JUSTICE

Many people today are dissin’ 2020 like a bad penny; memes, tee shirts, and coffee mugs can all be found that denigrate the year.  And it’s no wonder: in California alone we’ve experienced unprecedented fires throughout the state, the coronavirus pandemic to deal with, nonstop political division (and at one point a 4.5 magnitude earthquake) and perhaps most importantly, like the rest of the country, we are experiencing a civil rights reckoning focused on the effects of systemic racism, white supremacy, and police brutality. As in many cities across America and beyond, residents and families in Pasadena felt compelled to protest and stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter this past summer after the horrendous death of George Floyd at the hands of police.