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To put it lightly, 2020 has been a hard year. As we take stock of the pandemic’s continued global toll, we cannot ignore the nearly 1.5 million who have died of COVID-19, nor the millions more who have slipped into poverty. Even for those who avoided the most dire consequences of the pandemic, 2020 has been a physically, emotionally, and mentally taxing year.
While we have experienced the same ups and downs as many of you over the course of this year, we also recognize that our experience of 2020 has come from a place of extraordinary privilege. Our privilege comes from being a funder and from our intersectional identities as individuals. Acknowledging the presence, power, and responsibility of our privilege is one of the core lessons of 2020.
And yet privilege has had another meaning this year too: honor and gratitude. It has been an honor to serve our community and support the incredible, endless, impactful work of so many people and organizations. For each threat facing the world, a bevy of superheroes has emerged. Superheroes like TalkingPoints and Street Child, who ensured that children continued to receive an education. Superheroes like LCMC Health, Health Equity International, and Access Afya, who tackled COVID-19 head-on as healthcare professionals. And all the superheroes who continue working to ensure that the world has sustainable food, clean water, renewable electricity, and that equity and justice prevail. You have been our inspiration, our hope, and a powerful force pushing us to look in our own mirror and driving us to do more.
It has been our privilege to serve you this year. While we often say the world is uncertain, you and the work you do get us through and keep us hopeful. We owe the promise of the future to you. Thank you.
Sincerely,
The Open Road Team
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