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Thousands took to the streets all over the five boroughs and across the US to celebrate the news, which came as a huge sigh of relief to millions after a tense week of unrest onset by delayed election results.

In Manhattan, Washington Square Park was the site of a massive gathering where, for the first time since April, it felt like New Yorkers were finally able to cut loose.

A young Biden Harris supporter at Washington Square Park, 11/7/2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

People celebrate at Washington Square Park, 11/7/2020 Photo by Thomas Hengge

A vendor sells Biden Harris 2020 shirts at Washington Square Park,11/7/2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

A person in a Joe Biden mask at Washington Square Park, 11/7/2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

People ride around with noisemakers, following the announcement Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in the 2020 Presidential Election, 11/7/2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

A person reacts to seeing thousands gathered at Washington Square Park, 11/7/2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

Confetti and glitter covers the ground at Washington Square Park, 11/7/2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

Thousands gather at Washington Square Park to celebrate President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 US Presidential Election, 11/7/2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

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Biden’s win came as Pennsylvania released their results early this afternoon. The state’s 20 electoral votes pushed Biden from 253 votes to 273, moving him past the 270 needed to win the election. Meanwhile, Trump plateaued at 214 electoral votes. As of Saturday evening, Biden also leads in the popular vote by about 3%. 

Shortly after the election was called,  Biden tweeted out a statement.

America, I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country.

The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a President for all Americans — whether you voted for me or not.

I will keep the faith that you have placed in me. pic.twitter.com/moA9qhmjn8

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 7, 2020

The democratic win comes on the heels of a particularly divisive campaign season during which coronavirus ravaged the country, and the fight for equality and racial justice attracted national attention due to police brutality against Black and Brown Americans. 

President Trump has refused to acknowledge Biden as President-Elect, taking to Twitter in response to the election results. Earlier in the day Trump tweeted in all caps:

THE OBSERVERS WERE NOT ALLOWED INTO THE COUNTING ROOMS. I WON THE ELECTION, GOT 71,000,000 LEGAL VOTES. BAD THINGS HAPPENED WHICH OUR OBSERVERS WERE NOT ALLOWED TO SEE. NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. MILLIONS OF MAIL-IN BALLOTS WERE SENT TO PEOPLE WHO NEVER ASKED FOR THEM!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2020

Twitter labeled the tweet as disputed.

In anticipation of a loss, the Trump campaign strategy has been to discredit any results not in favor of the president. Months back, Trump began to spread misinformation, asserting that mail-in voting would lead to widespread fraud, despite contradicting evidence from experts. Before the final election outcome, the Trump campaign filed lawsuits against several states arguing for better access for poll watchers. Judges in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Michigan dismissed the lawsuits. 

Although the Trump campaign continues to grasp at straws for anything that might challenge the legitimacy of the election outcomes, Biden supporters are reflecting on the historic impact of this day. 

Risa Paley-Zimble, a 24-year-old recent poll worker in St. Louis, Missouri is excited about the democratic win, but motivated to continue the party’s work. 

“I am incredibly relieved and thrilled that Biden and Harris won the election,” she said. “We owe these results to the tireless voter protection efforts being done all over the country and I am grateful I was able to support as a poll worker. However, how close this election was is a clear indication that a lot of work still needs to be done and now is the time to keep the foot on the pedal.” 

Kale Turner,  27, an OBYGN in Columbus, Ohio, is relieved by the election outcome as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. 

“As a gay male, I am reassured moving forward that my future marriage and future family will be afforded the same opportunities as my heterosexual couterparts and colleagues,” he said. 

For Turner it was upsetting that his rights as a gay person were ever even in question in the United States in the year 2020. Moving forward he wants to see an administration that values diversity. 

“I’m hoping for an agenda that accepts all people regardless of their beliefs, backgrounds, ethnicities, or how else they might identify,” said Turner. 

The 2020 election is also making headlines with Vice President-Elect, Senator Kamala Harris  making history as the e first woman, as well as woman of color, to take the second-in-command position. Harris ran as an opponent to Biden before he was selected as the official democratic nominee. She was named as his running mate in August. 

 Harris, who was the target of many harsh taunts from Trump throughout the campaign, is an experienced lawyer who in 2017 became the second Black woman to serve in the United States Senate. She is credited as having greatly attracted the Black women voters needed to grant Biden a win. 

For 26-year-old Texas lawyer, Lauren Hutton-Work, seeing a Black woman take office is personal. 

“Being able to witness the election as a Black woman myself was extremely important and extremely moving, especially as it was unsitting one of the most racist and divisive presidents in modern history,” she said. 

