A look back at the stories of 2021

Well, it's the end of another year. It's hard to believe 12 months have passed.

As with last year, I feel I can speak for many of us that I'm left a bit stunned, filled with complicated feelings -- conflicted over a year of contradictions, of setbacks and triumphs, lessons learned, mistakes made, personal excavations of who I am and want to be still.

All of this, good and bad, is animated by a forward acceleration to continued *growth,* which is probably the greatest gift that each year's passing leaves.

When looking at it that way, isn't that something for us all to cherish, to celebrate? I certainly feel that way.

As a journalist, I always reflect on how lucky I am to tell stories and speak with people from all walks of life, whose stories are very different from my own. It's a responsibility to tell others' stories well, sensitively and inclusively, and I am forever perfecting this, learning how to do it better and with more nuance.

Turning a page on 2021, here's a look at some of the stories I've felt so lucky to share this year:

** Dr. Megan Ranney, of Rhode Island Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University , Robyn Thomas, executive director at the Giffords, and Michael Dowling, president and chief executive officer of Northwell Health, shedding a needed spotlight on how gun violence epidemic in this country IS a public health crisis. (Here)

**Patricia Cummings, RN, (who is working toward her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree at Walden University) speaking about her experience administering Vice President Kamala Harris with her first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. (Here)

**This story on how people of color living with HIV are facing a "double pandemic" right now. Big thank you to HIV advocate and activist Alicia Diggs, who serves as the North Carolina state lead and member spokesperson for Positive Women's Network - USA, for sharing her story. (Here)

**The one-and-only Venus Williams on her advocacy for equal pay for women in the workplace and the need to create healthier, safer indoor spaces. (Here)

**Kweku Larbi and Sarah Smith sharing the story behind their eco-conscious rainwear label Baxter Wood Company. (Here)

**Rev. Juan Angel Monge-Santiago, All Saints Episcopal Church (Lakewood, NJ)'s priest for the past six years, and Rev. Dr. W Franklyn Richardson, pastor of the Grace Baptist Church and chairman of the board of the The National Action Network, faith leaders committed to encouraging their communities get vaccinated against COVID-19. (Here)

**Paratriathlete Allysa Seely and paracyclist Oz Sanchez speaking about what it was like to train for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics during a pandemic. (Here)

**Dr. Hyman Scott, MPH, the clinical research medical director at Bridge HIV an assistant clinical professor of medicine at UCSF, and Dr. Alan Taege, an infectious disease expert at Cleveland Clinic, putting in context where we are today with HIV/AIDS..40 years later. (Here).

**I spoke with public health experts about the pressures of seeking the COVID-19 vaccine while living in an anti-vaccine community. (Here)

**The iconic LeVar Burton on why it's important not to miss routine health screenings. (Here)

**One of my personal childhood favs Soleil Moonfrye (yes, she's indelibly 'Punky Brewster,' but also so much more) opening up about her own family's experience confronting COVID-19. (Here)

**Jim Downs, PhD, discusses his new book 'Maladies of Empire' -- how colonialism, slavery, and war changed medicine. (Here)

**How companies like Kognito are utilizing technology to train college freshman about sexual misconduct prevention. (Here)

** The Trevor Project presented this research on bullying and its impact on LGBTQ young people in the U.S. (Here)

**Yvonne Orji discusses what Black women should know about TNBC. (Here)

**This profile of BKLYN CLAY and its efforts to make ceramics more inclusive to artists of color. (Here)

** The Trevor Project reveals this peer-reviewed survey on the impact access to gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) can have on trans and nonbinary youth. (Here)

**This look at how people with endometriosis often aren't believed -- by doctors, loved ones, friends, and employers. Advocates and doctors outline how to break the stigma and I speak once more with Jennifer Cummings-Rabich (we first spoke back in 2018) about her personal experience with endometriosis, ovarian cancer, and not being heard. (Here)

Thank you to everyone who made these stories -- and many more -- possible over the past year. Here's to a happy, healthy, safe 2022!

- B