Parks and Recreation‘s Leslie Knope Writes a Letter to America Addressing Trump

Donald Trump’s victory in Tuesday night’s election has left many at a loss for words. Others, though, have begun to speak out in opposition to the President-Elect and the things that he represents. Now, one blonde, female, fictional politician has added her name to that list. Leslie Knope, the optimistic do-gooder at the center of Parks and Recreation, played wonderfully by Amy Poehler, has published a letter responding to the election result.

Knope’s letter opens with a story that helps to illustrate how unpredictable democracy is, before suggesting that it’s ultimately the best system, even if it’s not perfect. The letter continues by describing how Leslie dealt with the election’s outcome, taking us through each of the five stages of grief before finally arriving at acceptance.

“Here’s what [sic] I stand on that: No. I do not accept it,” the letter reads, continuing:

I acknowledge that Donald Trump is the President. I understand, intellectually, that he won the election. But I do not accept that our country has descended into the hatred-swirled slop pile that he lives in. I reject out of hand the notion that we have thrown up our hands and succumbed to racism, xenophobia, misogyny, and crypto-fascism.

The letter continues by addressing the young women who were disheartened by Trump’s victory. “You will not listen to this man, or the 75-year-old, doughy-faced, gray-haired nightmare men like him, when they try to tell you where to stand or how to behave or what you can and cannot do with your own bodies, or what you should or should not think with your own minds,” Knope writes.

She finishes by calling for action, and promising hope for the future of this country. “He is the present, sadly, but he is not the future. You are the future. Your strength is a million times his. Your power is a billion times his. We will acknowledge this result, but we will not accept it. We will overcome it, and we will defeat it. Now find your team, and get to work.”

You can read the full letter, written by a Parks and Recreation writer, here.