Covid-19 has pretty much taken over two years of our lives. Taking away our freedom to breathe, stand next to each other, and even attend award ceremonies! Never realizing this would have an impact on our American people, I was wrong when my sixteen-year-old told me otherwise. Teens are upset that they cannot experience normal graduation, or prom like others has. Sadly, Covid-19 has now stripped the fun out of school and the traditional memories it can bring. Even big event shows such as The Grammy’s have recently been postponed due to covid restrictions. They will now be airing live from Vegas, on April 3, 2022 on CBS, after being postponed twice.
With the Omicron variant and Covid still rampant in the country, we are guessing this will be the “new norm” for a while. Students who are, or were forced to graduate via computer starting in 2020 up to now, are feeling like their graduating experience has been stripped from them. “To walk across that stage” is a literal and grand gesture a lot of graduates are excited to take! Even getting the chance to toss your hat within the crowd can be a moment to cherish. So that being taken away is obviously disappointing to hard-working students looking forward to these moments.
Seeing the creative ways that the people and communities came together in 2021 to congratulate graduating students during Covid, was amazing. We have seen everything from car parades, in-home celebrations, to hotel celebrations, which brought joy to our eyes. Anything to help our kids to keep enjoying school, and making these memories- should be our top priority! Award shows like the BET Awards and the Oscars also have found ways to go virtual to award their nominees. Having winners receive their awards by video, and having artists perform live recorded skits, kept fans able to enjoy the shows.
It is a great feeling to be recognized for your accomplishments and to be awarded. The way the world is going right now, we believe authorities should be allowing these ceremonies to commence. Just like sporting games are allow crowds right now, (which involves being around many people) We believe so should these award ceremonies, which are way less turned up! A lot of people deserve to see and hear, how well they are making it in this pandemic. Let’s all try a little harder to show recognition during these times to more workers, students, entertainers, and parents. We all work hard at something and need a little recognition at the end of the day!
Article by Jamaila Robinson