In the coming weeks the country can expect ongoing legal attempts by the Trump administration to call the election results into question. Nonetheless, winners Biden and Harris continue forward with their transition plans, including the creation of a new coronavirus taskforce.

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Burns, 20, is an NYU junior who voted for the very first time in-person at her hometown elementary school in Norwalk, Connecticut. She felt a weight lifted off of her back upon learning that Biden won after the past four years of Trump’s presidency.

 “I was praying to God that love would win,” she said. “Joe and Kamala, as a combination, especially Joe, represent love and love winning overall over all these things Trump embodies.”

 She said that voting in person on Election Day was empowering and she felt a sense of pride as an American among her community at the polls.

 “It was really uplifting and also very easy, but also overwhelming to know that I held a power to elect someone into the most powerful office in the world,” she said.

 She said that she didn’t like the version of America that the country had become under Trump’s leadership.

 “We were at a fight for America’s soul and I did not want the America that I live in to look like that, of somebody who embodies white supremacy and xenophobia and misogyny,” she said. “When Obama was president, I think we were making a turn for the better in terms of social constructs and how we think about things.”

 Burns wants the very first change within the government to be better handling of the coronavirus, but isn’t exactly sure how to go about changing the systematic racism plaguing our country because she doesn’t know if it will ever go away.

 “I think that throughout Trump’s presidency we have lost sight of humanity,” she said. “The way he’s treating children and women at the border is disgusting, he’s giving people illegal hysterectomies and I hope that humanity is brought back to our country and that we remember that those people are still human and we still need to treat them with respect and love and try to be compassionate.”

 Burns said  she has faced racism, mostly in the forms of microaggressions, and hopes that these incidents will start to disappear with Biden and Harris’ leadership. 

 “I’ve had girls constantly talk about how I’m lucky to be Black because I have a butt and then grab my ass – in high school, that happened to me a lot,” she said. “I hope that because we have a black woman who is very strong and proud to be black and very involved in her culture, I hope that people stop doing those things and realize that we are a strong group of people.”

 Upon learning the election results on Nov. 7, Burns felt an incredible sense of relief. “I feel so much safer – two hours into him winning, I was sobbing on the floor,” she said. “I know that he believes in equality and representation and he loves me. He was willing to stand behind a Black man for eight years and here he is with a Black woman by his side. I felt relief – for the first time in the past week, I slept for 14 hours, because I feel safe now.”

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The morning and afternoon atmosphere was tense but calm. Election Day voters walked through the quiet East Village neighborhood displaying their “I Voted” stickers. Times Square remained peaceful even with Biden and Trump supporters sharing space. Photographers walked the streets for hours documenting the historic day. 

The November 3rd election was the culmination of a divisive campaign season that saw President Trump refuse to denounce white supremacy and attempt to quell mail-in-voting amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Biden’s campaign has held a consistent overall lead since results were released. As of the afternoon of November 6th, no winner has been declared, but Biden is expected to be victorious. 

Street art next to an anti-Trump/Pence sticker in the East Village on Tuesday, November 3rd. Photo by Tori Luecking

The social activist group, Rise and Resist, holds a banner in Times Square protesting Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic on Election Day, November 3rd, 2020. Photo by Tori Luecking

A memorial poster depicting Black victims of police brutality left in Washington Square Park. The poster got caught in the rain the night before Election Day. Tuesday, November 3rd. Photo by Tori Luecking

A media crew in Times Square interviews a young Trump supporter on Tuesday, November 3rd. Photo by Tori Luecking

Anti-Trump street art in the East Village on Tuesday, November 3rd. Photo by Tori Luecking

The self-described “naked Trump cowboy” walks through Times Square playing his guitar and posing for photos on Election Day 2020. Photo by Tori Luecking

A person dressed in costume as Donald Trump holds a sign in Times Square on Election Day 2020. Photo by Tori Luecking

A news crew’s monitor set up in Times Square on Election Day 2020. Photo by Tori Luecking

This is a project of Lori Grinker’s graduate photojournalism class.

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As election day was coming to an end and the polls were closing, businesses were busy boarding up their stores as if a war was on the horizon. Kristin McGowan, a former Hillary Clinton volunteer, was posted up at Washington Square Park selling “Buttons for the Resistance” for $1 each. People were buying Biden/Harris and “Go Fact Yourself” buttons in the hopes of President Trump being elected out of office. 

Around 8:30 p.m. Republicans met uptown at the Metropolitan Republican club for an election viewing party titled “Trump Victory Party”. While Trump supporters gathered around the screen in a celebratory mood, protesters hit the streets downtown marching holding signs saying, “Trump/Pence OUT NOW”.

