Americans were happy to see 2020 come to an end considering all the controversial events and the life-threatening pandemic that occurred throughout the year. However, 2021 is not proving to be any better.

The Senate runoff race is over with it resulting in the Democratic Party taking control of the senate. In response, pro-Trump supporters raided the U.S. Capitol building where electoral votes were being counted by officials.

The act of violence displayed in mainstream media today by these supporters is an example of how Americans should not act towards change. As a Southern institution, it’s important for all VSU students to come back on Jan. 11 with the mindset to continue adapting to change not only individually but as a whole student body.

The same way we look back and learn about historic violent riots such as the 1967 Harlem Race Riot and the Boston Massacre in some of our college courses, is the same way future generations will look back at this day in history.

We have a duty not only as students but also as Americans to keep progressing together and build our nation for the next generations to come.

Our own U.S. constitution states that “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

For the last few decades, our nation has lost the meaning behind the pronoun we. The division in our government due to different beliefs and power has caused a nationwide division amongst the people that make up the United States of America.

This loss can be regained in American institutions. The curriculum taught in schools is a way to start shaping a more united nation. It’s one-sided and doesn’t showcase enough positive aspects of our society.

Professors and administrators should instead encourage students to do research beyond the negative events in U.S history and look at more positive historical events. This will open more minds up to what worked for our nation in the past and in return create a more unified nation.

Students should also take more initiative in elected college positions such as the Student Government Association. SGA should also continue to work and consider all students’ opinions when speaking for us as a student body. Doing so will create healthy habits and great U.S. leaders who could possibly lead our country.

Let us as students lead by example at VSU and come together to accomplish the reason we all enrolled in this institution. And that is to earn our college degrees so we can go on in life to successfully further the change our country needs.

We all have experienced a lot of new things this past year, but it’s time to experience a better outcome in our country together that we can all be proud of.

This editorial reflects the general opinion of The Spectator staff.