President Biden turned the US government in an about-face direction from many of President Trump's policies, like the US government's response to the ongoing pandemic. He also withdrew US forces from Afghanistan, just before the 20th anniversary of September 11, but many US citizens and others friendly to US interests were left behind as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan again.
Furthermore, Presdient Biden had a drastically different approach to many social issues, like LGBTQ advocacy and abortion. Much discussion ensued on his standing to receive communion as a Roman Catholic because of his strong support for abortion, especially after his meeting with Pope Francis. The US bishops discussed a document on Eucharistic coherence and their two meetings, in June and November, along with plans to implement a Eucharistic revival.
Two high-profile cases on state laws regarding abortion were taken up by the US Supreme Court. The first was a Texas law, which was on the Supreme Court's docket in December, and then in December, the court addressed the Dobbs vs. Jackson case regarding a Mississippi law.
An effort in the fall veto session of the Illinois General Assembly repealed the Parental Notification Act, and Governor Pritzker signed it into law on December 17.
California's gubernatorial recall election was on September 14, and Governor Newsom was able to stay in office.
President Biden wasn't the only new leader in the world in 2021. After multiple elections, Israel got a new prime minister, Naftali Bennett. Angela Merkel ended her time as Germany's Chancellor, a position in which she served from 2005 to 2021.
Barbados became a Republic, thereby ending Elizabeth's reign as Queen of Barbados, with Sandra Mason transitioning from her role as Governor-General to President of Barbados.
After allegations of misconduct ended the tenure of Julie Payette as Canada's Governor-General back in January, Mary Simon was appointed, and then invested in July. She is the first indigenous Canadian to hold the office. Many concerns were raised that she lacked sufficient French language skills. Soon after she was installed, Prime Minister Trudeau asked her to call for elections, wanting to give the Canadian people an opportunity to speak their minds about the direction of their government, and he hoped to increase his party's power in the House of Commons. Opponents balked that Prime Minister Trudeau was engaging in political activity rather than focusing on addressing the pandemic and other concerns. His party didn't really gain many more seats in the elections held on September 20.
In Oak Park, Anan Abu-Taleb concluded his time as President of the Oak Park Village Board of Trustees in early May, and Vicki Scaman became the new president. OPRFHS District 200 Superintendent Dr. Joylynn Pruitt-Adams, who came out of retirement to take the position on a temporary, then long-term basis, decided to retire. Dr. Greg Johnson became the new superintendent. District 97 Superintendent Dr. Carole Kelley moved to take a position in New Jersey, and District 97 appointed two interim superintendents. Thursday Night Out was back on, and a new event in the autumn weeks started, See You on Saturday.
Those who departed from us in 2021 included Colin Powell, Rush Limbaugh, Larry King, Prince Philip, and Desmond Tutu.
Former Presidents Bush and Clinton both turned 75 in the summer. Former First Lady Laura Bush turned 75 on November 4, and her twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna, turned 40 on Thanksgiving Day, November 25. Barack Obama turned 60 on August 4. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter celebrated their 75th Wedding Anniversary on July 7.
Patriarch Bartholomew I, leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide, marked 30 years in his role on November 2. On that day, he was in the midst of a days-long trip in the United States, which included a visit to South Bend where he received an award.
Disney World marked 50 years since its opening on October 1. Amtrak marked 50 years since its establishment on May 1, and President Biden gave a speech at a celeration for the occasion, speaking about enhancements to Amtrak service.
In the natural world, there were significant ice storms in the southern United States during the winter months early in 2021, which caused widespread power outages in Texas. Hurricane Ida made landfall on the Gulf Coast in August as a powerful Category 4 hurricane. Tornadoes struck parts of the Chicagoland area on June 20. In December, strong tornadoes struck parts of the Mid-South, especially Kentucky, some of which had long tracks over 100 miles. Kilauea had another eruption on September 29.
After a pandemic-induced delay, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were held from July 23 to August 8. Personally, I was glad to see that the athletic competitions were still able to happen, as I thought the pandemic would suspend the Olympics completely. The female US gymnastics team garnered much attention, with Suni Lee winning gold, and raising the profile of the Hmong community in the USA. Grace McCallum was a fellow Minnesotan who also competed as a female gymnast in Tokyo. Simone Biles returned, although she sat out some of the competitions because of some personal issues, but came back toward the end. The Olympics is an event that always inspires me, and I'm glad the games still went on as a sign of the resilience that will bring the whole world out of this pandemic, just as it drives spirited competition at the Olympics when the nations come together.
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