Trump is trying to divide us. Here’s why I’m optimistic about the next four years.

(RNS) — Last year, many of us took to the streets, called our neighbors, built coalitions and marched to the polls. We did this concerned that we would have to protect the communities most likely to be attacked by another Trump administration — Muslims, Black people and women. Now that Donald Trump has been elected to another term, we are seeing his threats turn into disastrous action, as we had feared. On Tuesday (Feb. 4), in a move that is already being roundly condemned around the world, Trump proposed forcefully evicting Gazans from their homeland, seizing the land and turning it into U.S. territory.

As horrifying as this is, we shouldn’t be surprised. We had seen him in his first term launch a Muslim ban, slash the refugee cap, shamefully refuse to admit his 2020 electoral defeat, encourage his followers to storm the U.S. Capitol and much more. His campaign promises to exact oppressive policies against vulnerable communities are simply as advertised: His slash-and-burn executive orders target refugee programs, federal DEI offices, the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, sanctuary cities and the environment.

A Black Muslim woman, I am a three-time minority. The administration’s actions affect me whichever way I turn. I am genuinely concerned about what may happen in the years to come. But it is all the more reason I must stand with others in solidarity as we continue our resistance. These threats are too enormous to do anything else. 

For many Americans, cracks have formed in our deepest-rooted relationships, forced by the immensely personal, devastating issues facing us. But in the face of the threat, we must work to mend these fractures. 

The Black Muslim community is one of deep strength. While Trump seeks to tear us down and make us feel small, we know that our history is our power. We are built on a legacy of overcoming adversity and oppression, and we draw upon that to combat the oppressors of today.

My organization, the Black Muslim Leadership Council, has big plans for the next year, all based on building coalitions and bridges. We are hard at work reaching out to members of our community, from Michigan to Georgia and beyond, to explain what Trump’s executive orders mean for real people day-to-day. We are organizing with other nonprofit, religious and community leaders to drive a groundswell of resistance against Trump’s policies.

We are working with local, state and federal lawmakers to resist these policies. We are hosting town halls to offer community members more information on how to run for office, fundraise, know their rights and mobilize. We are providing resources for individuals impacted by immigration/deportation, loss of federal funding, loss of employment and more. 

We are not alone in this work. Over the past few weeks, I have been heartened to see so many individuals and organizations revitalizing their work, launching new initiatives and forging new alliances. By doing so, we are sending a clear message that cuts through the administration’s noise: We will not let you beat us.

This work will be hard, and the challenges ahead are daunting. Trump’s electoral win was deeply disheartening to many, and what is happening now — even just today — is exactly what so many of us were working hard to prevent. But we must not let this stop us. We must use it as inspiration to keep going.

Despite the odds, as a woman of faith, I remain hopeful about the future. The Quran states that we can plan, but God’s plan is greater. The challenges that get placed in our way are opportunities for us to grow and find new ways to overcome the unforeseen. I will continue to plan, work and resist, and I encourage each of you to, as well. But I also believe that there is a greater plan at work — one that sees beyond the discord, the noise and the oppression, and instead is working toward a world made brighter by our diversity, our cooperation and our perseverance. 

(Salima Suswell is the founder of the Black Muslim Leadership Council. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of RNS.)