This is how Election Day looked like in NYC.

A person takes a selfie on a selfie stick dressed head to toe in American flag print in Time Square on November 3, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

A Jewish Trump supporter attends the “Trump Victory Party” at the Metropolitan Republican Club. November 3, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

Anti-Trump protestors gather around Union Square Park on November 3, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

Bystanders in SoHo, NY stop to read the “Wall of Lies” created by The Washington Post. The mural features 20,000 of Trump’s lies all colored coded by a certain issue. November 3, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

A sign displayed outside of a business in SoHo, NY. November 3, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

Two workers board up the doors and windows of a store in SoHo, NY. November 3, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

Kristin McGowan, a former Hillary Clinton volunteer, sells “Buttons for the Resistance” in Washington Square Park on November 3, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

A couple sits outside of the New York Public Library on November 3, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

A person dressed as President Donald J. Trump walks in front of Trump Tower giving a thumbs up to bystanders on November 3, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

This is a project of  Lori Grinker’s graduate photojournalism class.

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In response to Trump’s recent tweet and urgency on Wednesday to “Stop the Vote” demonstrators gathered in Philadelphia and marched into the night chanting “Count Every Vote”. Earlier in the day, demonstrators were met with opposition at the Philadelphia Convention Center, where the votes are being counted. Trump supporters held signs reading “The Polls are Closed.” Pam Bondi, Trump’s campaign attorney and former attorney general of Florida, stood outside the center with court orders.

“We plan on entering that building right now and legally observing,” said Bondi. “If there is one illegal vote cast, it takes away from the great men and women of Pennsylvania who came out and issued a legal vote.”

While some Philadelphia residents stay glued to the news awaiting updates on results, others tried to ignore it. 

Sofia Pejcic, a 17-year-old and first time poll worker from Philadelphia, said she doesn’t see the point in following the updates. 

“It’s one of those things that already happened, it doesn’t make sense for me to stress about it minute by minute” said Pejcic. “I was following the news before the election but now that it’s already happened, I don’t see the point too much unless there is something actionable I could do. I feel like all we really need is patience right now.”

As the results poured in during the 2016 Presidential election, Pejcic felt the anxiety. Like many, back then, it shocked her as she did not expect the results to come in the way they did. And while it’s upsetting to her to see there is still a close divide, she’s more content with the possibility of Trump winning the 270 electorates this year.

“It’s an acceptance,” said Pejcic. “Once you’ve done everything you can — you’ve worked the polls and you’ve tried to increase voter turnout —  but at that point, what the people vote, is what they vote.”

When Gray Lepley, a 34-year-old citizen of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, went to bed the night of the election, Trump was leading by 11%. But when her husband came to bed at 2 a.m. the number did not budge. It upset her, especially in light of the social unrest and other issues that have come up in the wake of the global pandemic. She thought more people would have been gung ho to vote out Donald Trump.

“I thought we were in a better place.I thought it would be even more split towards blue, “ said Lepley, 34, a resident of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania and mother of two. “I find it really disheartening.”

Until recently, Leplay identified as a conservative. A moderate, but definitely a conservative. Largely in part due to the events of this past year and the President’s response, she switched her party registration to Democrat. She acknowledges that Trump’s policies would likely be better for business, but right now, that’s not the most important thing to her. 

“I think this election has put into sharper focus, what are things that I actually care about in my life, and is it the economy? To a certain extent yes, I work in finance, but to me social justice and the future of our country are more important to me than a few years of maybe better economic situation,” said Leplay. “The way he has handled the pandemic, honestly atrocious.”

According to 538, Pennsylvania is one of the most evenly divided political states, making it one of the most competitive political states in the country. Driving across the state, one will see rural stretches of farmland and small towns, to diverse cities and suburbs like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. 

As of Wednesday evening, the votes that have been tallied indicate this divide. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, in Philadelphia, its surrounding counties, and Allegheny County, Biden led by about 660,000 votes. Outside of those counties, Trump had a roughly 918,000-vote advantage.

John Burke, a 30-year-old resident from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, acknowledged the pronounced political divide throughout the state. Burke’s mother works for the Election Board of Bucks County, a county that has not yet been called in Pennsylvania. 

“If Trump does pull off Pennsylvania, it won’t necessarily shock me,” he said. “You get the suburbs — Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County — that typically lean left, but driving around the state — Scranton, Allentown — you see sign after sign for Trump. It’s’ just two different opinions and there is a lot of support one way or the other.”

Burke thinks Trump will take the Pennsylvania win, but Biden will win the overall election. 

“I think it’s over,” he said.” It’s a matter of when in my opinion of when that will happen at this point.”

