Grayscale photo of people protesting for blm in new york city, ny, us

All the difficult, divergent paths that blazed through 2020 led to Election Day. Election Day was seen by many as a point where we could see the potential for real solutions lying ahead. Of course, there can never be certainty in things left in the hands of policymakers, but there was a measured optimism on the part of the people. In New York City, grassroots organization Unite NY organized a "march to the polls." A relatively small but energetic group marched from Downtown Brooklyn to Prospect Heights, chanting throughout the entire journey. At the halfway point and the endpoint of the march, various groups provided PPE, sanitizer, water and food -- everything from granola bars to empanadas. While such gestures were commonplace at marches held around NYC, November 3, 2020 just felt a bit different. There was an intimacy and buoyancy present that would have been harder to spot in the more massive actions that took place earlier in the year. Everyone left with a sense of communal support and a reinvigorated hopefulness, though somewhat tempered by a smattering of anxiety.