Americans, ALL Americans – Democrats and Republicans alike – let’s not let the republic crumble. We need to pick up the pieces and fight like hell to maintain the progress we’ve made.

We can’t let them dismantle Social Security. We can’t let them roll back women’s rights. We can’t let them roll back LGBT rights. Medicare and Medicaid, healthcare, in general: Let’s strengthen it. We must fight like hell to maintain our collective bargaining rights. We must pour every ounce of effort into our local politics to make sure that bigotry, hatred, and misogyny don’t continue to win and won’t permeate our nation. We must continue our fight for $15. We must continue our fight for progress and equality! We must roll up our sleeves and get to work.

We are bound by our nation’s history and our constitution to defend and protect our most vulnerable citizens – and that’s what we will do.

Now is not the time to continue with the vitriolic rhetoric we’ve seen in this election but to understand that half of this nation believes there are different ways to move our nation forward, whether or not we agree with them. We have to convince them – as we have failed to do up until this point – that rolling back the progress we’ve already made will not work to improve anyone’s lot in life. We need to rid ourselves of hubris and remember that grassroots activism works. Our nation is greater than one man and one office, we are a collective voice and as long as we use our power together, we will not be powerless.

In Solidarity,

Gino Renne