Why we must work together in ending COVID-19 and curbing racism?

As America tries to piece itself back together after the divisive political atmosphere it has faced the past four years, many people wonder, is America heading in the right direction? Countless families have lost loved ones to the two diseases that live in the states: Racism and the Coronavirus. The past few years have been dominated by America’s prejudiced roots coming to light and people living in fear because of a deadly pandemic that was not being taken seriously. While America is known for its modern democracy, it has split into two nations in conflict over race and the economy. This is what our founding fathers feared.     

In the wake of a new presidency, citizens all over the nation are starting to wonder what's to come with the pandemic that has halted our everyday lives. With over 500,000 coronavirus deaths, it seems as if the world will never get back to normal. No matter how many masks we wear or how many times we wash our hands, there will always be a conspiracy theorist who believes the virus is a hoax and chooses to endanger the lives of others. According to a model presented by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Education, coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are dropping steadily and it “looks like it might actually be plateauing in the sense of turning around,” says the top infectious-disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci. This brings a sense of hope for all of us who have been cooped up in our homes and actually following the safety guidelines. With positive news surrounding the progress of this virus, it is hopeful to say that the people of America can soon go back to hugging their loved ones and finding a new normal. 

Nevertheless, while the coronavirus is fairly ‘new’, the racism that people of color face is something that has been around since European white settlers first brought Africans to serve as enslaved workers. Smithsonsian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch wrote that the country has been forced to “confront the reality that, despite gains made in the past 50 years, we are still a nation driven by inequality and racial division.” Although there has been tremendous progress regarding race, this nation needs to heal its racial divide and hold themselves accountable. Moving forward, Americans (and the rest of the world) can begin to hear each other out by blurring the concept of self and others and start to treat everyone equally. Governments around the world need to destroy the structural inequalities for people of color and by doing that, we can all hope to see each other in a better light. For example, President Joe Biden has made some major headway by making the “most diverse cabinet in history”, according to PBS. Among Biden's first 100 plus staffers, 60% are women, more than 50% were people of color, and 20% were first generation Americans. By doing this, the future of America will not only be rid of division, but will show how we can all work together no matter what we look like or where we come from. 

As a result of both the pandemic and the issues this country faces that relates to racism, our duties as human beings are to work together in ending COVID-19 and curbing racism, not only as a nation but globally. Even though it is more of an opinion, recent polls done by The Economist say that Americans are less likely to say that the country is off on the wrong track. There is no doubt that the United States is undergoing a period of instability, but that doesn’t mean it has to continue like this. Politicians now are not as powerful as they once were, the people are. In order for us to remain the most powerful country in the world, we have to step back, reiterate,  and look at what we need to work on.

All things considered, the question ‘Is America heading in the right direction?’ is all up to you and the rest of the nation. If we as Americans don’t take charge of what is currently happening, then the fate of our democracy will be at stake. Now that we know what has led us up to this moment in our lives, we can take action into letting it never happen again. We the people need to take initiative and ‘be the change that you wish to see in the world’, as Gandhi once put it.