Four years ago I woke up to my 31st birthday and election day. I’ll never forget how I felt that day as I considered the monumental possibility of electing the first female president of the US. As I cast my vote on Nov 8, 2016, I thought about all the people who had fought tirelessly for my right to engage in democracy, and everyone around me who didn’t have the right to vote, but whose fates would still be affected by those who did. Needless to say, when I woke up the next morning, it was clear in the out-of-body experience I was having, that a part of me had died.

As we head into another election day, I am reminded of the trauma that my body and soul still hold onto when thinking about American democracy, and how this election season has been full of triggers that have caused me to disengage from social media over the last couple months leading to next Tuesday. Fortunately, I believe in the power of healing, and I still believe in democracy.

On Tuesday, November 3rd, as many of us anxiously await a miracle, I vote for an inclusive, equitable, just, kind and loving America, and hold close to me those who will not be able to engage in this election, including the:

• 10–12 million undocumented Americans who await immigration reform,
• 74 million Americans who are under 18 and whose future access to marriage, safe reproductive healthcare, gender affirmation support, and affordable higher education is at stake,
• 229 thousand Americans who died of COVID-19,
• 721 Americans who were killed by police brutality this year,
• 150 thousand Americans who died by gun violence in the last 4 years,
• 4 million Americans — primarily Black and Brown men — who are voter disenfranchised due to felony convictions, despite having served their time,
• 138 Americans who died during military service in the last four years, and the many more veterans who have committed suicide as a result of psychological trauma developed during their service,
• Native American, Latino and Black communities who are two, three, and four times, respectively, more likely than their white counterparts to experience racial discrimination and voter intimidation when trying to vote, and as a result will not participate in this election, and
• The millions of voters who will face added hurdles to vote because of Covid-19, and the countless other class and racial inequalities that existed before the pandemic.

It’s going to take more than just a Biden-Harris win to heal our country. It’s going to take a collective effort to take responsibility for the pain we’ve caused one another and atone in community to rebuild the America we love and want to pass down to future generations. So much ahead, but first, we VOTE!