The United States last night elected an unqualified, sexist, Islamophobic president, even as unimaginable as that result seemed just hours earlier. From our liberal bubble on the shores of Lake Michigan, it’s hard to reckon with how we got here and how our country has let so many down.

There are not enough words to describe the threat Donald Trump poses to marginalized communities in this country. His successful campaign on the backs of racism, xenophobia and bigotry proved last night that we truly have not fully reckoned with America’s history of intolerance. It is unacceptable that a candidate who has spat in the face of veterans and survivors of sexual assault has been elected to our nation’s highest office. There is not enough column space to express the necessity of continuing to organize and engage in the face of a Republican-dominated House, Senate and executive branch.

There are those who are processing this in a way I can’t — as a white, cisgendered and wealthy American — begin to understand. This election will not impact all students on our campus in the same way. As I shook my head in shame at the electoral result, my friends of color cried for the safety of their families. This is not just a disappointing day for our democracy. It is a day to recognize the privileges that will shield some on our campus from future damage wrought by Trump’s administration.

In the face of this seemingly incomprehensible outcome, it is our responsibility as a community to forge ahead. To embrace each other and comfort one another. To ensure that in a country that seems unwilling to accept and take care of all people, each member of the Northwestern community can retain some sliver of hope in the face of a Trump presidency.

It is far too tempting to recede into cynicism, to conclude that our generation’s first entry into the democratic process has been disastrous enough to prompt rejecting the system altogether. This is not the answer. The belief that our vote doesn’t matter and the reluctance to engage in politics only cede power to future unrepresentative and undemocratic leaders.

Donald Trump will not break America. He may expose its most deeply-rooted demons, but his time is only four years. His position is only one piece of a complex governmental system. And he will face the resistance of millions of Americans who care for all their neighbors, who have not lost faith in political progress, who believe love and compassion triumph over the divisive politics of fear.

We must live that resistance on our campus and in our daily lives. We must support each other as our country enters this next frightening chapter. We must meet the challenges presented by Trump’s America, not run away from them.

Most of all, we must ensure a night like last night doesn’t happen again in four years.

Jessica Schwalb is a Weinberg sophomore. She can be contacted at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this column, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected]. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.