IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO REFLECT ON THE 2019–2020 academic year without reflecting on the global impacts of COVID-19 and of the Black Lives Matter movement. In March 2020, the coronavirus took root in the US and rapidly brought our nation into the global battleground of the pandemic. We ceased to gather for work, school, worship, or play. Existing disparities were amplified. In this context, our nation grappled with the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Brianna “BB” Hill, Riah Milton, and too many others. We came together to protest, grieve, and work towards systemic change. The needs were — are — urgent and demanding.
As a nation, we entered a time of reflection and action, considering the role that we as individuals and leaders play in the shaping and safeguarding of our communities. We sought — and often found — connections in surprising new ways. Through creative response, we called upon each other for resilience, a theme we honor in this year’s issue of Emergence.
