Civikids - Issue I
CiviKids Review
December 2018 | A Year In Review
Hello readers,
Welcome to the first issue of our Civikids’ Review! I am excited to present interesting articles written by our student writers. Our first issue focuses on a variety of topics, including race, equality and the current political climate of our country.
Contents:
2. Wattstax: Music Transcends Race
3. Classroom of Politics: An Analysis of a Film
4. East to West: A Compaative Essay On Global Democracies
This year 2018 has taken us on a wild ride. So many incredible things have happened within a span of a single year. Let’s take a journey together and revisit some of the key events. At the beginning of the year, the 2018 Winter Olympics game was held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The Olympic games represent a coming together of the countries of the world. Especially this year, the Olympics brought a sense of unity sorely needed in this polarized political climate. For the first time since their split, North and South Korea competed as one team during the 23rd Winter Olympic Games. This represented a major step towards the reunification of the Koreas. However, a tragedy occurred around the same time. On February 14, a shooter at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School took the lives of innocent children and forever scarred the hearts of many more. This was a cruel reminder to all of us that gun violence will haunt our lives and American politics for years to come. This year has seen 23 school shooting incidents with reported death or injury. This has inspired many people to take action and march for stricter gun control. In April, more bad news came. Families were being separated at the Mexican-American border. A zero-tolerance policy was enacted to prosecute all border crossers and separate children from their parents in detention facilities. This policy raised many ethical questions about how Americans treat immigrants whom their economy can't seem to live without. In the summer, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy retired, leading to the nomination of Brent Kavanaugh to fill the vacancy. Controversy swirled around allegations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh and stirred up intense debates about sexual assault and how allegations should be handled in the nomination process. On October 6th, Kavanaugh was sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice. As fall came around, so did the midterm elections. At the halfway point of Trump's presidency, millions of Americans went out to vote. Americans voted in a Democratic majority in the House, while the Republicans would continue to control the Senate. The anticipated showdown between House Democrats and President Trump promises another tumultuous year in politics. Sincerely, Elle Yokota (Civikids President and Chief Editor of Civikids Quarterly)