A Year in Review

Tumultuous politics, rising tensions and divisions between people all categorize the year of 2018.  At face value, there were some major low points of the year; however, when looking deeper there are countless positive moments to celebrate and enjoy.

This year highlighted the incredible diversity and talent of people in the world. With movies, music and more, women and people of color experienced many historic firsts  across the country and the world.

“Crazy Rich Asians” broke U.S. records for highest grossing profit for a romantic comedy in a decade, and is the first Hollywood movie in 25 years with a primarily Asian cast, according to Huffington Post.

The Nov. 6 midterm elections were extremely historic for the U.S. It was a record year for women, as voters elected the most women ever into Congress. In addition, a New York City district elected the youngest woman ever, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, age 29, as well as the first two Muslim women, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar.

In addition to growing diversity and shattering records, activism among young people has significantly increased in the past year. Since the tragic events of the Parkland shooting in February, more young people are taking a stand for what they believe in. This outgoing generation is   is the future of the nation and the world, and represents a significant step forward in society for them to be able to voice their opinions.

The effects of climate change recently made headlines for the prospect of extremely dangerous problems for the Earth in the near future. However, there have also  been some significant positives for the Earth’s climate this year thanks to the work of dedicated scientists and citizens.

According to Verdict, coral from the Great Barrier Reef that was previously extremely scarce has been successfully bred and transferred back into the ocean. Furthermore, integral honeybee populations have ceased declining at rapid paces, and have started to rise.

India legalized gay marriage in a 2018 court ruling that many see as a prime example of the world’s growing tolerance of the LGBTQ+ community. The ruling stated that discriminating against people based on their sexual orientation goes against human rights, according to BBC News.

Like every year, 2018 endured positive and negative events all over the globe. Although through policies and polarizing occurrences it may seem that society has taken steps backward, the world took many steps forward this year as well.