An Open Letter to Hillary Clinton of Profound Gratitude

Dear Hillary Clinton,

Thank you.

Thank you for moving this country forward in numerous ways, for trying your best to unite us under values you and I believe in, for your open-mindedness, fairness, and commitment to equality.

Thank you for being relentless, dedicating your entire life to others, never giving up, and standing up when the world knocked you down. You are a fighter and now I am, too.

Thank you for so deeply inspiring us, for proving to every little girl that there's nothing they can't achieve, for showing us that we must all face sexism and opposition head on, defending ourselves and others for the good of the world.

Thank you for fighting for people like me and my working mother — immigrants, a minority — for making me feel heard and for speaking to me when I needed it the most. I aim to have even just a smidgen of the incredible compassion you show to others.

Thank you for being respectful, listening to opinions you might have not agreed with, and gracefully admitting when you made mistakes.

Thank you for defending women when we were being attacked from every corner, for reminding people there's a difference between "locker room talk" and bragging about sexual assault, and supporting a woman's right to own her body.

Thank you for changing our lives. We are forever marked by your words of encouragement and wisdom. Up to the end, when the election was lost, you taught us we must never let go of hope and made us feel powerful. You used your concession speech to remind us everyone deserves a chance; you told us you were proud to be our champion.

I want to say I'm sorry. We're all sorry. We volunteered, phone banked, wrote Facebook posts supporting you (and respectfully argued with those who spewed hate in return), joined the Pantsuit Nation, and voted. But it's not over.

I have a group of amazing and strong friends, young women who carried me through the ups and downs of the campaign, and comforted me on election night when, after spending more than eight hours at Javits Center, I cried as the final counts came in.

We've made a promise to ourselves. We will do you right and won't forget. We will build bridges and not walls. We'll volunteer our time and rally around your message and voice, and we'll encourage women to run for office (maybe even doing so ourselves). When people get in our way, we will push them aside, no matter how much work it takes. We'll keep our eyes on the sky beyond the glass ceiling.

We could never repay you. You brought us together and ignited us. Your grace and grit will inspire us forever. Our children will hear about you and how you showed us nothing is impossible. This is our moment and we're going to take it. We won't fail you.

Love,

Alessandra