On Election Day, Oak Park resident Nell McNamara said she was elated to cast her ballot for a candidate who she hoped would be the first woman elected president of the United States.
But as the results began to roll in later that evening, McNamara began to realize that would not happen. Instead, Donald J. Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the electoral college and will be the country’s next president.
In the aftermath of the election, McNamara and her neighbor, Emma Arnold, decided to put together a solidarity walk, which will take place tonight outside Buzz Cafe on South Lombard Avenue at 6:30 p.m. Since the election, there have been demonstrations and protests after a campaign in which Trump faced criticism over harsh words directed at some groups, such as immigrants.
“People are feeling very alone and like they are powerless,” Arnold said. “I think there is something about coming together to reject these policies that [Trump] is going to be empowering. … It’s political. It’s a political walk.”
McNamara said people from all over the community and of all ages are welcome to attend. She said the crowd will march with candles in hand as a show of solidarity against “Trump’s bigotry, xenophobia, Islamophobia and misogyny.” She said the group tentatively plans to walk down Harrison Street toward South Ridgeland Avenue, up Ridgeland to Van Buren Street and back to Lombard and Buzz Cafe.
Arnold said she was “shocked and devastated” by the election results.
“America is not defined by the policies of Donald J. Trump,” she said. “And it’s just really depressing to me that he’s going to be the biggest symbol of our country. I thought it would be important for our neighbors to come together and reject the politics of hate.”
She said the march will be a peaceful show of mourning over the election result and an illustration of a community united in its rejection of bigotry and racism.
“I can’t just sit around and be depressed in my house,” McNamara said. “I want to do something and say something to my kids about how we’re not going to just sit here and watch this happen.”
Rallies in response to the recent election results will continue in Oak Park at least through the weekend.
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Oak Park and River Forest High School teacher Anthony Clark will help host a “Community for Unity” rally Saturday afternoon between noon and 2 p.m. at Scoville Park at 800 W. Lake St. Clark founded the Suburban Unity Alliance earlier this year to raise awareness about discrimination and racism in Chicago suburbs.
“With everyone hurting, everyone searching for answers, let’s come together and rally as a community,” Clark said. “Let’s also give everyone the opportunity who now seems to be aware and ready to do something an opportunity to join us.”
He said residents “can’t allow these elections results to make us give up.”
“We’re going to dust ourselves off, and we’re going to stand up as Americans … and use our collective energies to act,” Clark said.
Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.