by Saanvi Nayar
With the end of a year comes a new beginning - resolutions to accomplish and obstacles to overcome. And, yet, the events of 2020 linger on, unable to be processed. These are the events that have catalyzed change for decades to come and writing this on January 6, 2021, I can affirm that there is no clean slate, no new beginning. Here I am, here we are, glued to our television screens, mouths agape. Well, happy new year to us.
But I must digress.
We must find a shred of hope, even if that shred cannot bear the weight of advocacy. It is our civil duty to believe in the power of democracy and the concept of change, for if not hopeful, we are lost - subjected to the terror of George Floyd screaming "I can't breathe", and at a loss for words in light of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing. The second we as individuals fall victim to the national trials of fear, anger, and injustice, our very movement powered by hope collectively falls.
I have fallen victim to these very trials, developing the staunch mindset that my efforts were in vain. For I could only have so many conversations and support so many organizations before the harsh reality of corruption caught up to me. See, we are made to believe this nation is democratic and free, and we, as its constituents, are supposedly granted the justice to not only maintain, but flourish under the ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And, so, when 2020 hit our generation, it hit hard. Politics were no longer squandered into the background of everyday life; they became the focal point. Perhaps it was because we were stuck at home, our health and welfare dictated by partisan policies, the doom of the unknown looming in the faint promise of tomorrow. Or, instead, perhaps this change stemmed from a seed that had been planted long ago.
While I cannot blame the pandemic itself on history, I can fervently say that the way this nation dealt with the pretenses of COVID-19 is a clear reflection of generations of corrupted ‘public servants’. Selfish financial gain and the ignorant mindset of ‘them, not us’ are built into the founding of a country portraying supposed tenets of freedom and democracy. With the historical strength of this paradox, it is no wonder that the pandemic was seen as an obstacle to put off, rather than one to swiftly defeat.
This past election year, an impeached President was able to swiftly claim the seat of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, diminishing twenty-seven years spent on the Supreme Court and an immortal legacy. This is one of the paramount examples of inequitable partisan politics, epitomizing exacerbated polarization. The media has morphed into an outlet for biased entertainment, with the science of a pandemic sneered at by far-right counterparts. In fact, President Trump has undoubtedly radicalized the right, morphing the ideology of the Republican party. But the fact that it has gotten to a pinnacle of terrorism is baffling; though in the grasp of immense power, no President can provoke polarization without a foundation for divide.
But I must emphasize 2020 as the year of a collective social justice movement, powerful enough to command commendation. The Black Lives Matter movement is rooted against this nation’s tenets of elitism and slavery, truly regenerating after this summer’s recurring incidents of police brutality. Prisoners on death row whose sentences had been in the air for years have been rushed to federal execution, the Repbulican-majority Supreme Court planning the last one(s) for Friday, January 15, a mere five days before Trump leaves office. The Navajo Nation continues to largely go ignored despite surging cases of COVID-19, highlighting the lack of awareness towards the virus disproportionately affecting marginalized communities. The list goes on: rampant acts of anti-semitism have been neglected by so-called intersectional activists, just as advocacy for forced sterilizations at the border was viciously ignored.
Recurring claims of brutality and ignorance - yet I reference these fights for social justice with commemoration. Because with every incident posing blatant harm to the thread of social liberties, there is a movement garnered in response, rooted in frustration, advocacy, and above all, hope.
I am constantly re-defining what it means to be a 16-year-old activist. Through frustration, I have weaved the concepts of knowledge and naivety; for while we must stay aware of the harsh influence of corruption in our political climate, hope remains the steadfast catalyst for change. I channel my anger into power, holding on to the very fabric of hope that has been reduced to a faded shred. I commend the fight for change, and I commend the fighters. I commend that despite the aforementioned brutality and ignorance, there are those who continue to work, inspire, and create.
And, so, I reference the commemoration of democracy in 2020 as an art rather than a motion, proving fluid in highs and lows, offering shades of reprieve and frustration alike. Art demands to be seen, evaluated for its faults and victories. But, truly, it strives to be remembered - after all, the political events of the present set precedents for the future. For as the individual holds steadfast to a shred of hope, we persist, as a collective movement, stitching the framework for faith - in growth, policy, and action. To 2020, and the preservation of democracy to come.