Let’s be honest: 2020 has been a terrible year. From COVID, wildfires, police brutality,  unexciting presidential candidates and a failing economy, 2020 is a rocky start to the 20s. This being said, this year shouldn’t define the rest of the 20s. There is hope that this decade will be  better than the last.

This year has shown the world something that hasn’t been seen in a few generations: young people leading. During the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in the summertime, young people organized protests and rallies to advocate an end of police brutality. App State students even held a BLM protest in Boone back in May. An organization called Black at App State, led by young Black students at App State, continued to fight for racial equality throughout the summer. They organized a protest on Aug. 31 after Chancellor Everts refused to acknowledge the group’s demands they sent in July. While it’s unclear if Black at App State got through to the chancellor, however, their dedication to ensuring equality is inspirational. College students like the leaders of Black at App State are tomorrow’s leaders. If they can organize a protest and gain traction to get staff members on board, they must be doing something right. 

While the present looks gloomy and depressing, it will get better. The world has bounced back from worse situations. From the Great Depression from World War II to the 2008/2009 market crash, the United States will bounce back from 2020. In order for us to do so, we must do what previous generations have done: hold on to hope for the future. As we move out of 2020 in the coming months, it’s up to young leaders to continue the momentum they started the year with. These leaders are the future; we must hold onto hope for their sake.