By: Micaela Shambee- Editor-in-Chief, The Drive Student Blog
We are living in strange, unprecedented times as I write this letter. Just over two months ago, the world stopped in its tracks due to COVID-19–an infectious virus—also known as Coronavirus. Since the beginning of the State-wide “Stay-at-Home” order, people have been anxious, scared, and paralyzed in place.
“However, what most people are slowly figuring out the normal before the epidemic was just as toxic and unforgiving as the virus itself.”
People all over the world are adjusting to a new-normal while simultaneously gripping to the past, hoping that one day, life will return to the way it was before the pandemic. However, what most people are slowly figuring out the normal before the epidemic was just as toxic and unforgiving as the virus itself.
Our lack of preparedness for this pandemic speaks volumes to the quality of life we all had before the epidemic. Most people were overworked to the point of not preparing adequately for this emergency or any kind of emergency. The mad dash for toilette paper, hand sanitizer, and other essentials were the first signs of the madness and unpreparedness that would wreak havoc in the months to come.
We have seen this manifest in the disproportionate cases of those affected by the virus, hitting urban communities at alarming rates. Small businesses across the U.S. are looking at weeks, if not months, without pay, while most government-funded programs have run out of funds. Unemployment has reached more than 25 million Americans across the nation, and gig-workers like barbers, beauticians, and makeup artists are out of pay with slim chances of qualifying for unemployment benefits.
University students are not allowed on campus, do not qualify for the 22 trillion-dollar stimulus checks that began rolling out to Americans last week, and are forced to adjust to an e-learning environment, leaving students with disabilities no choice in the matter. Children will not return to school for the rest of the year in many States, and parents are now tasked with home-schooling their children and adjusting to e-learning as well.
It is honestly trying times. No wonder people are panicking, protesting, and pushing against the “Stay-at-Home” order issued by governors across the nation.
People are rioting, hoarding items for themselves and their families. Some are even leaving essential jobs at Nursing Homes, where assistance is vital to elderly and disabled residents. Some are even shooting essentials workers that are instructing the public to wear masks for everyone’s safety.
But is this who we are in a time of crisis?
I think back to some of the most trying times in American history. At least 100 years ago, Americans dealt with the Great Depression, the Spanish Flu, and World War II. Before that, African Americans have endured the atrocities of Slavery, the Civil War, The Red Summer, Jim Crow, lynching, and still, deal with police brutality today (even during the pandemic).
Our ancestors fought tirelessly through these abhorrent, often-times involuntary situations, yet we are still loving, still living, still giving birth, and still fighting.
So now, our generations begin a fight, unlike any other. We have to remember who we were in times of crisis. We cannot simply be “best.” We have to be better. We have to remember who we are:
We are fighters; we are lovers; we are dreamers; we are activists; we are writers; we are artists; we are singers; we are dancers; we are scholars; we are poets; we are 2020 graduates; we are scientists; we are mathematicians; we are first-responders; we are Mothers; we are Daughters; we are Grandparents, and we are children.
We are resilient, we are hope, and we are our ancestor’s wildest dreams.
And these are our stories,
Welcome to The Drive Student Blog
Spring 2020.
-And remember,
Stay Informed, Open-Minded, and Driven!
The Drive Student Blog| Informed, Open-minded, Driven 