365 OF 365...
The year has finally come to an end! No one else can complain about the tumultuous year of 2020!
Here are some of the events that shaped the first year into this current decade!
KOBE BRYANT
From the beginning of the year, the signs of a troublesome year showed up. With the death of Kobe and GiGi Bryant, the world was shaken. As an avid basketball fan, and sports fan in general, Kobe was a symbol of excellence as an athlete, business, and father.
The mental trauma from this horrendous accident stayed with us in months to come, even though the worst was yet to come. THE BLACK MAMBA will be missed for a lifetime, and hopefully his family can find some type of healing from this tragic ordeal.
This hit really hard as someone who frequented the area where he crashed, and even worked not too far away, in Malibu.
So I felt it was only right to go to the area and pay my respects to the basketball legend.
May Kobe and Gianna rest in peace!
THE CORONA VIRUS
Never before have we seen complete chaos, death, and destruction at the hands of such a deadly virus. The Novell Corona Virus...which we were warned about in 2019, reared its nasty strands and never let up during 2020. From the countless numbers of deaths, to the crashing of the economy, earth dealt with a monster that would eat Godzilla for lunch.
Many conspiracy theorist thought it was a hoax and wasn't as important as it turned out to be, including #45.
It was quite ironic, that with all of the public scrutiny of health officials, false claims of good health, and the inability to show a teamwork attitude towards fighting the virus...he, some of his cabinet, and even members of his family ended up catching the virus!
COVID-19 quickly changed the way we went about our everyday lives, having to wear masks throughout the day, as well as when going into any establishment.
This pandemic has brought on many changes in societies all over the globe.
Hopefully there will be a safe and effective vaccine in the new year that will bring things back to a suitable NEW NORMAL.
BLACK LIVES MATTER
Though black people have been getting killed by known racists, and police brutality for decades, 2020 saw it once again come to a head. With the senseless killings of Ahmaud Aubrey, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor just to name a few, we saw the world come together and attempt to take justice into their own hands.
There were riots from here to China, asking for justice, defunding of the police, and racial equality.
In America, we saw African Americans, whites, Spanish, and all genders come together in an attempt to get the system to recognize it's wrong doing. Never before had we seen the public do so in places like Minneapolis, Louisville, and many other mid major cities across the country.
Police on horseback in Chicago showing their presence on Wacker drive, near Trump Tower.
Demonstrators come together on Michigan Ave to make their voices heard, by those who they feel, turn a blind eye to the prejudice and racism across the country.
A NEW BEGINNING...
This past fall, America even elected a new President. Former Vice President (President Obama) Joe Biden won the election in November. With the social, economic, and political climate being so hot in 2020, voters broke records for turnout, and even elected its first African American Vice President (Kamala Harris).
After years of doing Wellness getaways, and events around the Chicago Area, myself
(Gabori Partee Sr) and longtime client and friend Tiffini Holmes decided to start our own business. Coming in January, we will be launching the start of Well Beings Chicago. ''Where Beings Become Well" A one stop shop where you can come get taken care of mentally, physically, and spiritually.
We look forward to serving the Chicagoland area as a minority owned establishment, for years to come.
So here's to the year 2020!! You had a few ups but most definitely had your downs. You showed us more of who we are as a country. Our ability to fight, adjust, and even change our ways when needed, or forced to do so.
You also showed us that we have such a long way to go when it comes to racial equality, justice, and peace for all men and women. Now that the year is over, let's move on with the knowledge and motivation needed to become a truly great nation!
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021
Sincerely,
The Fitness Representative