A much better year worth celebrating
We’re still fighting coronavirus, political division and injustice in Connecticut, but 2021 is looking a lot better than 2020
Despite the New Year’s hype, the first few days of 2021 were starting to look a lot like 2020.
Donald Trump’s efforts to undermine the election were heating up, rather than cooling off, culminating in a shameful and deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol.
Fueled by holiday gatherings and in spite of the early rollout of the vaccine, coronavirus deaths and hospitalizations were skyrocketing. In late January, the number of COVID-19-linked deaths in Connecticut surpassed 7,000.
There was renewed talk here and across the nation about racial justice, but the prospect of any real accountability in the killing of George Floyd was tenuous.
But three months later, we are in a better place. And after a nightmare of a year marked by division, death and despair, that’s something we should take a moment to appreciate. Celebrate even.
The conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd was described by many Black activists and leaders in Connecticut and across the nation as a critical juncture in the struggle to combat historic abuse and discrimination.
“This verdict is a real, real pivotal point in the struggle in the Black Lives Matter movement, in the awareness of people of color,” said Natalie Langleise, a Hartford activist. “People are starting to learn that if we speak up, others will listen. They have to listen.”
The conviction of a white officer in the death of a Black man was, as many noted, far from an end point. The struggle for justice and equality, for removing systemic barriers that stand in the way of America truly becoming a more perfect union, did not end with a jury’s verdict in Minneapolis.
But over the last year we have seen more Americans acknowledge not just their sympathy but their responsibility. We are not where we need to be, but we are in a better place.
We are still living in the grips of a deadly pandemic, but there are signs of improvement. As more and more Americans get vaccinated, fewer are dying. Connecticut is still adding new names to the death toll daily, but there is no question the pace has slowed.
And, while it may take some time to readjust to this new world, we can begin thinking again about going out and seeing our children, our parents, our friends, our brothers and sisters. As we emerge from isolation, we will — perhaps ironically — begin to more acutely feel the loss of this last year. But we can start to get back to the business of living. We are in a better place.
And, for the first time in four years, Americans can wake up in the morning without rushing to their phones fearing the president had unleashed a tirade on Twitter. To many, it was clear early on that the presidency of Donald Trump was fueled by fear and anger, by a man who reveled in tapping the well of insecurity and hate that still runs deep through the fault lines of our nation. Trump damaged us all.
There are those who disagree with the politics of President Joe Biden, many in fact. And that’s fine. That’s democracy. But perhaps in hindsight even those who agreed with Trump’s policies will see the consequences of his vitriolic approach. With the temperature reduced, we have the chance to relearn that political disagreement does not need to be a source of anger and derision. When it comes to leadership, we are in a far better place.
We have lived through a year that challenged us in ways we might never have been able to imagine. It is easy to be cynical; it is necessary to demand better. There is still much work to do.
But it’s also critical to take note that right now, as we look ahead to the gentler days of spring, we have come to a better place. And that we’ve helped one another to get here.