According to Chinese zodiac, this year was deemed unlucky from the very start. The year of the monkey has proven to be unlucky for the past few decades. This year has been one full of revolutionary movements for civil rights and experienced an election that will never be forgotten but on the other hand there has been plenty of tragedy.

Gun violence has been one major issue. A lot of the civil rights movements have spurred this type of violence, from ISIS to “Black Lives Matter”. One tragedy we may remember was on June 12 in Orlando, Florida. According to USA Today, it is now known as the worst shooting spree in America. A man named Omar Mateen opened fire at the Pulse nightclub killing 50 people and injuring 53. The Pulse night club is known for accepting the LGBT community, and as a result, it is popular among the LGBT community. There was a massive outpouring of support for the victims’ families and those who were injured. Now five months later, the LGBT community in Orlando, Florida, has decided to incorporate this tragedy with their “Come Out with Pride Festival” that has been going on for 11 years. Ryan Miller from USA Today tells about the planned events: “The day’s celebrations will feature remembrances of lives lost in the massacre. Pulse employees, victims’ family members, first responders from the Orlando police and fire departments and Orlando Regional Medical Center…” According to an article titled, “Orlando Heals” from USA Today, after this pride festival, the city plans to buy the nightclub and turn it into a memorial for the victims families.

Another tragic event this year was a shooting in July in Dallas, Texas by the Black Lives Matter group. The New York Times says a gunman named  Micah Johnson opened fire on a group of police officers killing five and injuring nine others. A group of detectives investigated Mr. Johnson’s home and found “bomb-making materials, ballistic vests, rifles, ammunition, and a personal journal of combat tactics.”Johnson also revealed that he hates white people and that he just wants to kill all white people, especially white officers. The police officers of Dallas, Texas, were devastated by this loss and are doing all they can to protect themselves and others against this sort of thing again. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few years with gun violence, Black Lives Matter, the  LGBT community and many of the other problems that Americans face today.

The other tragedies that America will never forget are the celebrity deaths of 2016. Prince, David Bowe and Muhammad Ali were among the many celebrity deaths that caused mourning all over America. Music got a hard hit this year with deaths, including Prince, David Bowe, Phife Dawg and Guy Clark. Prince’s death was know as the day music died and high schoolers will never forget the “Purple Rain” snapchat filter. According to CNN, comedian Chris Rock tweeted a picture of Prince and Ali standing next to each other with the comment, “I wish this year would just stop already it’s just too much.”. This comment sums up how 2016 went perfectly.