It was like witnessing an act of arson as the electoral votes for Donald Trump grew higher and higher until eventually all we could see was red.

I, along with many other Americans, have spent the entirety of November 9th in a constant state of dread and fear for the future of our country. Seeing the election coverage from the United Kingdom makes it difficult to know how I can help. This election has left me with so many questions, the main one being: what do we do now?

The internet has been only slightly comforting today, making it clear that we need to stand in solidarity with so many of the marginalized groups of people who will absolutely be affected by the Trump administration for the next four years. It’s hard to know what to do at a time like this, especially when half of a country has openly chosen the path of xenophobia and scaremongering. Today has left little room for anything but grieving an enormous loss.

Although the outcome of the United States Presidential Election wasn’t in my favor, there were a few significant advances in other areas. Tammy Duckworth won the Senate seat for the state of Illinois and became the first Thai-American in the Senate, Kamala Harris of California became the first biracial woman in the Senate, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada was elected the first latina senator, and Ilhan Omar won a Minnesota state race to become the first Somali-American legislator in United States History.

Another silver lining came from a map of what the outcome of this election could have been if only millennials had voted. The map showed Clinton with 504 electoral votes, and Trump with only 23. If we take nothing away from this election, it is at least a comfort to know that 18-25 years olds are intelligent and hopeful for the future.

So while the news of this election is devastating, it is important to look ahead and do whatever we can to protect the future of our country and the people who live in it, especially people of color, LGBTQIA, immigrants, and women. We are better together.