Donald J. Trump, the Republican candidate for president, won the 2024 US Presidential election. This left many people in the OPRF community, including myself, concerned. The Cook County Clerk’s office reported that 90.31 percent of voters in Oak Park voted for Kama- la Harris, the Democratic candidate for president. These results leave many Oak Park residents asking the simple question, what comes next? But the greater question should be, what difference can I make now?

The far-right policies, rhetoric, behavior, and threats of political violence from Trump and other extremists have created a sense of tension in the country not yet seen in our lifetime. When enough tension is created, it leads to violence. One clear example of this is the Jan. 6, 2021 attacks on the U.S. Capitol, in which according to the U.S. Attorney’s office 1,256 people were charged for the attack, with 452 of those charged with assaulting an officer on duty. A rise in political violence and extreme agendas has been a global theme around the world. In my opinion, this rise has been fueled by social media and for-profit news sources. OPRF history teacher Bill Young said, “Extremist parties are linked a lot more easily by social media. If you were part of a political persuasion not in the mainstream and you wanted to connect with others you had to physically be with them. Social media created more channels to connect people, and heightened propaganda.” This very much applies to our current political landscape. Committeewoman Eileen Lynch of the Democratic Party of Oak Park said, “It’s hard to run against candidates who promote disinformation.”

So how do we combat this? The apparent loss of hope can be attributed to many factors, but one could be the sense of hope felt by Democrats during the Harris campaign. Harris raised approximately $1 billion, meaning it was one of the most financially supported campaigns in recent times. The support and movement behind the Harris campaign was clear. This, with the combination of the loss to Trump, created a sense of hopelessness and loss among many Democrats.

It’s important not to get stuck in feeling hopeless. The fight is not over. It is not hopeless. The fight is over when we believe it is over.

Lynch said “Our vision of a fair and just future doesn’t change. The work goes on.” Now more than ever we need to get involved and make differences on the issues we care about, including at a local level.

There are still many ways to get involved and make a difference. High schoolers can still get involved in non-profits in Oak Park, like the local Beyond Hunger or other organizations that help people in our community. You could get involved in OPRF, like joining Huskie Helpers or a service club. Or you could even get involved in local politics. There are many elections taking place on a smaller scale in the next four years, which could allow you to volunteer for a candidate you support.

Staying educated and informed is key to what comes next for our country. This means having a variety of news sources with differing biases, so that you can develop your own opinion, and not what someone else thinks your opinion should be. These are some of many ways you can work as a tool to fight for the causes that we care so desperately about. The fight is not over until we say it’s over.