Fleeing the extremism of Florida for the perseverance of Chicago, I’ve found hope in a city that defies fear. 

On New Year’s Day — amid the existential dread that comes with processing the series of events, lessons and changes the past twelve months had brought — I came to a realization. It had been six months since I last called Southwest Florida my home.

After 17 years, I made the decision to leave Florida and abandon every familiar aspect of my past. To some, this may have seemed like an unrealistic approach to growing up, but put it bluntly, I no longer felt free or safe to be myself in the extremist environment the state of Florida  harbors. 

So, I left.

Seven months after I moved to Chicago, an overwhelming surge of right-wing extremism in our nation’s newly appointed administration has left me with a question that has always existed, but I hoped would never become relevant. 

In the midst of how utterly hopeless the future seems, how can I be certain that Chicago won’t follow the same fate as Florida?

I don’t ask this question blindly. After experiencing the rise of radicalism in a state already possessing a rather strong culture of conservative values, I’ve attempted to guide my life in a direction that negates the possibility of that same experience in a community I truly cherish. However, now the very behavior that I first saw bloom within Florida’s leadership thrives everywhere within the political environment our president, and everyone within his grasp, has bred. 

In the reality of our nation, what began as boastful threats have become executive action. 

Within the past five days, Chicago has become one of the largest targets of Trump’s sudden deployment of immigration raids in the United States. 

As ICE vehicles appear throughout the city, local schools and churches are no longer a reliable sanctuary for residents at risk. As a community, we fear for those who are the most vulnerable. We fear for those who work tirelessly each day to make less than a percentage of the wealth that those in power possess. As a community, we fear for the families who have become the heartbeat of Chicago, the families that now risk being torn apart.

It’s perfectly understandable for us to fear what lies ahead. But fear doesn’t have to be paralyzing. 

If the people of Chicago embody one trait, it’s resilience. For this reason alone, I find faith in the future of our city. We have the ability to be a strong leader in our nation’s fight against the autocracy unfolding within our political system. This is a type of faith that I wish I could say I had in Florida.

When I think of our city’s soul, I find that it stems from the kind of support, empathy and community we see exemplified in light of these recent events. As ICE officers present themselves outside of schools, hospitals, and churches — environments that serve to protect and enrich — the people within our city have taken it upon themselves to warn others and protect our family. Mothers post officer sightings on social media, CTA stations inform residents of their rights and universities place panic buttons on the desks of vulnerable students. 

Resilience is the heart of Chicago, one that serves as a powerful example for the rest of the country. 

No safe space exists without defiance. In its very nature, a safe place has and will always exist encompassed in an environment that opposes its presence. Though Chicago stands surrounded by floods of adversity and ignorance, it remains a tall beacon of hope for the change that can come when a city understands its vitality and refuses to easily submit to the demands of an oppressive administration. 

Yesterday, I feared for the future of our city as I fear for the future of the United States. 

Today, I still fear for our country and those our leaders no longer choose to protect. At times, I’ve wondered if it was worth it to abandon Florida, or if the Chicago I’ve fallen in love with will be the same a decade from now. However, if these feelings have proven anything, it’s that I firmly believe this city will defy the efforts of those against us.

Chicago understands something Florida couldn’t: The moment we give up our power, we give up our city.

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