Ain't Burned All the Bright

Ain’t Burned All the Bright is a book rooted in 2020 and the cultural and historical context of that moment. Most specifically, it is an attempt to process the COVID-19 pandemic and the social unrest that followed the police killing of George Floyd. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It first emerged in late 2019 and began rapidly spreading across the globe. By March 2020, the virus had reached the United States, prompting widespread lockdowns aimed at curbing its spread. These measures, including business closures and social distancing, led to unprecedented disruptions in daily life and the economy. In the United States, the pandemic claimed over one million lives and disproportionately affected vulnerable communities. Hospitals were overwhelmed, and healthcare workers faced immense challenges. The crisis exposed and exacerbated existing inequalities, prompting debates over public health policies, the role of government, and the balance between safety and personal freedoms.

At the same time, the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer sparked widespread protests across the United States. The incident caused the Black Lives Matter movement to gain significant traction. The movement, which began in 2013 as a response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teenager, was founded by activists Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, and advocates against systemic racism, police brutality, and violence toward Black communities. Because of the pandemic and the political nature of the protests, protestors faced numerous dangers. On the one hand, they risked exposing themselves to the COVID-19 virus, and on the other, they faced violent clashes with law enforcement, the use of tear gas and rubber bullets, and the threat of arrest. Ain’t Burned All the Bright explores the impact these events have on the psyche of a young Black boy and his family as he attempts to process the tensions and complexities of the various crises going on around him.