Introduction

Without equivocation, I think it is fair to say 2020, the year from which I write, has been the most challenging, devastating and heart-wrenching of the contemporary era. Depending on your personal experiences this year, I may have understated the impact of what we went through as a global community. From the coronavirus, COVID-19, which caused a global pandemic, to the travel restrictions and physical distancing imposed in most countries to stem the transmission of the disease, it has been a tough year. The resulting illness and death of COVID-19 patients and the suicides of first responders and other medical professionals have been catastrophic for families, communities and industries. The economic instability, reduction or loss of employment and the collapse of small- and mid-sized businesses has taken their toll. Furthermore, the aggressive acts committed against people of color, including racial violence against people of Asian ancestry (bigotry against those who “look” Chinese because the coronavirus is believed to have originated in Wuhan, China) and the murder of unarmed Black people continue to be prominent social ills of which we must confront. What I have mentioned here is not even an exhaustive list.