It's comes to no big shock to many to see so many memes and hashtags about how rough 2016 was. Many of those who are so passionate about equality feel as if they were punched in the stomach and that the entire year is just one to look back on and dread. However, there are some things that were actually pretty great and will leave lasting affects on our lives. No we should not ignore or forgot the bed things that happened in 2016, but we can look at the brighter things to help inspire us for the new year.

1. Lemonade: This year was a killer year for the music industry, but Beyonce took the cake with her visual album Lemonade that not only contained amazing songs that tell a heartbreaking story, but also changes the possibility for artist in the future. With the visuals still clear in your head every time you hear the songs, it shows how powerful this piece of art was.

2. The Cubs won the World series: This was the first time the Cubs won the World Series since 1908, 108 years! Even if you aren't a sports fan, you couldn't help but smile at the look on the faces of both the fans and the players.

3. Moonlight: The movie Moonlight broke ground by having the first big screen movie that displays the struggle of what it is like to be both gay and a man of color, Typically, in media we see white men playing all the gay characters, with very little address to how hard it is to be both a minority race and sexuality. Moonlight enraptured both the struggle to find one's sexuality and how to play one's role in society.

4. Hamilton: Goodness Gracious, where to even start with this Broadway magic. Hamilton has made so many people fall back in love with Broadway while showing that rap has it's place in the theater. From the amazing lyrics, to the cast that spoke openly to Mike Pence, this Broadway show has broken ground.

5. Harriett Tubman will be on the $20 bill: Andrew Jackson will finally be taken off the $20 Bill and America will have it's first currency that features a woman. Not only a woman, but also the person person of color to be on an American currency. Now there are still a lot more that needs to be done to fix the gender gap and race relations, but at least the horrid Andrew Jackson is now not being praised every time we look at our wallets.

6. 1st Female Muslim Legislator: NOT ONLY is Ilhan Omar the first female Muslim legislator, but she also if the first Somalian-American woman to hold office in the United States. Omar came to America as a refugee from Somalia and now is a state representative for the state of Minnesota. Oh and not to mention she is also a mother of 3, what a kick ass woman to have as a role model!

7. WE ARE STILL HERE AND STILL FIGHTING: Don't Stop! Even though it seems like things can't change, they can. It may not be tomorrow, but no change will ever occur if we give up. Stand Tall, take a breath, and keep going.