No matter who you are, you have to admit that 2017 was a very interesting year. When 2016 ending, there was a feeling in the air that 2017 would be worse than the year of celebrity deaths. And for many people that rings true.
If I had to describe 2017 with a phrase or a word, I would say that it was the year of rage or rebellion. Despite this negative disposition, there were good things that happened this year, so join me as we take a trip down memory lane of the blessings of 2017.
1. Beyonce and her Twins
Last year was the year of Lemonade with Beyonce bringing the world into formation with her second visual album. While it was fair to say that the album was not awarded all of the accolades it should have during the Grammys, there was some other wonderful news that Beyonce brought us instead.
The reveal of her pregnancy with twins, her Grammy performance while pregnant and then the eventual birth of Sir and Rumi Carter had fans and bystanders alike clamoring for more. The photoshoots celebrating the pregnancy and the stylization of her Grammy attire was a tribute to black motherhood and served as a reminder that motherhood along with pregnancy is a beautiful thing and we were happy to share the moment with her.
Granted she left people confused with the naming for one of the twins but when they were shown after the initial reveal we couldn’t help but fall in love with them all over again.
2. The Resistances
Protests and resistance groups have been on the rise since post-2010 but after the 2016 election, it seems that there are potential changes finally showing in these movements. We started the year off with the Women’s March that occurred during the inauguration of Trump, with the Science Walk following shortly after in regards to Trump’s cabinet banning the use of specific scientific words.
The football protest gained traction again when Trump called out Kaepernick and stating if anyone else was kneeling should be kicked off the team and so afterward, hundreds of players from football and other sports rallied again to stand off for their rights.
Black Lives Matter, while not be out in the open as much this year, still did their work on social media, pointing out injustices at every turn. The biggest movement of the year was the rising #MeToo, a hashtag that arose to shine a light on victims of sexual abuse and assault.
The movement was so prevalent, it gave victims the strength to out their abusers, create solidarity for those who did not wish to come forward and reminded the world that these issues still exist and they need to stop.
To show the strength of the movement it was named Time’s people of the year. Outside of the protests, we saw a change in our elections as well. Several trans women were elected into office, people of color were the first to be elected into public office as well and just recently we saw the surprise victory of Doug Jones in Alabama mainly in part due to the work of black women. We can only hope that this trend increases as we work to create a better world.
3. Serena Williams filled with Love
Similar to Beyonce, Serena Williams gave birth. Her daughter was born about a month after the Beyonce twins but unlike the illusive Knowles-Carter family, Serena and her then-fiance Alexis Ohanian documented their lives as first-time parents. Several months later after settling into parenting roles, Serena and Alexis finally tied the knot a month ago to a beautiful fairytale ceremony.
Even though she isn’t a member of our family or a friend we are able to catch up with during lunch, seeing the family tennis player have such a wonderful year of joy can make anyone feel giddy.
4. The volunteers of disasters and tragedies
Whether you want to blame divine wrath, poor laws or global climate change, anyone who has been paying attention to the world this past year will say that there were a lot of tragedies and natural disasters.
Mass shootings brought fear into our lives, raging storms reminded us that nature is a force we cannot control, and with all the other tragedies such as civil war in countries across the world, we can all feel at a loss.
But in these trying times, humanity finds a way. We reach out our hands to our neighbors; donating blood when needed, running into the chaos to lead someone away, and donating resources to get people back on their feet. Nothing can truly replace the lost victims of these tragedies but the support of so many time heal a tad bit faster.
5. The eclipse
Never in my life did I expect to see a solar eclipse in my life. Granted I was not able to view it in its full splendor due to cloudy weather and waiting til the last minute to get the glasses; but the atmosphere of everyone young and old watching was magical.
I remembered back to the first times I saw lunar eclipses and the wonder that fueled my thirst for knowledge for a time and made me enjoy nature. Millions turned out with strangers and loved ones alike to see this phenomenon and for a brief moment, we were all in unity.
No matter what happened to you in 2017, we can all agree that it was memorable. Let us go into the new year with fresh perspective to make it our own. Happy New Years everyone and I hope your holidays were happy!
