Two weeks ago, in endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, our editorial board warned of the existential danger President-elect Donald Trump presents. Now, facing a second Trump presidency, we genuinely fear for the fate of our generation, students across the country, the university and American democracy itself. We know we aren’t alone in our loathing of Trump’s brand of hateful politics. The Sun conducted exit polling of 28 Cornellians on Election Day, with all but one saying they voted for Harris. Even the Cornell Republicans and The Cornell Review refused to publicly come out in support of Trump this election cycle.
We know we cannot simply face these threats passively. Rather, we encourage our readers to use this election as a galvanizing force for participation in democracy. That starts here at Cornell.
The Sun calls on all Cornellians to embrace this University’s long tradition of student activism on and off campus. We call on students and faculty to stand up for democracy at Cornell, particularly as our administrators are actively dismantling our shared governance system and cracking down on activism. We should not just hold leaders to account on the presidential level. The struggle starts here.
That also includes pursuing workplace justice, organizing in and joining unions and labor coalitions. And we cannot, at any point, lose hope in civic democracy, especially at the local level. Cornellians should get involved, run for office, knock on doors, write op-eds and push back against authority when we see injustice.
As a community newspaper that values diversity and dissent, we will not stop fighting for truth and democracy to prevail. Regardless of the outcome, the battle for the country’s soul was never going to end at the ballot box. Now, we must learn the hard way that participatory democracy — where informed citizens actively and peacefully engage, volunteer and protest, pushing for change beyond merely electing representatives — offers us the only path forward.
We firmly believe that for every step toward authoritarianism that Trump will take, young activists have the opportunity to step back into their respective communities and effect tangible change for the better. Stemming the tide of fascism is not only possible — it’s our collective duty. The response to this historic moment cannot be political apathy, but a new, never-before-seen level of engagement.
We know Cornellians are up to the task — and we wholeheartedly expect them to prove us right.
With hope,
The Editorial Board