What do we do now? Take another step forward.

This is not the piece I thought I’d be writing. I was prepared to write a celebratory piece about what a Hillary Clinton victory meant to our country and, in particular, to women and girls. I was going to say that her election struck a resounding defeat to the intolerance that permeated the Trump campaign’s rhetoric. And I was going to say that her election would inspire women and girls nationwide, finally and forever shattering the highest glass ceiling.

But, as we all know, that is not what happened. Much to the shock and heartbreak of many of us, Hillary Clinton suffered an upset defeat that has exposed divisions in this nation that go wider and deeper than we imagined.

I cannot imagine how Hillary Clinton feels right now. But I do know a thing or two about what it feels like to lose an election that you – and everyone else – thought you had in the bag.

In 2013, when I ran for mayor, the election had the weight of history wrapped up in it. In my mind, if I won as a woman – as a lesbian, with my wife standing next to me – I won for everybody who had never been there.

You want to talk about an election with the weight of history on it? It was this one.

Not only did we have the opportunity to elect the country’s first woman president – which would have been historic in and of itself – we were poised to vote for her against a man who ran on a racist, anti-immigrant and misogynistic platform.

But we didn’t. And that is a lost opportunity like no other, with potential consequences for millions of us.

We did not, however, come away empty-handed from this election.

This election enraged – and engaged – a community of women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ community who raised their voices and spoke out boldly and loudly against racism, misogyny and homophobia. We created coalitions, stood up for each other and had each other’s backs in a way that this nation has not previously seen. We called out sexual assault and sexual harassment and body shaming and bullying; I am confident that we will not stand by silently if and when those with power abuse those without it.

So where do we go from here? We keep fighting for what is right. We keep strengthening communities that share our beliefs and engaging and building bridges with those who don’t. We don’t turn our backs on progressive values, on women, on LGBT communities, on black lives – on the groups that brought us close to victory and were let down with this loss. And, critically, we invest in and support the next generation of emerging leaders.

I can’t pretend this isn’t sad and that this isn’t a loss.

The day of the mayoral election three years ago, I received a call from Hillary Clinton’s office. It was a very emotional call. She told me how hard it had been for her to watch what was happening. This time it was hard for me to watch what happened. But she said something during her speech that struck a chord with me:

“I’ve had successes and I’ve had setbacks. Sometimes, really painful ones. Many of you are at the beginning of your professional public and political careers. You will have successes and setbacks, too. This loss hurts, but please never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.”

These words alone were powerful, but also echoed the sentiment of a homeless woman who, constantly fighting and overcoming tremendous odds, told me, “Every step forward is a victory. Every step matters.”

The truth is that, as long as we are moving forward and fighting, we are succeeding. We may not get to the finish line as quickly as we thought or hoped, but the act of taking a step, of being in motion, is a victory in and of itself – that’s what got us to the first woman candidate for president and will get us through what could be a challenging time to come.

I’ve learned that lesson from the former secretary of state and a homeless woman living in New York. We’ve overcome challenges, built bridges and torn down walls before. Together, we can do it again.

Christine C. Quinn is president and CEO of Win, the vice chair, New York State Democratic Party and the former speaker of the New York City Council.