I’m Sarah, a 28-year-old from East Tennessee. Currently living in Knoxville, I am a blue dot in a sea of bright red.
After teenage years believing that to be Southern or Appalachian was to be uneducated, conservative, and bigoted, I went to college and found myself proudly “tricking” people into being shocked that I was from Tennessee.
Enter the 2016 election.
Never would I have expected to defend the South as much as I have the last 10 years. The day Trump was elected, I found myself advocating for seeing Southerners as complicated human beings (they are). From that day on, I clearly identified myself as a Tennessean (I am). I tried to be an example of all the wonderful Southern people. We could be smart! We could be progressive! We could be open-minded! I was also quick to say I would never live in Tennessee again.
Enter the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
On top of my failure in the D.C. job market, a pandemic precipitated my move back to Tennessee. I’ve remained since. While living in the South has been taxing at times, I have enjoyed making this place my home and finding my people.
Enter the 2024 election.
In the first 100 days, I faced whiplash. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is illegal? January 6ers are pardoned? What is DOGE? Are they trying to end birthright citizenship? Nonprofits have lost federal funding? Undocumented immigrants are in hiding? Trans people cannot get passports? What the hell is happening?
I am surrounded by people who voted for this administration. I’m angry. I spiral. Not everyone who voted for Trump is a terrible person, right? Am I the problem? I end up back in therapy.
I have always been obsessed with learning about the margins. I studied the Middle East in undergrad because I grew up seeing pervasive Islamophobia post-9/11. Focused on conflict studies because I read Diary of Anne Frank in the fifth grade. Got my master’s in public administration and policy because people do not know how the government and nonprofits can function to provide a better society for us all.
I feel like if I learn more about a topic, I can better advocate for what is right and just. I can better understand my neighbors. am already expending my energy learning and understanding, so why not share with others? I cannot be the only person spiraling. I have International Affairs and Public Administration degrees that position me to understand the chaos marginally better than some. I have the privilege of time. I am not a writer, but I can try my best.
We are better together. I cannot live a peaceful and fulfilling life if I believe my neighbors are terrible people. There is so much to learn about the current moment. We have to listen and learn from each other to build a common understanding. Without it, we’re doomed. – Sarah
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