Amber Mitchell- Coming of Age 2020

Coming of Age in 2020 2020 has been a crazy year for all of us. Lots of bad things have happened, so I’ll be talking about my experiences from this year. A lot of events took place that stuck with me, so I decided to create an art piece to show my take on the events of the Black Lives Matter movement, The Election, and Covid. So I’ll be explaining that through my work.

In the upper right corner, there is Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. Many black people have died this year due to police brutality, but that’s not new. Every year a lot of black people are killed by police. I’ve always been hurt by that but after George Floyd, it really struck a chord for me. For a lot of people actually. His death was the last straw for the black community and allies. Life as a black person in America is scary. I worry about my life whenever my family and I are pulled over because of the amount of deaths by police officers that happens. I shouldn’t feel that way, no one should, but that’s just how POCs are treated here. It needs to change, but no matter how many times we march for justice, we somehow rarely ever get it. It’s painful to know that. The red drops represent the blood of black Americans that are shed every day.

To the left is Donald Trump and Joe Biden. The elections were always important, but this is the first time that I’m paying attention to since I’m old enough. I’m worried about who will win. My rights are on the line during this election. If Donald Trump wins, woman will lose the right to safe abortions and Planned Parenthood. Not to mention, the LGBTQ+ rights are also on the line. Same sex couples would lose the right to adopt a child, the right to marry and more. Also, Trump is racist, sexist, and has 26 sexual assault/rape alllegations. We can’t have him in office anymore. He’s done so much damage to so many people and will continue to if he stays. It’s clear to say that I want Biden to win.

At the bottom is corona. I missed a lot because of it. I didn’t have my graduation or any of my 8th grade trips. I didn’t get to say a proper goodbye to anyone. I also didn’t get my yearbook and I most likely never will. But, I’m grateful I didn’t lose any loved ones to covid like so many people did. This year has sucked, but it’s almost over, so let’s keep our heads up.