Just a few months ago, the world eagerly awaited as the calendar ticked ever so closer to the third decade of the twenty-first century. Many hoped that the new decade would play witness to a time of revolutionary human innovation, and that global technological capabilities would continue to exceed the expectations of both product manufacturers and consumers. However, the first half of 2020 has been an incredibly challenging time, as billions of people in every corner of the world have been plagued by wide scale suffering and distress. The year kicked off with bushfires destroying millions of acres of the Australian landscape and was quickly followed by the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the world into an unprecedented lockdown. Deadly riots also broke out in India in response to the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill and demonstrations have continued in Hong Kong as protesters seek “greater democracy and more autonomy from mainland China,” according to CNN.

However, over the last week, these crises have gained little attention in the news media following the horrific death of George Floyd. Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, was detained and handcuffed by members of the Minneapolis Police Department, and for a total of eight minutes and forty-six seconds, was pinned onto his stomach by one officer who pressed his knee directly into the back of Floyd’s neck. An independent autopsy confirmed that Floyd’s death was caused by “asphyxiation from sustained pressure,” meaning that the pressure caused by the officer’s knee cut off the oxygen flow to Floyd’s brain. In a video captured by a bystander, the officer continued to hold Floyd down in this manner while Floyd remained unresponsive for two minutes and fifty-three seconds.

News of Floyd’s death caused worldwide outrage, and mass demonstrations have broken out in many major cities. Protesters are calling for the officers in question to be brought to justice and for substantial internal improvements to be made in the ways which African Americans are treated by law enforcement. Tragically, these peaceful protests have been overshadowed by violence caused by looters, who have hijacked the voices of demonstrators and activists alike. These individuals have wreaked havoc on American streets by raiding businesses and setting cars ablaze. On the evening of Monday, June 1st, fear and tension reached new heights after President Trump vowed to use military personnel to combat the violence.

With crisis after crisis flaring up in every region of the world, many news outlets have already begun to label 2020 as one of the worst years in human history. James Fallows, a well renowned journalist at The Atlantic, published an article on May 31st specifically addressing this claim, titled “Is This the Worst Year in Modern American History.” In Fallows’s article, he draws upon similar instances of hardship, disparity, and uncertainty between 2020 and another harrowing year, 1968. Fallows carefully describes instances of widespread “domestic carnage and bloodshed” in 1968, including the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy.

While regarding each of their deaths as being particularly “central” moments of United States’ history, Fallows carefully points out how the murders of King and Kennedy were just two “of many traumas of that tumultuous year.” Remembered by many as the height of the Vietnam War, 1968 saw draft calls ramp up, resulting in a greater increase of both military and civilian casualties. 1968 was also the year of the massacre at My Lai, in which American soldiers ruthlessly slaughtered 504 unarmed Vietnamese civilians, while raping survivors and burning villagers’ homes and crops to the ground.

After carefully comparing the horrors and devastation which humanity faced in both years, Fallows argues that 1968 is currently “the most traumatic year in [modern] history.” However, Fallows does point out that 2020 “still has [several more] months to run,” and that by next January, it could very well take on the reputation of being the most traumatic year on record. With the entire world mourning the senseless and tragic murder of George Floyd, while also struggling to rebound from the humanitarian and economic devastation caused by the pandemic, it is inevitable that 2020 will at least be remembered as one of the most troublesome eras of humanity. However, despite the enormous setbacks which the world has faced over the last several months, 2020 can still be a year of progressive and opportunistic change. After all, as Nobel Peace Prize winner and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel once said, “even in darkness it is possible to create light and encourage compassion.”

Attaining this will undoubtedly require a human commitment of unity which has never before been seen. People of diverse backgrounds must find common ground and work together in order to implement effective and lasting policies to alleviate the suffering and division that is so visible around the world. For example, American legislatures must be willing to overlook their political differences and pass laws to address the institutional failures of the United States’ criminal justice system, specifically how African Americans are so often mistreated and racially profiled by the police force. However, police brutality and racial prejudice are not just American problems, considering that fifteen-year-old Palestinian Zaid Fadl Qaisia was recently shot dead by Israeli soldiers during a raid at a refugee camp in the West Bank. These injustices must serve as major wake up calls for world leaders, as nations need to double down on their efforts to address these concerns in their own countries.

While revolutionary change cannot be acquired overnight, there are encouraging signs that reformative progress could be in the works. The protests have been a key first step and have been a source of expression for individuals all over the world to directly call on their government leaders to enact police and security measures to ensure the protection of minority civilians. It is worth mentioning however, that these protests do come with some serious health risks, considering COVID-19 is still a very pressing threat, and large gatherings could cause cases to spike over the coming weeks and months. Fortunately, many protesters have been photographed wearing masks, and several media outlets have posted information of “how to protest safely during the coronavirus pandemic.” Ultimately, time will tell whether or not the protests have a problematic effect on the spread of COVID-19.

Although the protests themselves are inherently powerful, social media has played an even greater role in the movement for institutional change, while also serving as a means to enhance the voices of demonstrators. For example, social media has allowed people to instantaneously share images of police brutality, and for demonstrators to easily document their outrage in the form of a peaceful protest. While making it easy to sign petitions and donate to organizations like Black Lives Matter, social media has been its own avenue of activism, inspiring movements such as Blackout Tuesday, which occurred on June 2nd. As calls for justice and reform continue to be voiced, social media has offered a key solution to solving coordination problems and allowing larger audiences to participate in this imperative commitment.

It is critical to understand that the actions over the last week are merely just the first steps in a long term and challenging fight. After all, this humanitarian crisis has persisted for generations, and substantial commitments are necessary in order to enact meaningful and compatible changes which hold all individuals, regardless of racial difference, to the same high quality moral standards. However, this particular movement has taken on a rhythm unlike anything the world has seen since the 1960s, raising hope that this development can help resolve the persistent spread of racism in the United States and abroad.

This article does not draw upon any specific solutions to the crisis in question, but rather affirms that real change can be attained through unity and camaraderie. It will take a global effort to accomplish this task, one which will require the undoing of considerable societal and legal norms. This must also be an effort which does not burn out once the wave of mainstream media coverage declines, but one which for the indefinite future holds perpetrators accountable and navigates opportunities to bridge the racial gap. It could take many years or even decades to find a solution, but hopefully, instead of being remembered as the most traumatic year in recent history, 2020 can be looked back on as the year when the world finally came together, and when the movement for racial equality was able to fully take flight.