Many of us were crushed to miss out on Beto by such a narrow margin. I see the disappointment walking the halls of UH’s Graduate College of Social Work and on my social feeds alike. We were SO CLOSE.

Black men and women overwhelmingly voted for Beto, while white men and women (!?) mostly supported Cruz. In addition, we witnessed voter suppression in obvious, unacceptable force. On a positive note, I have never seen so many people paying attention to these issues.

Despite the deflation many of my like-minded peers feel, there is a lot to celebrate!

Silver Lining

In Texas, we nearly doubled our voter turnout for the 2014 midterm elections (incidentally, my first time voting). I have never seen so many of my friends fired up to take action. Beto only lost by ~3%. That would have been hard to conceive of two years ago! Our first two Latinas were elected to serve in Congress.

In addition, in my county (Harris), a majority of our positions went to democrats. All of the black Houston female judges up for election won. A democrat will be in charge of elections next season.

On a larger scale: We are seeing substantially more women in congress (not enough, but still!). The first two indigenous women were elected to congress. Our first Muslim congresswomen were elected last night. Openly gay and lesbian representatives were elected, and so much more.

Now What?

Just because Beto lost doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot to do. My fear is that those who were ignited by his charisma and ideas will lose heart and stop participating. But please don’t! Your vote does count. The majority of registered voters in Texas did not vote yesterday.

Please keep this momentum going by:

• Volunteering for an organization that matters to you.

• Educating yourself about people who are different than you. Here are just a few sources and individuals who focus on this topic:

  • Ijeoma Oluo

  • Rachel Cargle

  • Glitter & Lazers

  • Leste Magazine

  • Jesmyn Ward

• Helping with the upcoming census efforts.

• Donating to a cause that’s important to you.

• Attend a protest.

• Get a friend involved.

• Participate in local elections.

Take a break if you need it. Don’t become fatigued or overwhelmed to the point that you back away completely. Stay involved.

What are you doing to keep involved? What are your recommendations for those who are feeling deflated?