Iâve cried more in the last three months than I have in the last three years, but it has nothing to do with Donald #Trump. When he spews hateful rhetoric about black and Latino Americans, shouts that abortion should be a crime, or promotes corruption and abuse, it solicits a more visceral reaction. Trump incites anger. He inspires hate as much as he preys on it from supporters. But while terrifying, that doesnât cause crying. It reaffirms a belief in equity, justice, and fairness and prompts self-reflection. Am I doing enough to create and maintain the kind of country Iâm proud to live in? Instead, the crying comes from the goodbye. You canât imagine Trump making the first presidential visit to Japan since the atomic bomb in the same way you canât imagine him joking with Steph Curry or allowing a young kid to touch his hair. President #Obama could do all that and more with grace. Somehow, he made it look effortless. Whatâs to come may (and likely will) go poorly, but itâs made much sadder when you realize what weâre about to lose. President Obamaâs actions big and small revealed a consistent and immensely lovable characterâhe believed in connecting with others, in pushing to be inclusive rather than exclusive, in striving for the greatest collective good. I never saw more genuine happiness than when I attended that first inauguration in 2009âmillions of people chanting a single name at a single moment for a single purpose. A few months earlier I was up until 3am among students from all different places and backgrounds simply dancing in the streets, invigorated by the prospect of progress and a leader you could embrace without shame. âIâm dancing because itâs a beautiful day,â one of the students told the campus paper. âItâs a beautiful time for change in America. We are now looking at progress, and I am happy to be a part of it. Today, Iâll probably cry more. But tomorrow we continue the organizing, education, and activism that has slowly grown these last few months. This is goodbye to perhaps the finest president of our lifetimes, but President Obama wouldnât want this to be goodbye to the type of #America he encouraged us all to believe in.











