𝕸𝖊𝖊𝖙 𝕬𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖑

As the days post the 2024 election pass, I continue to struggle to find words to accurately describe my anger, frustration, and above all pain and hurt.

I have never openly discussed what my life and past outside of bookstagram has looked like, but for context I think sharing with you all just some of the things I’ve advocated for or the organizations that I've joined in my short 24 years of life will offer more perspective and insight on why the election results are so hard to come to terms with.

• I went to my first protest when I was 9 years old to protest for the protection of women and families against domestic violence abusers

• At 16, I co-founded a club called “Building Bridges” at my catholic highschool that aimed to bridge the gap between the LGBTQ+ Community and the Catholic Church. We wanted to give the LGBTQ+ students at our school a safe space to be themselves

• In college, I was the President of the Organization of Latin American Students as a Freshman

• The following year, I became The President of the Multicultural Leadership Council that began implementing bi-annual meetings with our University President to discuss the concerns of the University's multicultural students

• My Junior year of college, I was blessed to join Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. For those of you who don’t know, it is an organization of college educated women committed to the constructive development of its members and to public service with a primary focus on the Black community

• On June 1st of 2020, I created the New York City Buddy System that created groups of 2+ people to protest during the onset of the Black Lives Matter Movement. I also posted medical aid locations, pro-bono attorney info for protestors, and offered support for those struggling with how to get involved with George Floyd Protests in NYC

I share all of this with you because I feel like it has been a privilege of mine to keep my two lives separate. However, the fight we now face ahead of us, no longer affords me the opportunity to continue to separate the two. 

Reading is inherently political. It always has been and the fight to protect not only our books from being banned, but our rights from being stripped, our bodily autonomy from being taken away, and the nuclear family dynamic of many minorities from being divided is all connected. 

The lack of compassion we experienced during Trump’s first election is disheartening and alarming at best and earth shattering at worst as we see it return tenfold with his re-election. A vote for Trump is inexplicably rooted in misogyny, racism, and classism. If you are unable to acknowledge that fact then we do not share the same ideology or morals. 

Now, do not misunderstand me. I am not speaking to you as Republican voters. In America's recent past, we have had Republican Presidents who have continually made decisions for the good of ALL Americans. Your right to vote according to your registered party is not where the issue lies. It lies in your choice to directly support the Trump/ Vance administration which has made it abundantly clear that they do not respect the Constitutional Rights and Freedoms of most Americans.

While every vote does in fact matter, making an informed decision to benefit the whole of the nation is a paramount consideration that should be made when casting your ballot. 

I truly find that I am not in alignment with your beliefs, morals, or ethics if you made the choice to vote for Trump. I am a Latina woman who was raised by a queer mother in a  low-income household for the majority of her life. Trump seeks to target 4 of the groups that I’ve identified with for more than half of my life. A vote for Trump, was a vote against everything that I am and everything I stand for.

I am ready for the fight ahead and I truly hope that you all find it in yourself to fight with me. I see you. I hear you. We are in this together.

The Library of Angels will always be a safe space for Queer (LGBTQ+), Minority (BIPOC, Latine/x, and AAPI to name a few), Cis and Trans Women, and Low-Income Families.