Of course, I, like most of the University of Wisconsin community, was taken aback from the election of Donald Trump to the presidency, but unlike most of left-leaning individuals, I see the Trump presidency as an opportunity to truly examine who we are as Americans. It turns out we aren’t great people.

We are sexist.

We are racist.

We are unwilling and unable to examine the faults of our society.

We all, to some degree, hold Trump-like biases.

But while this suggests a dismal future, I don’t see it that way. I see opportunity.

Trump, Johnson sweep Wisconsin in historic night for Republicans

Why, you ask? For the simple reason that Trump’s presidency represents a necessity for all of us to actively participate in more than just the democratic process. We must commit ourselves to local initiatives, to effecting change as best as we can.

Some people see voting as the best way, and in some cases the only way, to fulfill our civic duty.

This idea is false.

Every day we should fulfill our local duty. Every day we should be fighting for the ideals we hold dear.

Now, I am not saying I am immune to this separation from fulfilling this daily civic duty. I see volunteer opportunities on the regular that I simply ignore, pretending that I am too busy to fight for racial equities in our communities, passing the blame onto someone else.

No more.

The only and most important thing to come from a Trump presidency is to realize that the buck stops with you.

Ravings of a future stay-at-home dad: White Americans, you have no right to self-pity

We cannot complacently let racial injustices live in the UW or in the greater Madison community. We need to address these injustices through action. Too often I see myself and others reply to these problems with the thought that voting is all they need to do to affect positive change in their communities.

This is wrong.

I write opinions, which affect a small group of people. I let myself believe that I am doing my best to fight for the ideals I truly believe in, which are creating a more equitable system and helping to equalize society. This is not the case. What I have done is minimal to actually affect change.

If I was truly serious about effecting change, I would devote my time, outside of writing for The Badger Herald, to fighting racial injustices but I have not.

I am a hypocrite.

But I, as should all of you in the stare into the face of a Trump presidency, should not just recognize this hypocrisy, but act on it.

We have to fight for what we believe in. We have to prevent racism, institutional or blatant. We have to prevent a future sexist president.

This is on ALL of us. What are you gonna do to make this right?

Aaron Reilly (areilly@badgerherald.com) is a sophomore majoring in social work and economics.