"I am deeply scared for all of us about what the next four years will look like, but I am especially worried for the 30+ adolescent English language learners I work with daily. The day after the election, it was really rough listening to kids ask me if they'll have to go back to their countries now that we've elected Donald Trump as the next president.
While I can try to reassure them, it doesn't change the fact that half the country was willing to overlook the despicable things said by a presidential candidate about immigrants and other groups. My students deserve better than this. The reasons they are here and the journeys they have made to get here would break the heart of anyone who has a shred of humanity in them. Before today, I think many of them even loved the US more than I did, because they were grateful to live in a place that wasn't ruled by gangs, corruption, extreme gender inequality, the list goes on.
I am embarrassed to be an American [in the wake of the election] because we've made it clear to these students, and the world, that we support hate if we're willing to elect a person who spews hate to our highest office.
I accept that Trump won, but I refuse to accept the climate of hate he has created and drawn out of too many Americans. Moving forward, I plan to call out hate when I see it. . . . I owe these kids too much to stay silent."
