Our power lies in our people.
BY EDITORIAL BOARD
The definition of community is a group of people who live in a similar space or share similar characteristics. However, there’s a more complex meaning to the word community; it’s a group of people that support and sustain each other. Our power as individuals comes from the support of our community. Others help us so we may succeed, and in turn, we fulfill a niche within the community and help them. Our community is our safety net and our lifeline. It must be protected and nurtured.
One of humanity’s most basic instincts is to form a community and to protect it from danger. Long ago, danger meant poisonous plants and mammoths, but now it means the COVID-19 pandemic and the ramifications of climate change. We need to protect our community. The easiest way to do that: get vaccinated and wear a mask. More than four million people have died from COVID-19 and cases are on the rise due to the Delta variant. Protect our community, both local and global, so that we may be safe and continue supporting each other.
UAHS is a community, one divided about vaccines, masks, and bathrooms. It’s a community within a larger community that is even more divided: Upper Arlington. Upper Arlington is infamous for being exclusive, but is changing. That change, and the promotion of inclusivity, is the first step towards building a better community. The first-ever UA Pride event combined with the school district’s decision to retain gender-neutral bathrooms has made 2021 a landmark year for LGBTQ+ inclusivity in UA.
Internal problems, such as discrimination towards oher members of the community, can damage a community and split it apart. Fortunately, Upper Arlington, while deeply polarized, can repair some of the damage it has inflicted onto itself through nurturing the community it has. This healing can begin with the acceptance of everyone.
Inclusivity and support will save our community, which will then save us as individuals. Our power stems from the support our community gives us. Let’s show them the same love they show us.