Donald Trump has been inaugurated as the forty-fifth president of the United States. The shock and disbelief that greeted his election more than two months ago must now give way to defiance and organizing.

Part of that pivot demands that we understand how we got here in the first place, but more importantly, how we move forward. Understanding what happened in the election is absolutely necessary to understanding what happens next.

Many have commented on Trump’s victory simplistically. The best example of this is when CNN’s Van Jones characterized Trump’s election as revenge, or a “whitelash,” against black voters, who overwhelmingly voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012.