Jennifer Lawrence On Trump Victory: “Let This Enrage You!”
As has become the norm this week, mountains of digital ink are being spilled in service of working out intense disappointment in the wake of the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. The latest addition to the fray: The Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence. The Oscar winner has written a fiery open letter that eschews the recent trend of odes to conciliation in favor of a rousing call to action for demoralized Clinton voters.
“Is this the stark reality? It doesn’t matter how hard you work or how qualified you are, at the end of the day, if you’re not a man? Is that what we just learned?” Lawrence asks in the letter, published by Vice. “This country was founded on immigration and today the only people that feel safe, that their rights are recognized and respected are white men.”
Lawrence continued, addressing the way women feel after the election specifically. “If you’re a woman and you’re worried that no matter how hard you work or how much you learn, there will always be a glass ceiling, then I don’t really know what to say,” she said. “I don’t know what I would tell my daughter if I were you. Except to have hope. To work for the future.”
“Do not let this defeat you—let this enrage you! Let it motivate you! Let this be the fire you didn’t have before,” Lawrence concluded.
The message isn’t necessarily for everyone, but if you’re not feeling particularly amenable to pleas for reaching across the aisle, her letter might be the soothing balm you’ve been looking for. I’m into that. On the other hand, if you voted for Trump you’re probably feeling pretty good already, in which case carry on.
Read the whole letter below:
Is this the stark reality? It doesn’t matter how hard you work or how qualified you are, at the end of the day, if you’re not a man? Is that what we just learned? This country was founded on immigration and today the only people that feel safe, that their rights are recognized and respected are white men.
I want to be positive; I want to support our democracy, but what can we take away from this? It’s a genuine question that we all need to ask ourselves. We shouldn’t blame anyone, we shouldn’t riot in the streets. We should think strongly and clearly about what to do next because we cannot change the past.
If you’re worried about the health of our planet, find out everything you can about how to protect it. If you’re worried about racial violence love your neighbor more than you’ve ever tried to before—no matter what they believe or who they voted for. If you’re afraid of a wall putting us all into another recession then organize and stand against it.
If you’re a woman and you’re worried that no matter how hard you work or how much you learn, there will always be a glass ceiling, then I don’t really know what to say. I don’t know what I would tell my daughter if I were you. Except to have hope. To work for the future.
We’re all allowed to be sad that the present isn’t what we thought it was. But we mustn’t be defeated. We will keep educating ourselves and working twice as hard as the man next to us because we know now that it is not fair. It is not fair in the workplace, so you make it impossible to fail. And like Hillary, it might not work.
But like Hillary, you can still be an inspiration and get important things done. Do not let this defeat you—let this enrage you! Let it motivate you! Let this be the fire you didn’t have before. If you are an immigrant, if you are a person of color, if you are LGBTQ+, if you are a woman—don’t be afraid, be loud!
Related stories
Trevor Noah: Obama Deserves Oscar For Performance During Donald Trump Meet-And-Greet
Lena Dunham Posts Essay On Her Election Night Trauma: "I Was Frozen"
Get more from Deadline.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
