The new year brought new beginnings, but for many, it was a continuation of unprecedented events most of us have never experienced. I am exhausted but hopeful because there is light on the horizon.
I am ready to Build Back Better and end the national nightmare that turned into a four-year fever dream. We started this dark chapter of American history with President Trump delivering his dystopian “American Carnage” inauguration address – and we ended it with actual American carnage.
Hundreds of thousands of Americans have died from COVID-19 and millions more have been infected by the deadly virus. On Jan. 6, an insurrectionist mob stormed the United States Capitol Complex, breaching America’s seat of political power for the first time since the War of 1812. The impeached, 45th U.S. president barreled towards breaking every norm, custom and tradition befitting the Office, but a new day is on the horizon. The light is near and we will build back better.
Reflecting on Trump’s term, I’ve concluded that the light has always been with us. After his inauguration, one million women and those who love them marched on D.C. and in cities and towns across the country, large and small, to showcase our resistance to American darkness. That resistance sustained us through four tough years.
It is hard to remember because pandemic-living has slowed space and blurred time, but there have been moments of extraordinary citizenship in this era of American carnage. Do you remember early in 2017, when lawyers and legal professionals showed up in American airports providing free services and advice to people impacted by Trump’s draconian travel ban? That was a moment of light.
In 2018, in response to Marjory Stoneman Douglass School Shooting in Parkland, students started the movement March for Our Lives and fundamentally transformed America’s debate on guns and gun violence. That was a moment of light.
What about the moments in 2019, when millions of students conducted climate strikes worldwide, spotlighting the need for climate action and environmental justice? Those were moments of light and there were dozens of others in the first three years of the American carnage era. It is worth taking a few minutes to sit and remember them.
The year 2020 will be one of those memories that last a lifetime. The crucible of 2020 began with the Australian wildfire reports, the death of legendary basketball player Kobe Bryant and a major shake-up with the British Royals. Little did we know there would be a great deal more in store.
By March, the entire world would go into lockdown due to COVID-19. Do you remember the great toilet paper shortage of 2020 or that feeling of not being able to find hand sanitizer? In the early days of the pandemic, there was a sense of community, knowing that everyone on planet earth was collectively experiencing the same event, but the outcomes were unknown.
In America, our collective orientation would last a week, and we would fall back into our trenches of rugged American individualism and suffer for a while. Thousands of our fellow Americans would die alone as exhausted healthcare workers did their best to give these final moments an ounce of dignity. I will forever be grateful to the healthcare professionals, first-responders and essential workers who helped keep our society’s lights on as we navigated the abyss. These were moments of light.
The police-involved killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor would also fundamentally change everything for the Black Lives Matter movement. The county was able to see behind the curtain with a spotlight as protests occurred in every state, with millions of Americans donning masks and taking to the streets to demand justice. This time the country took notice. I remain inspired by images of protests from around the world; these were moments of light.
It is hard to imagine that we’ve been pandemic living for nearly a year now. I am one of the fortunate ones who was able to work remotely or in an office while safely socially distanced. My employment and economic status did not change very much, but millions of our fellow Americans’ financial lives are in ruins.
I know that the light at the end of the tunnel is dimmer for many who are staring at eviction, food insecurity, and an uncertain future, so it’s on all of us to be good neighbors – to help out if we can or to push forward positive energy. The road ahead is long, but hope is on the horizon.
2021 brings new beginnings. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ historic victory allows us to chart a new course. I know they will bring us out of the darkness and into the light.
I cannot wait to see our newly-elected leaders turn their ideas into policy, including a record number of LGBTQ people elected to Congress, statehouses and senates. Scientists and public health officials will help us navigate the end of the pandemic. Activists of all stripes will ensure our leaders keep their promises for racial justice, environmental justice, social justice and economic justice.
I am betting on progress. I am more hopeful than I’ve been in four years. I am ready for the light. Let us Build Back Better.
Johnny V. Boykins is a Democratic Strategist in Pinellas County, a husband, bow tie aficionado, amateur chef and U.S. Coast Guard veteran. He also serves as Director of Outreach with the Pinellas Democratic Party. Learn more at PinellasDemocrats.org.
