Post Election: The Voices of Our Comadritas Need to be Heard

25Nov
by Lisette Medina Duarte

It has been really upsetting to see the posts all over social media during the past few weeks in the aftermath of the election from friends, family, and colleagues about how their children are processing the outcome.

La Comadre Alma and some of the other bloggers worked on some tips about talking to children about the election that were shared immediately.

My friend Liz shared on Facebook about her daughter Mariah being so disappointed with the election results. Children all over the country are expressing confusion and fear. It inspired me to reach out to Mariah because little comadritas want an opportunity to express themselves now more than ever.

I facetimed with a nine-year-old Mariah Gutierrez, a fourth grader at Saint Ignatius of Loyola Catholic School, in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Mariah told me she was really disappointed about the election results. She said that she didn’t want Donald Trump to win because she knows that he has made some pretty mean comments. Overall, her perception of him is that he isn’t a good person nor a good role-model for kids. She’s heard that he’s blamed Mexicans for killing people. Mariah said that her classmates shared that if kids could vote they know that Hillary probably would have won.

I asked Mariah why she thinks Trump won. She said because there are a lot of people who don’t like Mexicans and they voted for him.

Mariah went on to to say that if Hillary won it means girls could do whatever they wanted in life and that girls would be really strong with a woman president because there has never been one before. She hoped she would see this happen because it would have been historical.

I asked her if there was one thing that President Trump could focus on what would that be for her?


Mariah wants our next president to be nice to everyone, and she would like everyone to be treated equally and with respect.

I told Mariah that even though it was hard to deal with these election results and it wasn’t the outcome that we wanted that girls are still strong and that one day maybe a woman could be president. I asked her, “Wouldn’t it be cool if it were Michelle Obama?” She gave me a big smile, and nodded yes.

I told Mariah to stay positive and stay strong and not allow the results of the election to upset her. I asked her not to think that because Donald Trump is our president-elect that he could stop her from achieving her dreams of wanting to become a nurse or maybe even an author.

Mariah and her two sisters, Brianna who is 15 and Liana who is 5,  have big dreams, and election results can’t get in the way of those goals.

As the parents and adults, let’s not forget that children are watching what has been unfolding. We need to lead by example, reassure them, and offer a way forward.

What do you think?

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Lisette Medina Duarte

Co-Chair at State Council on Developmental Disabilities

Lisette Medina-Duarte She is a mother of two beautiful children, both of whom are are on the autism spectrum. Having one child in a charter school, and the other is in a traditional public school, Lizette is deeply committed to working with underserved and underprivileged communities. She is a grassroots organizer and finds passion in serving as an educational advocate for disability rights, and equality and inclusions for African American and Latino communities of Greater Los Angeles. In addition to managing multiple outreach, volunteer, and advocacy campaigns, Duarte’s 20 years of administrative experience includes fundraising, engagement, events, and sponsorship procurement. She is currently a member of the advisory board for UCLA’s Tarjan Center and a member of the Empowerment Congress. Duarte was appointed by former Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina to the state Council on Developmental Disabilities. She is also a member of the Community Police Advisory Board for the Northeast Los Angeles Police Department, and serves as a board member for several California nonprofits.

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