Goodbye, 2017! Some people might consider this year to be the best and some may not. To the end of 2017, we will sadly rewind to the hate and racism that occurred in America. A nation based on equality was slowly being divided among all Americans of race, color, and sexual orientation.

Charlottesville, Virginia Protest 

One of the most horrifying incidents in 2017 was the Charlottesville protest in Virginia. On August 12, 2017, white nationalists and far-right organizations came together to create a “Unite the Right” rally in hopes of not letting the city remove the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

Things didn’t turn out the way they expected. White nationalists and far-right organizations fought against each other and other protesters. One female counterprotester died because a man drove through the crowd of people at the protest.

The Executive Order to Ban Immigrants

On January 27, 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to stop all refugee admissions, it also “bars” people from seven major Muslim countries.

This ban stops the admissions of all refugees from entering the United States for 120 days. However,  people arriving from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen have a 90-day visa suspension. The 90-day suspension does not affect visa holders who are diplomats or members of the UN.

The number of refugee admissions cut to nearly half this year. Former President Barack Obama made the decision of originally accepting 110,000 refugees.  It is now 50,000.

U.S. Marine Accused of Mistreating Muslim Recruiters

This year you may have seen a lot of hate crimes against Muslims. On October 10, 2017, Joseph Felix, a former U.S. Marine instructor who mistreated three American Muslim men trainees. Joseph Felix “picked out Muslim recruits for special abuse because of their Muslim faith.” He insulted their religion and placed them in industrial appliances.

Some witnesses stated that they heard him say words like “terrorist” and “ISIS” to communicate with the recruiters. That is not the end of it. Due to this unfair treatment, one recruiter fell to his death.

“Take A Knee”

The “Take a Knee” protest occurred on October 20, 2017. The protest started when NFL football players took a knee during the national anthem. The protest focused on the issues of police brutality and racism against African Americans that has occurred in the United States. This was not the only protest that triggered the American audience.

The protest inspired more people to follow this idea. Two high school football players planned to hold a silent protest during the game, as well as five cheerleaders from a college in Georgia. In Iowa, some high school band members walked out during the national anthem. Last month, Cedric Ingram-Lewis, and Larry McCullough had been kicked off their football team because Lewis raised a fist, and McCullough took a knee during the anthem. These protests brought a voice for all the unjust that people have suffered this year but caused controversy.

The Death of Jordan Edwards

On April 29, 2017, a Dallas police officer fired at a car killing a 15 year old black teen named Jordan Edwards in the passenger seat. Former police officer, Roy Oliver was charged with murder and “four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon by a public servant in connection with the four other people in the car.” Roy Oliver was found to have “discharged multiple rounds rounds from patrol rifle” and drove past the teen. Jordan Edwards suffered a “fatal gunshot wound to the head.”

Ending Racism and Hate in 2018

According to SPL Center, “In the immediate aftermath of Election Day, a wave of hate crimes and lesser hate incidents swept the country — 1,094 bias incidents in the first 34 days.”

In conclusion, 2017 was a tough road. Not a lot of happy moments, but as 2018 comes, Americans can try to change that.  It is hard to avoid seeing racism and hate in the headlines and on the news. America should be a nation that welcomes everyone regardless of their race, color, sexual orientation, or religion and tolerates everyone as well. “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is promised to every American and should be a basic human right for everyone.

There is nothing worse than seeing a nation full of people living in fear. A fear that they will be taken away from their family or killed or mistreated in any way. Let’s bring peace to the America and the world in 2018 instead of hate or racism. Change and peace starts with each of us.