When Greenfield resident Shannon Prescott woke up Wednesday morning and heard the news that Donald Trump had won the presidential election, she was so shocked she thought it was a joke.
Her first thought was how to explain the results to her 7- and 10-year-old daughters.
“They have been so worried about this because of everything they’re seeing on the news, everything they’re hearing on the radio,” she said. “They hear other adults talking about it, and they are very concerned because of all the remarks that have come out of his mouth during this entire campaign and the hatred that’s come out of his mouth.”
Prescott is one of many young professional women in Franklin County who were left reeling Wednesday morning after hearing that Trump, whose campaign has provoked anger and hatred toward women, Muslims, people of color, members of the LGBTQ community and other ethnic and religious minorities, was elected to the presidency.
“I burst into tears this morning. I think a lot of people did,” Prescott said.
But despite their initial shock at the outcome, many women interviewed about the outcome of the race that featured the first woman candidate of a major party said their next thoughts were about how people can push forward, spread love and acceptance throughout their communities, and make a difference on a local level.
Danielle Letourneau-Therrien, the executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County and a former Greenfield town councilor, said she spent Wednesday glued to the news, listening to the words of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and trying to imagine life under Trump’s presidency. Although she was angry at the outcome, Letourneau-Therrien said she doesn’t think the result will have a significant impact on her, but worries about those that it will affect.
“We live in Massachusetts in a really progressive part of the country, I’m a white middle class woman, so my daily life is probably going to be fine, but I worry that policies are going to be changed that are going to affect people who are not like me in a really horrible way,” she said, adding, “But maybe not, I hope not.”
She said although the president is a huge figurehead, there are ways for people to get involved locally that will affect their lives in a more direct way.
Caitlin Sprague of Gill echoed Letourneau-Therrien, saying she hopes Trump’s presidency will encourage people to get involved, whether it’s in their school systems or on local committees.
“Trump is just one person, but we are this country and we can make a difference,” she said. “That’s really my hope, that people realize that and push forward.”
When discussing Trump with her daughters, Prescott said she explained to them that the results of this election are a perfect example of why it’s so important to vote.
“(I told them) that no matter what he says, no matter how he feels about minorities, about our LGBTQ community, about women, about everything that he’s been talking about, that the majority of people do not feel that way,” she said. “Unfortunately, the majority of people did not use their voices, I feel.”
Emily Bourque, a part-time radio show host at 93.9 The River and a server at Hope and Olive, said ultimately the community needs to band together and focus on helping those who are less fortunate.
“I feel like it’s opened the door for homophobia and racism and all sorts of things, but I think so long as we stick together in this community, we can build up great things and connect with our local government, and make things good,” she said, adding, “I keep hearing about people saying they’re going to run away and move out of the country, and not everybody has that option, so staying and advocating for people less fortunate than us … would be the ultimate thing.”
Ellen Moorhouse, program officer at the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts, said not knowing what could happen under Trump’s presidency makes it a scary time, but said she’s ready to take it on. Part of her role at the Women’s Fund is to help run a non-partisan leadership program for women interested in civic engagement, which teaches everything from campaigning 101 to boardroom basics, and said the election results reaffirm the work in front of us.
“It invigorates me more than anything,” she said. “Once I got over my initial shock, I was like, ‘Let’s go.’”
For those feeling angry or discouraged by the election, Moorhouse suggests picking a cause that’s important to them and volunteering their time.
“That’s the true beauty of what makes Western Mass. so great. It’s still a small, close-knit community and we can rally around each other,” she said. “If nothing else, this has just been a call to action, this is just a rallying cry.”