Every new year brings with it a wave of aspiration and opportunity. It’s a fresh slate, a blank canvas ready to be painted with our dreams, hopes, and ambitions. While I no longer believe in confining my goals to the new year’s boundaries, I view this annual milestone as a chance to pivot, reassess myself, and strive for better ways to do things. For me, goals are an ongoing, ever-evolving process, not tethered to the rotation of Earth around the Sun.

This new year, however, carries a unique significance. Set against the backdrop of an upcoming election (these have been creating division amongst people) and the heart-wrenching genocide unfolding in Gaza, along with other global oppressions, my hope is for a surge in empathy, action, and sustained awareness.

In a world that often marginalizes and “others” us based on our various intersectional identities, I aspire for this year to be one of unity and community. A year when we create spaces of grace for one another, uplift each other, rally together to survive, and ultimately dismantle the oppressive systems that bind us.

I hope we can thrive within a system that celebrates equity and justice rather than perpetuating division and disparity. And I believe this year can be a stepping stone towards this goal.

Although I don’t necessarily subscribe to the concept of “New Year, New Goals,” I strongly believe in the idea of a “New Year, Better Me and Better Us.” The fresh slate that each new year brings reminds us that we have the power to effect change, shift perspectives, and create a world that values each of its inhabitants for who they are.

Love,

Joa

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