Hope and Unity Instilled - Biden Harris 2020

One of the most talked-about and searched topics on the internet recently is of the U.S. elections.

The electoral war between Donald Trump and Joe Biden has been hilariously entertaining. The anticipation of Kamala Harris, a woman of colour from an Indian and Jamaican decent coming to power as a Vice President showed representation, a sense of belongingness to the people of colour and inclusivity in a land otherwise dominated by white supremacy.

As a gay man, my existence was illegal in India until a couple of years ago due to a law enforced by the British 150 years ago during their regime here. We were caught up with what the British gave us that we never thought of letting go or moving ahead in time. When my country was making it impossible for me to live my life the way I wanted, all that I looked forward to was about moving to a place far west where I could live freely without the fear of being put behind bars for who I am. And to be honest, when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down all state bans on same-sex marriage in 2015, there was hope in the 19-year-old me. A hope that I could be living the life that I always looked forward to in a country which accepted me for who I am.

But I lost all hopes when Donald Trump began his presidency in January 2017.

I lost all hopes when Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” towards immigrants and separated migrant children from their parents and placed them in cages. This act of inhumanness crept an unsettling fear in me.

I lost all hopes when white supremacy dominated the country and no amount of compassion, peace or words of solace were shown as the Black Lives Matter protests escalated across the U.S. This showed that any person of colour was not safe in a country which is said to be progressive and a country that turned a new leaf for people who sought solace during the time of distress from their home country.

I lost all hopes when the person in power, the person who makes policies for the well-being of the people of his country started tweeting insanity and conspiring against his counterparts just so he could be in the limelight.

But the tables have turned. With Joe Biden as the President-elect of the U.S. and Kamala Harris as the Vice President-elect, there is hope, unity, decency and truth instilled within the citizens of America that their country will be great again - a safe space for women, immigrants, people of colour and the LGBTQI+ community.

Frankly speaking, I don’t know when or if I’ll be moving to the U.S. to live the American dream, but I’m happy for the people of America that they will now have a President who seeks not to divide but to unify, someone who will work towards their welfare, equality and inclusivity.

And, they will now have a Vice President who will inspire young girls and women in America and around the world to dream with ambition, to lead with conviction and to see themselves in a way others may not.