I spent the morning communicating with family, friends, colleagues, and students, devastated by the thought of Donald Trump returning to the White House in January. The depressing news hit me like a ton of bricks this morning when I learned the election results. I felt sick. I sat on the edge of the bed for several minutes as the reality sunk in. It felt like hope had died while I was sleeping. I got up, walked around, and laid on my couch to process these emotions. Carl Rogers suggested we can be our own therapist at times. This was one of those times when I needed to understand what had just occurred.
I groped for explanations as to why the American people could so decisively choose a racist, misogynistic, convicted felon who sought to undermine an election as the next President of the United States. My mind raced through the potential errors Vice President Harris and her campaign team may have made. Why did she fail to convince enough voters that she had a better vision and policies for the country? Was she too joyful and did not understand voters’ concerns?
As I processed my feelings—sadness, disappointment, and fear of the next four years—I realized that while it is expected to feel these emotions, I could not stay here. I could retreat into my own safe space and try to live as comfortable a life as possible or begin to think about the best steps forward. While it feels like an existential time for the nation, things have been worse. After all, we experienced slavery and a civil war. Democracy will undoubtedly end if all reasonable people throw up their hands in despair. I got off the couch and began thinking about how the social work profession would respond.
During our 2018 Social Work Day on the Hill, during the first Trump Presidency, we raised the question: Can social work help save democracy? With the support of the National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work (NADD), we created a task force to respond to this question, which resulted in the creation of the Social Work Democracy Project. Our work is only beginning. We launched a get-out-the-vote campaign in four battleground states—Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania—following Michelle Obama’s appeal at the Democratic National Convention to “do something.”
Students at social work schools donned tee shirts with the message “Our Voices Matter” and displayed them on campus, in their neighborhoods, in the mall, or in church—wherever they would encounter young people. They urged young voters to go to the polls. Our voices were not loud enough, but they still matter. What should we be saying, to whom, and how? At CRISP, we believe our voices are profoundly needed in legislative arenas.
Several articles in today’s New York Times provide insight into the reasons for yesterday’s outcome. One, “This is Why Trump Won,” written by Daniel McCarthy, a conservative, suggests voters voted to oust “a failed leadership class” from power as an exercise in “creative destruction” that would recreate the nation’s institutions to better serve the interests of the American people. I believe that both parties have bought into money-driven politics that has led to more billionaires and fewer resources for the middle class and the poor. There were 814 American billionaires in March 2024, up from 66 in 1990. I doubt if Trump will do much to change the trajectory.
Times columnist Carlos Lozada makes a compelling case to “Stop Pretending Trump Is Not Who We Are,” arguing that he is very much part of who we are. He is not a fluke or a fad but someone who admires dictators. Lozada says many Americans have bought into his ideas because they are not new. He says Trump’s immigration policies and statements are part of a long tradition of xenophobia. He says we must stop characterizing Trump as someone out of the mainstream and fight harder to be something other.
In “Trump Offered Men Something That Democrats Never Could,” guest columnist Elizabeth Spiers says Trump offered young white men “a regressive idea of masculinity in which power over women is a birthright,” something Democrats would never accede to. They were motivated to pay Democrats back for DEI and other policies that threatened their hegemony, and there were enough women who were loyal to their men to make a difference.
Wringing our hands and wallowing in self-pity are useless now. Mourn the loss. It’s a healthy thing to do. Let’s start discussing how we move forward because those vulnerable populations who depend on social work need our attention more than ever. I invite you to join our CRISP PALS (Political Advocacy Leaders) LinkedIn group. In the coming weeks and months, we will host virtual forums on social work engagement in the political arena.