Biden won, but the fight is not over

President-Elect+Joe+Biden+and+Vice+President-Elect+Kamala+Harris+won+the+presidential+election+with+306+electoral+votes+and+about+78+million+popular+votes%2C+roughly+six+million+more+than+President+Donald+Trump.+%28Illustration+by+Ryan+Fairfield%29

President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris won the presidential election with 306 electoral votes and about 78 million popular votes, roughly six million more than President Donald Trump. (Illustration by Ryan Fairfield)

Joe Biden has been elected as the 46th President of the United States with 306 electoral votes, according to The Guardian. Biden’s win marks the end of Donald Trump’s presidency and represents a wave of change as his center-left views will take form during his presidency. Biden is not new to the White House, though, as he served with President Barack Obama as Vice President from 2009-2017. Biden has claimed that his experience in politics was successful and will assist him in fixing many of America’s issues.

While Biden’s win is a reassuring step toward preserving and reviving democracy, calls and protests for social change must not conclude, no matter who is in the White House.

71 million people, about 47% of the electorate, voted for a man who has incessantly levied verbal and legislative attacks against people of color, women, soldiers and the poor, and who has changed the fabric of the Republican Party. Even on Capitol Hill, few Republicans have urged the President to concede, or even repudiated his claims of widespread voter fraud. The conclusion is clear: Trumpism will remain a dominant social and political philosophy even after Trump leaves office. And this frightening amount of support, both on and off the Hill, is something to pay much attention to.

This win is a time for celebration as much as it is a time for vigilance. The hatred towards others created by Trump’s divisive campaign cannot continue in our country, and issues of coronavirus management, of human dignity, of Black Americans’ right to live are still prevalent. It is vital to not become complacent in the face of a less outrageous president; a new chief executive does not mean that these protests, these fights, should come to a halt.

On Nov. 7, celebrations appeared across Chicago, and Downtown was crowded with groups of people cheering for Biden’s win; with fireworks, large signs, megaphones, flags and appearances of Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot, these celebrations were the calls of a people pleased to soon be free of a man who may be America’s worst president in modern history.

The Warrior’s Editorial Board shares this feeling of relief, but we urge our readers to remember that normalcy will not return with the end of the Trump Administration, and we must all remain vigilant and active in the stewarding of our democracy.

Staff Editorials represent the majority view of The Warrior’s Editorial Board.