Top Ten Moments of 2017

Some of the most popular hashtags of 2017 included #NotMyPresident, #MAGA, and #covfefe. With these interesting combinations of the most tweeted hashtags, it’s no secret that 2017 was a year filled with both change and an inherent need for change. These top ten moments were defining ones for the year 2017, and giant stepping stones to teach us as a nation, world, human race to move forward.

1. Inauguration – Jan 20th, 2017

On January 20^th, 2017, Donald Trump arrived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to be sworn in as the 45^th President of the United States. His inauguration followed a nationwide series of anti-Trump protests the night prior, and preceded the record-breaking Women’s March. Nevertheless, Trump was sworn in as POTUS, and thus began quite an interesting presidency.

2. Women’s March on Washington – Jan 21st, 2017

On January 21^st, 2017, more than 500,000 men and women peacefully gathered outside the National Mall for the “Women’s March on Washington”. Not only did this march aim to protest the inauguration of Donald Trump, but it also served to promote women’s rights, immigration reform, climate science, religious peace, and racial equality. In tandem with this march on Washington, there were 680 other marches in the United States that day. It was later recorded as the largest single political demonstration since the anti-Vietnam War protests in the 1960s and 1970s.

3. Manchester – May 22nd, 2017

On May 22^nd, 2017, after an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, 22-year-old Salman Abedi detonated a home-made bomb in the Manchester Arena. The blast injured 116, and killed 22, with the youngest of the victims being identified as eight-year-old Saffie Roussos. The devastating terror attack left the world stunned, and the hashtag #PrayForManchester went viral on multiple social media sites. Ariana Grande later returned to Manchester and hosted the One Love Manchester benefit concert, attended by several other artists such as Justin Bieber, Niall Horan, Little Mix, and Pharrell Williams.

4. Charlottesville – Aug 12th, 2017

Unfortunately, the Manchester terror attack was not the only one that caused international outrage. On August 11^th, 2017, the far-right “Unite the Right” rally took place in Charlottesville, Virginia to protest the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee from Emancipation Park. Protesters included white supremacists, neo-Nazis, Klansman, neo-Confederates, and various militias. The rally took place amongst an ongoing controversy of the removal of Confederate monuments throughout the country. The rally eventually turned violent when protesters clashed with counter-protesters, which prompted the vehicle attack that left nineteen injured, and one dead. On the morning of August 12^th, Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency, and the Virginia State Police declared the assembly to be unlawful.

In his original statements on the Charlottesville protests, President Trump did not immediately condemn the white nationalists explicitly, and instead denouncing “hate, bigotry, and violence on many sides”. His statement was viewed by critics as implying a moral balance between the white supremacist marchers and the counter-protesters.

5. Total Solar Eclipse – Aug 21st, 2017

On August 21, 2017, all of North America was audience to a total eclipse of the sun. This celestial event, in which the moon passed between the sun and the Earth, and blocked the sun, lasted for approximately two minutes and 40 seconds. The previous total solar eclipse that the United States saw was in 1979. Because of the sun’s powerful rays, people were encouraged to watch the eclipse through special glasses, only to take them off during totality – in which, the moon completely covered the sun.

6. North Korea – Sept 15th, 2017

On September 15^th, 2017, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un launched a ballistic missile over Japan – the first missile fired following the United Nations’ recent effort to halt the country’s nuclear program. Amid drastic and frightening rhetorical escalation from both the American and North Korean governments, many predicted a nuclear war to break out. This would be the first missile launch of several others throughout the rest of the year, and the talk of nuclear war would not halt.

7. Hurricane Relief – Harvey (Aug 17th~Sept 3rd), Irma (Aug 30th~Sept 16th), Maria (Sept 16th~Oct 3rd)

Among the tragic events caused by humans in 2017, Mother Nature did not decide to hold back. Among a span of about two and a half months, three devastating hurricanes rocked North and Central America. With Hurricane Harvey in Texas, Hurricane Irma in Florida, and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, the tropical storms brought worldwide alarm, but also unity. For the weeks following the hurricanes, more than $400 million was raised for each hurricane. Celebrities like Lin Manuel-Miranda and Beyoncé pitched in their personal effort to raise funds through songs and volunteering at shelters. #hurricane became one of the most searched hashtags on Twitter.

8. Las Vegas - Oct 1st, 2017

On October 1^st, 2017, the world watched in horror as once again, humans turned on humans. In Las Vegas, Nevada, during a Route 91 Harvest music festival, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock fired more than 1100 rounds from his suite at a nearby Mandalay Bay hotel. The gunman’s firing left 527 injured, and 59 dead, marking the attack as the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, and reigniting the nationwide debate about gun control.

And while the statistics of this terror attack (and the unfortunately several other attacks similar to this one) highlight the amount of lives lost and people wounded, the Las Vegas shooting also saw the humanity of people. Several concertgoers reportedly became heroes amidst the tragedy, turning belts into tourniquets, plugging bulletholes with fingers, comforting strangers, and offering rides to hospitals.

9. #MeToo – Oct 15th, 2017

In 2007, activist Tarana Burke started the #MeToo movement that was to be rekindled in 2017. On October 15^th, 2017, following the several rape and harassment allegations against Hollywood filmmaker Harvey Weinstein, actress Alyssa Milano took to Twitter to ask victims of sexual assault to come out with the hashtag #MeToo as a form of solidarity. Between October and December 2017, the hashtag has been used more than six million times on Twitter and Facebook.

10. Alabama Senate Race – Dec. 12th, 2017

On December 12^th, 2017, a special election for the US Senate took place in Alabama to fill in a vacancy arising the resignation of Jeff Sessions to serve as the US Attorney General. The election drew national attention after several women accused Republican candidate Rory Moore of making unwanted sexual advances when he was in his thirties, and them in their teens. As a result of these allegations, several Republican leaders called Moore out to withdraw from the race. Despite these calls to drop out, President Donald Trump’s endorsement, along with several other Alabama Republicans’ support, cemented Moore’s name on the ballot by December 12^th.

The Senate race brought much attention after the controversy, with several hundred people urging voters to vote against Moore. At 9:23pm, Associated Press called the election for the Democratic candidate Doug Jones, although Moore refused to concede. Jones won with a margin of 1.5% (20,715 votes), and will become the first Democratic candidate to win an open seat in Alabama since former Lieutenant Governor Lucy Baxley was elected President of the Alabama Public Service Commission in 2008.

Just by looking at the events that defined 2017, this year was filled with both horrifying and hopeful moments. As we struggled to understand how hatred among human beings was so unfortunately common, our union to stretch a hand out to those affected by the hurricanes, our union to help safely transport shooting victims, our union in condemning acts of terror, our union in moments of hope – these moments shined. As the new year approaches, the events of 2017 will strengthen, empower, encourage us to keep fighting the good fight and to keep the candle burning in the dark path. May 2018 bring less tears, more humanity.