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 To many of them, the last four years of the Trump presidency, was characterized by marginalization of minorities, suppression of freedom of speech, and supremacist ideologies taking control of the state. It was not very different from what some  had experienced or had family who had.

Voters from this suburban city, a part of the Detroit Metropolitan Area, flocked to the polling stations in great numbers in support of the President-Elect Joe Biden and his running mate Senator Kamala Harris. 

Niraj Warikoo, a reporter at the Free press tweeted the breakdown.

In the city of Dearborn, 69% to 30% for Biden over Trump, per city clerk results.

— Niraj Warikoo (@nwarikoo) November 5, 2020

“We the American people have the right to choose our President, “said Ayda Ibrahim, of Lebanese descent, an accountant and mother of two. 

Let it never be forgotten that Arabs in Michigan showed up when America needed it most. Put some respect out there for Wayne County – Dearborn – and it’s people. pic.twitter.com/F0sapq9c4p

— Mustapha Scheib مصطفى محمد شعيب (@Moose) November 5, 2020

Arab immigrants came to Dearborn in the 1880s followed by a second wave in the 1910’s that was driven by the lure of working on Ford’s assembly line. Refugees and asylum seekers from Middle East’s conflict ridden countries have also taken sanctuary in Dearborn’s predominantly Arab American communities. 

“We see how power goes from one person to another without any war,” said Zeinab Assaf, an Arab American immigrant, lauding the democratic system in the United States and a smooth transition of governance here. “American people are lucky to have that.” 

Abed Hammoud, an attorney from Dearborn and the Founder of Arab American Political Action Committee, campaigned for and voted for Biden in the election.  

“I want a serious president, somebody who respects the institutions, who doesn’t lie,” he said. “Trump runs the country like a show.” 

Hammoud also believes strong institutions are the backbone of a democracy and essential to civilian supremacy.

“Trump always tried to undermine the institutions especially the Department of Justice, the FBI, and all the institutions that could protect our civil rights here,” he said.

As the state started turning blue and the Republicans’ initial lead started fading, the Trump administration filed a lawsuit in Michigan for the vote count to stop. The Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson flagged the Republican lawsuit ‘meritless’ and ‘frivolous’. She said that a record number of voters cast their votes from Michigan in these historic elections.  

Trump supporters started demanding the vote count to stop and creating chaos at polling stations after the initial results. Later, many gathered at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing protesting Biden’s victory, questioning the election integrity on Saturday, November 7. 

“We live in a country protected by law, “ said Ibrahim.“I grew up with wars on the streets but nothing will happen in America.” 

Ibrahim believes that Americans have seen four years of misleading claims and racism and  that the country needs to move on to the next stage with optimism.

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On Wednesday afternoon, Biden, who received over 71 million votes, the most in U.S history, was joined by his running mate Kamala Harris at a news conference. He said that he expected to win the presidency, but he did not blatantly declare himself the winner.

“After a long night of counting, it is clear that we are winning enough states to reach 270 votes to reach the presidency,” said Biden. “I will govern as an American president. There will be no red states and blue states when we win. Just the United States of America.”

His statement was by and large in stark contrast to Trump, who falsely proclaimed that he had won the election on Wednesday morning despite millions of uncounted votes and a declared definite win. 

Trump who falsely claimed to win the election took to Twitter to tweet out: 

“We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed!” he followed up minutes later in a tweet that was subsequently taken down by Twitter for promoting falsified information. 

In 2016, President Trump won Michigan by about 10,704 votes. The president’s success with white working-class voters was crucial to his 2016 victory. While he succeeded in counties like Macomb and Monroe, he also flipped working-class areas in mid-Michigan like Saginaw County.

During the 2020 campaign period, Democrats also worked fervently to increase the turnout in cities with predominantly Black voters, including Detroit and Flint. Three days before the election, Biden and former President Obama held drive-in events in both cities, hoping to create enthusiasm among their supporters. 

Before a mostly African-American audience at Flint’s Northwestern High School on Saturday afternoon, Obama referred to his former vice president as “my buddy” and said Biden would unfailingly restore decency and competence to the White House. 

In a 25-minute speech, Obama stressed the importance of voting.

“This Tuesday, everything is on the line,” Obama said. “Our jobs are on the line. Our health care is on the line, and whether or not we get this pandemic under control is on the line.”

In Tuesday’s election, Michigan set a voter turnout record that surpassed the 2008 record set when former president Barack Obama was elected. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, while election workers counted ballots, officials had already tallied over 5.1 million votes in the political race between Biden and Trump. This number surpassed the 5,039,080 benchmark set in 2008.

