By Danae King, The Columbus Dispatch, staff and wire reports
COLUMBUS – Anyone who expected the nation to begin healing immediately after the stunning election of Republican Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States has been sorely disappointed.
In Ohio, always a crucible of campaigning during a presidential election year, nerves are on edge after months of divisive rhetoric and many – from lawmakers to voters – are wondering what just happened and what the future will bring.
A group of community and faith leaders, immigrants and their advocates planned to gather outside the Ohio Statehouse Wednesday afternoon, a little over 12 hours after Democrat Hillary Clinton conceded the hard-fought election, to “mourn and grieve together and stand in solidarity with our immigrant friends,” according to Matt Hildreth of America’s Voice, which organized the event.
Hildreth says immigrants in Ohio are “living in fear with the election of Donald Trump” so the group will call on leaders, including Gov. John Kasich, to develop plans for protecting immigrants in from the immigration policies of a president who campaigned on promises of deporting millions of illegal immigrants and building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Following an election cycle characterized by divisiveness and confrontation, Maria D’Apolito and other administrators at Columbus College of Art and Design knew they needed to do something.
It was time to come together.
“We don’t want a single person in our community to feel like they’re alone today,” explained Chris Mundell, the college’s vice president for student affairs and dean of students.
The group discussed ways to find support, unity and healing.
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“If we aren’t overcome by division, we can overcome this together,” said 20-year-old junior Kimber Ludovico, a fine arts major.
Wednesday’s come-and-go event, led by the college’s Student Affairs division, started at 11:00 a.m. in the Loann Crane Center for Design and will continue until 6 p.m. tonight. Anyone is welcome to attend. The location is being called a “debate-free space” for historically marginalized people, including people of color, immigrants, women and members of the LGBT community.
Much of CCAD’s population falls under one of those categories, and many of those students expressed fear and anxiety following Tuesday’s election results, said D’Apolito, the college’s assistant director of student involvement and multicultural affairs.
Across the United States, discussions about election-induced anxiety persist among both Democrats and Republicans. More than half of Americans say this year’s campaign has caused them high levels of stress, according to a recent study from the American Psychological Association.
Individuals in need of mental health services can call 614-276-2273, a 24-hour crisis line. U.S. Sen. Rob Portman is calling on Ohioans of all political persuasions to come together after the contentious presidential election to work for the country’s betterment.
State officials, political leaders and others are slated to appear at a postelection forum in downtown Columbus are expected to include higher education, health care, the state’s next two-year budget, and perspective on Tuesday’s election in the presidential battleground state.
Panelists scheduled to appear at the forum Thursday include the chairmen of the state’s Republican and Democratic parties, Ohio’s budget director and the leaders of the Senate and House.
Ohio lawmakers are planning to return to the Statehouse next week to begin wrapping up their work for the legislative session.
Majority Republicans added to their ranks in each chamber after this year’s election.
As for the coming months on Capitol Hill, U.S. Sen. Portman, a Republican who won re-election Tuesday, told reporters Wednesday that he anticipates tax reform, infrastructure improvements and a rewrite of the Affordable Care Act to be priorities of the Republican-controlled Senate under Trump.
Asked if he supports the border wall, Portman said immigration reform is needed but the form it will take is unclear.
Portman doesn’t believe his decision late in the race to withdraw support from Trump will hurt his relationship with the president-elect, nor does he think Kasich’s opposition to Trump will hurt Ohio’s standing in Washington.