We did it.

It was scary, divisive and stressful to no end, but we did it. Joe Biden won the presidency, and President Trump will be kicked out of the Oval Office, much to the chagrin of his inflated ego and crooked administration.

This win was historically significant for several reasons: Kamala is now the first Black and Asian-American woman vice president, Trump became the first one-term president since George H.W. Bush in 1993, and a record-breaking number of voters turned up at the polls, making Biden the candidate with the most votes in history.

There were over 70 million votes for Biden alone, which means that more people made a conscious effort to improve the state of our nation than ever before. Biden’s White House win is a relief for millions of people across the country and across the world, as it shows that people are actively trying to bring change.

Along with the mere excitement and historical significance of this election come some harsh realities that our country now has to face. COVID-19 is still raging (and arguably getting worse), Black people are being shot in the streets, KKK rallies are being held not-so-secretly and gay marriage is being contested in the Supreme Court. Over the last four years, millions of Americans have lost everything: healthcare, employment, social security, quality time with friends and family and the lives of loved ones, just to name a few. People are scared and people are dying, but some take comfort in knowing that the Biden presidency could put us on a track toward healing.

That being said, we cannot stop now. We won the presidency, and that is a fantastic first-step, but our problems will not be fixed if we just elect the president and then sit back. Having Biden in office is great, but we have to make sure we do not become complicit in settling for less than we deserve. It is our job as citizens to keep fighting for our own rights and the rights of others, whether it is expanding abortion rights or defunding the police. No matter the task at hand, it would be an injustice to work so hard for the presidency and then just … stop.

This presidential election was an intense battle, but we won. For all intents and purposes, we have slayed the dragon. But the princess is still in her tower and our horse is thirsty. Our armor has dents and our sword is nearly bent in half. The fight toward prosperity and equality has been long and exhausting; it would be so easy to just sit down and rest for a while, to assume that our job is done.

In reality, our work is far from over. If we want to save the princess (i.e. keep our country from imploding or diving into civil war), we as a nation must make a conscious effort to continue fighting for what is right. Quitting now will mean that this country will just revert back into a state of chaos and deep division, instead of working toward a more inclusive future.

We slayed this dragon, but there are thousands of other villains and monsters waiting for us to track them down. We can win this together – we’ve just got to suit up, take a few deep breaths and keep fighting.