It is a difficult task to overemphasize Michigan’s importance in the 2020 election. The state — along with Wisconsin and Pennsylvania — is critical to Biden becoming the United States president.

In 2016, president Trump flipped Michigan and became the first Republican since George H.W. Bush in 1988 to win the state. For nearly 25 years, Michigan has been a reliably blue state regarding choosing a president. During his 2020 presidential campaign, President Trump made a total number of eight trips to the state of Michigan, including a final stop a day before election day.

In his 2020 campaign, Trump tried to repeat history partly by organizing his final campaign to rally in Grand Rapids, just like he did in 2016

“This is a poll,” Trump said to the crowd. “This is not the crowd of somebody who’s going to lose this state.”

Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris also spent most of her Tuesday in Detroit, where Biden campaigned with former President Barack Obama on Saturday. During his campaign with Obama on Saturday, Biden reminded voters that the Obama administration had rescued Michigan’s automobile industry with government investment after the 2008 recession hit the nation.

By contrast, this year, unemployment rates were starkly high in Michigan; therefore, the pandemic coupled with the economic crisis were pertinent issues in Michigan, where thousands in the state vehemently protested Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s ordered restrictions to curb the coronavirus.

Trump also openly disagreed with Whitmer’s approach to curbing the pandemic and seemingly shrugged off the threat she faced from a domestic terrorist group’s plot to kidnap her, downplaying its effect.

Following Tuesday’s election, as votes in Michigan continued to be counted on Wednesday, however, President Trump’s reelection campaign filed a lawsuit in Michigan’s Court of Claims, seeking to delay the counting of ballots indicating inadequate access to vote-tallying locations. In addition to seeking to halt counting the votes “until meaningful access has been granted,” the Trump campaign also demanded to review the ballots that were previously opened and counted. The lawsuit came after Trump tweeted several times, spreading misinformation about the overall election process.

How come every time they count Mail-In ballot dumps they are so devastating in their percentage and power of destruction?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 4, 2020

While he scored a win in Michigan, Biden also secured a win in Wisconsin, flipping a battleground state that helped President Trump win the election in 2016. 

Even before Biden was officially declared a winner in the state, Trump’s campaign said it would request a recount. Like Michigan, Wisconsin is a crucial swing state, and a recount of votes and a lawsuit in Michigan could further delay election results.

Joe Biden’s narrow win in Michigan was also the outcome of an extremely high voter turnout in Detroit. In 2016, Detroit’s Black voters’ underwhelming performance caused Hillary Clinton’s electoral loss. Biden, however, managed to improve on Clinton’s performance in the significant counties around Detroit. 

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 Iyoniah Teague said the morning of October 26th was one of the most nerve wracking moments of her life. She woke up early, got ready, and went to her nearest polling station to cast her first ever ballot. 

“I remember being so nervous,” Teague said. “My hands were all shaky, I was hoping that I didn’t mess around and accidentally fill in the wrong candidate!”

Teague, who grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, is a vocal advocate for political and social justice. Earlier this year, her poem about verbal abuse and its impact on mental health Dear Abuser, was published in the West 4th Street Review.

“To me, the ability to vote means that I matter,” Teague said. “It makes me feel like I’m taking a step to help shape this country. Despite the speculation about whether or not our vote matters, my vote counted to me,” she said.

Nya Michaux

Nya Michaux, 28

Nya Michaux has sent over 20,000 texts this week— all urging citizens to exercise their right to vote.

UnifourOne, a nonprofit organization founded by Nya’s parents, works to empower the youth and advocate for the rights of disenfranchised communities in Greensborough. Every presidential election, UnifourOne doubles down on helping communities vote.

“Voting means having a voice. You have the option to put who you want in power— that shouldn’t be taken for granted,” Michaux said.

Nya and the UnifourOne team have been busy giving people rides to the polls, providing voters with refreshments, and putting a stop to voter intimidation.

Dr. Adaeze Obiefuna-Onyeze

Dr. Adaeze Obiefuna-Onyeze, 48

Dr. Adaeze Obiefuna-Onyeze is an immigrant from Nigeria who moved to America 22 years ago , she said that this is the most important election she’s ever voted in.

“I’ve witnessed so many elections since my move to America, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Onyeze said. “This is the time for us to really come together and put an end to the hatred, discrimantion, and hypocrisy of this current presidency.”

Onyeze has always been passionate about the fight for justice in the political world. She says that there are too many wrongdoings that must be undone, and it is up to the citizens to play their part.

“It’s so important that we play our civic role in this country. I owe it to the fallen African Americans that have fought for our rights,” Onyeze said.

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