Commentary: In 2020, our core beliefs as Americans — democracy, science, faith in each other — were questioned

This was the year when the world as we knew it was suspended, when we involuntarily paused to consider all that had been taken for granted, when we were forced to question what really matters and where our country stands in the world.

Headed into an election year, we anticipated a bumpy ride. Two American champions of equality and civility were lost: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Rep. John Lewis.

President Donald Trump’s autocracy weakened our institutions and the rule of law, packed the U.S. Supreme Court and federal judiciary, and made a mockery of the presidential power to pardon. The Trump administration nightmare was voted out, President Trump recklessly challenged our election process, and Joe Biden was voted in with more votes than any presidential candidate in American history. During the centennial anniversary of women’s suffrage in America, Kamala Harris was elected as the first woman vice president.

America, the wealthiest country in the world, was unprepared for the viral disaster that emerged from China. Chinese government officials welded shut the gates of apartment complexes where COVID-19 victims lived and quickly claimed to have eradicated the virus there. We watched with horror as our president underestimated the threat, misinformed the public, and failed to set a course of action for our nation and the world that would have saved lives.

Governors filled the federal leadership vacuum as refrigerator trucks became overflow morgues. Shocking lines of cars, throughout the year, stretched for miles for food giveaway programs.

Scientific evidence and protocols were politicized, and most Americans behaved selfishly and refused to wear masks or stay distanced. More than 100,000 businesses were estimated to have shut down in the U.S. alone by May, and billions of dollars of misallocated congressional CARES Act funding will never be accounted for. Our country’s leadership and behavior compared badly with many other countries and as of this week, over 330,000 Americans had died of COVID-19.

Global warming was again evidenced by unprecedented wildfires and storms, but many still refuse to accept the science and need for change.

Our schools pivoted to virtual learning that, at its very best, put an unprecedented strain on families that were working and learning at home together — all the time. We questioned if our working lives would ever be the same — or should be. Many friendships were forfeited due to deep disagreements on politics, race, the virus and philosophy of life.

Tragically, George Floyd was killed before our eyes on the streets of Minneapolis in May. Protests against systemic societal racism exploded around the world. America realized anew that the same injustices that sparked the civil rights movement decades ago are still facing us today. The Black Lives Matter movement became the next chapter in an endless tale of social injustice in America. Police reform measures, distorted by calls for defunding the police, are still evolving.

Though this has been a deeply troubling year, we are also heartened by community support efforts and health care workers who continue to risk their own safety. Dr. Anthony Fauci, so steadfast under pressure, became our national hero. Scientists around the world have worked tirelessly to develop vaccines that could conquer COVID-19.

In 2020, we have questioned our core beliefs: democracy, science and faith in our fellow man. Throughout history, pandemics have been followed by periods of transformation. In this case, may history repeat itself in 2021.

Hill is an attorney, a consultant for nonprofit organizations and philanthropists, and a community volunteer. She lives in Point Loma.