Dear Joe Biden,  

Now that you have become the 46th president, the country has a lot of expectations, especially my generation. We have faced many changes this past year, more for the worse than the good. Although, having new leaders for the U.S. has so far been a good one for us. 

From the beginning of 2020 up until now, the Coronavirus is proving to be one of the worst yet. People are continuously dying, sometimes it being inevitable, and sometimes because they refuse to follow safety precautions or some others are acting carelessly, hospitals no longer have space for patients. Many families cannot even attend their loved one’s funerals. On your first day as President, you placed an executive order requiring masks, social distancing, and taking more health measures as well as one for promoting safety during travel. Even though several choose to claim they have the right to not wear a mask, I think that it is definitely a step towards preventing the situation from getting worse. However, the only hope we have left at the moment is the COVID-19 vaccine to see what it can really do for us.  

But there are more struggles aside from the deaths because of the coronavirus. Students, including me, have been doing virtual learning and it has been the toughest time I have had because of school. I know that there are many others who feel the same way because it is truly draining and exhausting. As we spend increased amounts of time at home and going through something no other generation has experienced, we feel more unmotivated and stressed so we end up worrying about our assignments that just pile up as our mental health is heavily impacted by it too.

 Other than the coronavirus, the discrimination that the LGBTQ+ community still faces, worldwide even, has been stomach-churning. To see more states trying to target transgender people and trying to limit their protection by excluding them from things like the military and even sports, it is one of the biggest disappointments. Yet when you signed the order to have Pentagon’s ban on transgender people serving in the military, it has been another step to the right direction and especially important in terms of LGBTQ+ rights. 

Apart from those events, the racism and inequality that people have faced during the same time are sickening. The death of George Floyd on May 25th, 2020 has sparked an ongoing Black Lives Matter movement when the officers that had killed him weren’t held accountable properly since they didn’t receive the charges they really deserved. There were others like Breanna Taylor and Elijah McClain who have not gotten their justice and more innocent people of color that have to worry about their lives every single day because of what the police have done.  The system has failed us. It isn’t about putting other races above all, but it is holding all people at the same level and providing them with the same opportunities, ones they deserve, and teenagers also want things to be turned around. Passing an executive order on strengthening/advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities should allow the inequality to be recognized and addressed more and hopefully to where we can all be one. 

All the things that have happened have been really overwhelming for everyone but what we want to see more than anything is for the U.S. to follow the right path.  For the next four years that you are in the office, we hope to see the plans you have for the country create drastic changes which are for the better so these issues no longer threaten the lives of citizens and since we are also the next generation of voters, these changes might even let you serve another presidential term. 

Sincerely,  

Yusra Iqbal