Last week, America decided. Throughout the states, people of all walks of life chose the fate of our country. Voters showed up, went to the polls, stood in line. The people of the United States voted for the conditions under which they want to live, love and be seen. Americans decide what lies ahead, while all eyes are on our country.

It is a global embarrassment to tell the world that the president-elect represents the United States of America, its values and what its citizens are willing to excuse. This oversight will be radiated out into the world, the repercussions of which will be felt for generations. America’s leadership will become a mockery of what this country has stood for. Make no mistake, the man the American people elected is not for them. Believe him when he shows brazenly where his priorities lie. Not dissimilar to 2016, his is not a presidency during which we will remain blissfully ignorant and unaffected, even in Maine. With fingers in our ears, and eyes squinting, there will be no denying who he is, and what he now has the power to do.

America’s trajectory has been stridently redirected. For the sake of democracy, we cannot take this lying down. Be aware, know your rights under the Constitution, while you are still entitled to them. Educate yourself, know limitations and exceptions. It is imperative, now more than ever, to be vigilant. Your children are watching. Your daughters are watching. The world is watching.

Caroline O’Brien (age 16)
Portland