Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans also faced a discriminatory legal system. In the past, the FBI kept lists of known gay men and women. State and local governments would shut down bars catering to them. Thousands of gay men and women were publicly humiliated, fired, jailed, or institutionalized. But gay Americans and their allies fought against their exclusion from marriage. And they won.

We stand here today preparing to begin a revolution not only for the victories we hope to achieve but in defense of those we have already won. Donald Trump represents what happens when power moves out of the hands of the people, and into the hands of few wealthy individuals and corporations. As the embodiment of the billionaire class, he has appointed industry chiefs and others with vested interests in tearing apart government programs which aim to tackle inequality, climate change, and protecting the most vulnerable in our society.

We have all heard Bernie Sanders say Donald Trump won by “dividing us up.” But Trump is not the first candidate to run on divisiveness. It’s been the history of our politics. Politicians know when they can pit us against each other — when they have us looking at each other with anger and contempt in our hearts instead of the people who are truly at fault — then they have won. And while we are fighting each other for scraps, the corrupt and the corrupted make off with the wealth of our labor.

But if we are to deny politicians this tactic, it will not be enough to galvanize progressives. It will not suffice to mend broken bridges with fellow Democrats. We must show love to those who let Trump twist their frustrations to hate. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” We must find common ground and stand in solidarity with each other. For we will need all fellow sisters and brothers. We face individuals with seemingly unlimited amounts of money; they own much of this country, they control our corporate media; and with the election of Donald Trump, they think themselves as untouchable. But their weakness is that they are few. And we are many.

The Republican party has already begun to plot their version of fire hoses and police dogs. They’ve introduced bills to criminalize peaceful protest, and we have already seen the police-brutality that faces protesters. But this is not the first time revolutionaries have dealt with stupid, stubborn, worthless, and brutish leaders.

Trump and his party think today is their day of celebration. But we’re not going to let the next four years be defined by their agenda. We’re going to make the next four years about increasing voting rates, removing the corrosive influence of money in our politics and exposing the corruption in our government. They’re going to be about women achieving true equality, including the right choose and the right to equal pay. They’re going to be about African, Hispanic, and Muslim Americans living in a country free of discrimination. They’re going to be about our gay sister and brothers living and loving in peace.

We are going to fight until healthcare is a right, the wealthy pay their fair share, social security is strengthened and expanded, and all employees earn a living wage. Until we have reclaimed the sacred promise of this country — the right to life, liberty, and happiness for all, not just the wealthy few — we will fight.

And, in the tradition of revolutions, we will win.