New Year - 2021

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2020. What a ride! This year will definitely be remembered for the coronavirus pandemic and its consequent (almost endless) quarantine, but there was a lot more than that going on. Here’s a wrap up of everything that happened this year— both big and small. Hop on, because we’re going on a trip down memory lane!

The year already started intensely due to the bushfires that consumed a great part of the Amazon forest in Brazil, and more than 46 million acres of Australian native vegetation. Still in January, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they were leaving the Royal Family and moving to the United States, becoming financially independent.

On the 31st however, Europe’s Brexit deal was officialized, and since then, the UK has been preparing their exit from the European Union.

In this year’s Oscar Awards, the unexpected happened: for the first time in the event’s history, a foreign movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Not only that, but the movie in question, the Korean production “Parasite,” also went on to win Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature.

On a more somber note, the first semester also brought along with it the loss of basketball star Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna in a tragic helicopter accident, which was responsible for six other deaths and which was mourned profusely by the rest of the world and Lakers’ fans everywhere.

While the world tried recuperating after a rough start, as we all know, we were hit by a massive pandemic, which led us to be quarantined for endless months. Think it can’t get any worse than that? Well, it always can. Because of the Coronavirus, many events were cancelled or postponed, such as concerts, parties, and even the 2020 Olympic Games.

On May 15, white cops assassinated George Floyd, a Black man. After his death, the Black Lives Matter Movement took center stage and protests erupted all over the globe, and took over the media, and emphasizing the fight against systemic racism and police brutality.

In August, Chadwick Boseman, most known for his role as Marvel’s Black Panther, passed away after six years of fighting against colon cancer.

Later on the second semester, the United States elected Joe Biden as their new President (even though some people struggled to accept it. Yes, Trump, I’m talking to you,) and Kamala Harris as the US’ first Black female Vice-President.

Despite all the bad things that happened this year, or maybe because of them, people were more sympathetic and comprehensive with each other than usual. Overall, it was a challenging year, but it has brought us strength and opened our eyes to important issues that weren’t discussed as much as they should be. People stood together- well, as close as they could with all the social distancing and everything- to fight together and have each other's backs.

Yes, it was tough. Yes, it was a bit exhausting. But we made it through. And hey, 2021 is right around the corner! In this New Year, we, from the Front Page Initiative, wish you all the joy, the light, and the parties that were definitely lacking in 2020. Happy New Year! And let it be a great one! Now go treat yourself with some tasty food and a good movie, because after all of this, we all deserve a little rest!

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