2020 has been a hectic year to say the least. Not only with the spread of Covid-19. There have been a lot of issues being brought to light, like racial injustice, and the unemployment rates skyrocketing.
One of the biggest issues has been the increase in unemployment rates. In April, the unemployment rates reached its peak of 14.7 percent, with millions of Americans unemployed and struggling. Americans are receiving a bonus of 600 dollars per week. Certain states even provide a 300 dollar bonus on top of that, including Kansas, Wisconsin, and Hawaii. Laws have been passed in order to help citizens. For example, the CARES act has been helping out the unemployed. Congress passed the CARES act of 2.2 trillion dollars in March of 2020. This was a way to help Americans who lost their jobs from the pandemic. Some states even go as far as providing $235 -$1220 a week.

Another issue that has been a big centerpoint of 2020 is the racial injustice protests and police brutality. Starting from after the death of George Floyd, thousands of protestors flooded the streets to support people of color, fighting for the equality of everyone. Police brutality is the sixth leading cause of death in African American boys and men. Roughly 1 in 1000 will die this way. Speaking on other terms people of color like Native Americans, African Americans are more likely to experience higher death rates compared to White Americans at the hands of the police. Many Americans took action to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement. There have been many significant protests shown from the sports community. They have been shown wearing Black Lives Matter attire, speaking out publicly and more.

Furthermore, 2020 was also the year Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. Her death was a huge topic as many people looked up to her. She fought for the equal rights of everyone. Her spot was up for quite a bit of discussion and if she should be replaced. In the end, Amy Coney Barrett, was chosen to replace Ginsberg. This led to a lot of controversy since not everyone was very supportive of the idea. People loved Ginsberg and didn’t feel like Barrett had skills to replace RBG.

Another issue that was up for debate was the election itself. Trump has had many supporters but with the many issues that came up in 2020, many people were more than willing to vote for who they believed would fit the role as president the best. Many Americans criticized Trump’s reaction to the Black Lives Matters movement and him not denouncing white supremacist groups. This helped push more people to vote. People didn’t want someone who didn’t value others rights as president.

2020 most definitely hasn’t been an easy year. There have been so many issues coming up this year. People are using their voices to speak up for what’s right. Many of the issues have been pushing Americans to go and vote. They use their rights to stand up for causes they believe in. Biden ends up breaking Obama’s record of the most votes ever. Obama scored over 69.5 million votes while Biden had over 75 million votes. Americans have made a priority to protect their rights and to vote.