The Election of Donald Trump Has Made Me a Stranger in My Own Country

by Lori Wojtowicz

Like so many, last Tuesday night brought little sleep, only a descent into despair. For me, it was not so much about political party or electing the first woman or the first black woman. It was about decency and the reality that my country could choose a man who has already proven himself to be anything but.  I know many of my Republican friends will agree about the ugliness of his character, but will tell me it is about policies and money and keeping us safe from the “others” who breach our borders. But a man’s word is his bond. A man’s words reveal his heart. And so, I finally fell asleep feeling like a stranger in my own land. I did not recognize this America.

The morning brought no peace, but this time it was my own words that haunted me—a stranger in my own land. I felt sorry for myself, but then the hard truth began to haunt me. So many Americans have lived this reality for a very long time. They have lived their lives as strangers in this land that promises liberty and justice for all. I have existed in America’s light. Many have lived in its shadows. Whether by race or sexual orientation or religion or any of the other ‘isms that divide us, many have lived on the fringes of those of us in the majority. They have lived marginalized and yet still fight for the promises America professes. They have fought for rights I have been given.

Perhaps this is the point of this election. It must jar us out of our comfort and complacency, it must make us extend our arms not fold them in on ourselves in defeat.

As a stranger, I feel disoriented. That’s what truth does. Truth disturbs. It’s long past time that I should feel like a stranger in my own land. I know there are those who will dismiss me as just another guilt-ridden liberal. I have no use for guilt. There is no time for such a self-serving emotion. 

Allow yourself a day of despair but in that darkness, find your light, listen to others, learn, and love the work that light requires you to do. Education has always been my path, a teacher for 35 years at Ann Arbor Huron High,  but it is clear I am the one who needs to learn. It’s about time I became a stranger in this land.