The year 2020 has opened up a lot of problems that were unexpected for the globe. The economy is spiraling out of control, loved ones are dying and it seems as if there is no light at the end of the tunnel. While it is easy to say that 2020 has been the worst year yet for so many people, we must recognize that 2020 has been the year of reawakening. We are realizing the terrors that are still awake and alive, and the path to justice is becoming a unified objective for the people of this country. The growing influence of social media acts as a journalistic platform to expose the troubles of a world that we have not conquered. And so, because of that, the young people of today are more educated than ever before. Systemic oppression still festers through our laws and policies, but we have a chance to change this through our willingness to be educated on matters and being an activist and ally for others. 2020 is serving as a time for self-reflection and understating the importance that history can have on our future.
The topic of equality is a major theme circulating through the use of memes and other types of informational posts on social media platforms. On Aug. 26, Women’s Equality Day was commemorated in the virtual world, especially since people use social media as a form of their own activism. Women’s Equality Day is important because it memorializes and commemorates the establishment of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. With the election coming up and the frequent virtual conversations about equality, Women’s Equality Day will definitely be a historical moment this year due to the context of this intense election and COVID-19. That is why it is important that we acknowledge this day and the struggles from those before us to get us to where we are.
While it may seem obvious that Women’s Equality Day should be deemed as important, we must actually take time to celebrate it with integrity. In 2018, 16 million women were not registered to vote. That was only two years ago. Voting is an American right. And we must celebrate this day by encouraging other women to vote. Our grandmothers, great grandmothers and other matriarchal figures fought for this moment in history and we must honor them by exercising our rights. For this holiday, it is essential that we use our voice that is given in order to advocate for the importance of voting. Election Day is coming fast, and every second takes us closer and closer to Nov. 3.
My generation is the future, but we cannot act “woke” and blast Women’s Equality Day on our Instagram stories without actually doing the work that the women before us paved the way for us to do. Since we are the gatekeepers of social media, we must use our platforms to encourage more women to vote. And that, in itself, is enough to celebrate for Women’s Equality Day. United we must stand. If we act divisive, we unintentionally disregard their work and accomplishments at the expense of our freedom.
Sydney Goggans is a student at Spelman College in Atlanta. She currently majors in English and has an interest in how the media we consume influence culture.
