Four months ago, all of us were forced into a stay-at-home order brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Most of us lost our jobs, many were forced to remain employed despite dangerous situations, some lost loved ones, many lost hope. Our entire worlds were shaken, and nothing has been the same since. The environmental impact has been outstanding, but we'll likely be seeing the emotional and economic impacts for years to come.

On top of this, a few weeks ago, many of us found ourselves marching in the streets, joining forces, crying out for peace and justice against the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Aubrey, Tony McDade, Dion Johnson, and so many other innocent black lives that have been ruined and/or taken altogether because of police brutality and racial injustice.

We saw everything from petitions and advocacy posts circling the internet to folks looting and rioting in the streets. We saw Blackout Tuesday. We saw backlash from Blackout Tuesday. But what we haven't seen enough of is change, both within legislation and within the hearts of the American people.

Today, some of us may feel like the coronavirus is a thing of the past or that the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement has come and gone. To many of us, that's a deeply devastating notion. But I'm writing today to pipe in and remind us all that we are indeed still currently undergoing a global pandemic and a civil rights movement all at once. Neither of these things are to be put on the back-burner.

This is the reality:

1. We are still in fact in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. No, it hasn't gone away. Wash your hands often. WEAR. YOUR. MASK. Understand that lots of people are immunocompromised and NEED you to wear a mask. Also understand that literally anyone could be asymptomatic and not realize it, so keep a safe distance from people.

2. We are still in fact in the midst of a civil rights movement. No, it wasn't just a social media trend that came and went a couple weeks ago. The actual lives of the black community are still at stake. Racism still exists. Hate crimes still exist. Police brutality still exists. Innocent lives are still being targeted and brutalized, and most of the officers who have committed these crimes still have yet to be convicted.

There is still progress to be made, and that, I think, is where we start to lose hope. I encourage everyone today, myself included, to reflect on these issues, consider the state of the world today, and identify areas of your life you are grateful for and possibly that may enable you to help others and keep the momentum going.

What am I grateful for? Ya know, as disappointed as I am in my country right now, I can honestly say there's quite a lot that I'm grateful for. I'm grateful for my health and the health of my family. (Fingers crossed that remains.) I'm grateful to have clean clothes and a roof over my head, for music and books and good food. I'm grateful for today's advanced technology that enables better communication, as well as the ability to educate ourselves on a variety of issues. Mostly, I'm grateful for freedom of speech, as in the freedom to stand up against issues like these and to speak up against our nation's leader.

We cannot let the momentum of these movements simmer. We cannot stop fighting. We cannot lose hope.

Please, with everything you've got, keep on keeping on. Keep signing those petitions. Fight for a mask-wearing mandate in your community. Respect the health of those around you. Respect the lives of those around you. Fight against racial injustice. Stand up against ignorance and indifference in your community. Make sure you are registered to vote, and then actively use that right to vote.