Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

In the aftermath of an overwhelming election, it’s easy to fall into despair –– but action is the best antidote. Our power lies in the strength of collective action, which means leveraging privilege and advocating for the politically vulnerable, challenging policies that harm our communities and supporting movements that uplift the voices of those most affected.

When there’s academic apartheid (racialized school systems that exacerbate disparities and perpetuate poverty) and we overexploit communities in a late-stage capitalist status quo, when wealth is kept by the rich and doesn’t trickle down; when we live under the false promise of American meritocracy, people — especially BIPOC communities — are kept in survival mode. Stuck in a cycle of economic and political despair, these communities are often deprived of the privilege of education. Americans must devote more time to think critically about our systems and question the structures that hold us back. Many who feel immense despair following the recent election results must know that this is the path forward.

We’ve been conditioned to disregard basic human empathy, upholding an individualistic “American Dream” that pits people against each other and distracts us from collective action. Sociologists have long documented “The Myth” of meritocracy — the idea that individual effort determines success rather than systemic inequities.

It’s a belief that keeps us blaming ourselves for failures that are, in reality, designed symptoms of inequality. It’s easy to turn a blind eye to marginalizing systems, even when they do affect you, but fighting back through acts of community solidarity and strengthening systems of support is the radical empathy that our government has never shown us.

So, here we are. Donald Trump has overwhelmingly won the presidential election and an “unexpected” red wave claimed the House and Senate, allowing unchecked authoritarianism to possibly take hold. It’s tempting to think racism and hate alone won the election. But that view, though somewhat true considering when Hillary Clinton went against Trump in 2016 she at least won the popular vote, misses the systemic issues at play, absolving those very systems of the accountability they deserve. Racism in economic and educational inequality and the myth of meritocracy aren’t just individual problems; they’re woven into the fabric of American society.

The Trump administration has promised to revive many of the policies we saw in his previous term, including mass deportations and civil rights crackdowns. Such policies would devastate communities like mine in Laredo, Texas, disrupt safe havens like Syracuse, home to tens of thousands of refugees and harm millions of undocumented people across the country.

Families will be torn apart and privacy will become even more precarious for undocumented communities. That’s why now, more than ever, we must commit to protecting each other and respecting the privacy of undocumented people. Refusing to cooperate with authorities who seek to surveil, detain or deport members of our communities is crucial to the cause as well as co-creating inclusive opportunities for work and experience. Such opportunities could include fellowships that don’t require social security numbers, work permits or immigration statuses to pay the labor, skills and services of the undocumented/migrant community.

It’s important to note that anti-immigrant rhetoric is baseless, considering undocumented immigrants paid almost $100 billion in taxes while being shut out of programs they’re paying for such as social security. This is a higher tax rate paid in comparison to the top 1% of the income scale which epitomizes the true issue at hand: our democracy has shifted into an oligarchy. Right after Trump was confirmed into office, the world’s 10 wealthiest people got a record $64 billion richer, with Elon Musk, who has recently been appointed into Trump’s administration, leading the list. Such trends epitomize the priorities of the next presidential term: making the rich richer.

Cole Ross | Digital Design Director

If a system aims to strip communities of their resources and education, then we must actively resist by building our own or supporting those who already have begun grassroots work. In moments like these, mutual aid becomes essential. It’s not a new concept — mutual aid has long been practiced by marginalized communities, particularly Black and Indigenous groups who have historically had to fend for themselves. By providing food, healthcare, shelter and emotional support, these networks create the solidarity we need to endure and thrive.

We must be holistic in our justice and truly emphasize the intersectionality of social and environmental issues and actively resist the white feminist agenda that often fails to include BIPOC experiences, which are usually more violent and simultaneously silenced.

On college campuses and in our communities, we can form and support mutual aid networks. Here in Syracuse, local organizations like Syracuse Cultural Workers, Syracuse Peace Council, Syracuse DSA, La Casita and more detailed in CNY Solidarity Coalition, are great first steps to volunteer, contribute and stay involved in grassroots movements. Mutual aid emphasizes a community-first approach, rejecting the notion that help should only come from formal institutions or through competition for limited resources.

As Angela Davis said, “You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world, And you have to do it all the time.” Organizing can often lead to burnout if done alone and without support, so push for your student organizations to volunteer with some of these grassroots; we’re not helpless if we have each other.

For young people everywhere, organizing mutual aid on college campuses is powerful. Resisting oppression unconditionally requires a range of actions; ensuring that everyone can contribute regardless of their skills. Even if you aren’t immediately successful, building a strong community of people with shared interests is meaningful and rewarding in practice. Whatever you do, don’t choose inaction — that’s what allows fascism to thrive.

On campus, get involved with student associations, multicultural centers and advocacy groups. Syracuse University, like many institutions, has spaces dedicated to supporting students of color and LGBTQ+ communities. By showing up for each other and listening in these spaces, we’re building the cultural competency and empathic understanding that encourage us to take steps toward an equitable future.

This is a critical moment. If we accept the imposed reality, we allow the racially inequitable system to continue. But if we choose action over apathy, compassion over division and collective well-being over individualism, we can build a future that serves us all. Let’s turn despair into action, frustration into solidarity and grief into resilience. We’re not doomed if we commit to taking care of each other through solidarity and justice-driven action. Show up, because some of our lives truly do depend on it.

Valeria Martinez-Gutierrez is a junior majoring in Geography, Sociology and Environment, Sustainability and Policy. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at vmarti10@syr.edu.

Published on November 13, 2024 at 11:29 pm