With the dust beginning to settle on a tumultuous election cycle, it’s time for our country to begin mending wounds and come together, not continue to divide ourselves. While many Americans are disgusted and even fearful, of a Trump presidency, it is now paramount — now more than ever — to remain engaged in our political system. 

As president-elect Trump begins to form his Cabinet and White House staff, it’s important for all Americans, whether democrat, republican, black, white, latino, rich, poor, etc. to stay informed on the inner-workings of our government, challenging moves and adjustments to policy that we disagree with while also keeping an open mind and not passing judgment on a decision before fully understanding its ramifications. 

While the majority of the Kernel staff disagrees with much of Trump’s rhetoric on the campaign trail, we also understand that America won’t achieve anything if we continue to divide ourselves by party lines and other invisible barriers. We’re all human and we’re all American. We can’t succeed and become prosperous when we’re busy fighting amongst one another.

The driving force behind change is having an open dialogue. Our editorial board is in agreement that many of the pitfalls of this election stem from a lack of dialogue between republicans and democrats. Both sides were constantly engaged in a back-and-forth spat of name-calling rather than on the issues important to the everyday American, leading to a minimal discussion of the actual issues during the course of the election, only further alienating and dividing the country up. 

Despite what some would like to believe, most Trump supporters aren’t racist, sexist, or misogynistic. Most are simply fed up with the corrupt political machine residing in Washington, which the Clinton’s are a part of, and wanted a much-needed change. While there are indeed bad apples that are Trump supporters, the same could be said for Hillary Clinton, Gary Johnson, Jill Stein and other candidates. 

While Clinton and other anti-Trump supporters have a constitutional right to protest, many demonstrations throughout the country have gotten out of hand and put people in the community and local businesses at risk. 

For everyone worried before the election of Trump not accepting the results, many have turned an eye, opting to not accept the results that shockingly didn’t go their way, it’s too late to change the election results now. However, remaining informed and vigilant will ensure that America will continue to be the great country that it is.

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