From COVID-19 to the U.S. presidential election, 2020 was a year for the history books. But despite all the vast range of events that occurred in 2020, there is something that shines brightly among everything that has happened: the burst in social justice activism. After the Black Lives Matter protests sparked throughout the country in late May, the fight for different social justice movements has increased substantially in less than a year.
After the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, 15 to 26 million people in the U.S. participated in protests for the Black Lives Matter movement, according to the New York Times. Protestors marched through the streets to call for an end to police brutality and institutionalized racism.
Even in early June, several hundred Montgomery County protestors marched along Rockville Pike to protest against police brutality. Although these protests eventually started to die out towards the end of the summer, racial equity continues to remain at the forefront of the social justice conversation. The Black Lives Matter movement was a social awakening for America and has reminded people across the country that there is still a long road ahead for an equitable racial future.
“Since George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, more people are socially aware of the effects of police brutality and capitalism on our society which has made people challenge a lot of beliefs they previously held,” Glenn Foster, Lead Organizer of the Washington, D.C. abolitionist collective The Freedom Neighborhood said in an interview with Refinery29.
Although Black Lives Matter was the most mainstream social justice movement of 2020, other movements of activism sparked up throughout the year as well. Due to the Australian and Californian wildfires in early 2020, climate change activists around the world have demanded a greener future. Montgomery County youth climate organizations, like MoCo on Climate and Sunrise Rockville, have protested over the summer and demanded that the government look at options to reverse the effects of climate change.
Additionally, over the summer of 2020, people across the country have addressed sexual assault and harassment with the #MeToo movement. This movement sparked again in 2020 as women spoke out about their personal experiences with sexual harassment. Supporters of this movement are now demanding equal pay, sexual harassment training and salary history bans. Additionally, even in Montgomery County Public Schools, students have come out through social media outlets about their personal experiences with sexual harassment within school.
The last substantial activism movement that sparked up this year was the push for voting and political participation in the 2020 election, with COVID-19 being one of the main issues. Whether it be through social media, phone banking, ads, marketing or more, advocates of voting have pushed others to become more involved with the election process. According to the Washington Post, the 2020 election had the highest voter turnout rate in the history of the U.S., with 157 million people casting their ballots this year.
Although this year was filled with both ups and downs, it is obvious that 2020 was an awakening for social justice activism. Whether it be for Black Lives Matter, climate change, gender equality or voting rights, social justice activism played a central role in the events that occurred during 2020. After the events of this year, it is likely that social justice activists will continue to show up and fight for what they believe is right.
Article by Natalie Weger of Richard Montgomery High School
Photo by May Pham of Walter Johnson High School