programs encouraging civic engagement and fostering future leaders. SEE FIGURE 85 ON PREVIOUS PAGE APRIL 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill On April 20, 2010, the oil drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded and sank at its site of operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Eleven workers died in the disaster. Over the course of eighty- seven days, almost five million barrels of oil flowed from the damaged well into the gulf as responders struggled to repair the leak under more than 5,000 feet of water. It was the largest oil spill in the history of marine drilling operations and caused significant ecological harm. As of 2018, the ongoing cost of cleanup and remediation exceeded $65 billion dollars. Federal agencies continue to track impacts on both human and wildlife populations. Investigations and changes in regulations may prevent similar future incidents, but marine drilling continues across the United States. Oil spills have often inspired environmental protection acts. The 1969 Union Oil drilling rig disaster off the coast of California is considered one of the catalysts of the modern environmental movement. DECEMBER 2010 Arab Awakening Begins in Tunisia The Arab Awakening, also known as the Arab Spring, refers to a wave of political protests and social upheavals that occurred in many countries across the Middle East and North Africa. The sweeping social movements began in late 2010. Protests erupted in Tunisia and spread quickly to Egypt, where a youth-led movement demanded an end to authoritarian governments. Many of the authoritarian regimes responded with extreme force, wounding and killing protestors. Not all the protests succeeded; in many places, the result was mass displacement, economic decline, and continued human rights violations. However, in some cases, the demands for economic justice and social freedoms led to significant changes. The almost thirty-year reign of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ended when he fled the country in 2011. Later that year, Tunisia held a democratic election and a peaceful transition of power to new governance. The protests and their aftermaths inspired similar events in Libya, Yemen, Syria, and Bahrain. SEE FIGURE 86 JUNE 2015 Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage in the United States In the landmark case Obergefell v. Hodges
(2015) , the U.S. Supreme Court determined that states cannot prohibit same-sex marriage. The LGBTQ+ community fought for their right to legal marriage by organizing protests, filing court challenges, and rallying support for state ballot initiatives. A 2004 court ruling made Massachusetts the first state to legalize same-sex marriage. The California Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that prohibiting same-sex marriage violated citizens’ civil rights, but in the same year, California voters approved a constitutional amendment prohibiting such partnerships. Vermont was the first state where legislators passed a law allowing same-sex marriage in 2009. The uneven policies across the nation encouraged activists to keep fighting. James Obergefell and John Arthur James filed a lawsuit challenging Ohio’s refusal to recognize same-sex marriage. Eventually, the appeal process reached the highest court in the country. The Supreme Court’s ruling on their case made same-sex marriage legal in all fifty states. SEE FIGURE 87 NOVEMBER 2016 California Voters Elect Kamala Harris to U.S. Senate Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, California, the daughter of an Indian mother and Jamaican father. She began her political career as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County before serving in a similar position in San Francisco. She ran for district attorney of San Francisco in 2002, becoming the first person of color to hold that office in the city’s history. In 2010, she was elected California attorney general. California voters elected her as their senator in 2016. In many cases, Harris was the first woman, first Black person, and first South Asian American to hold the offices to which she was elected. In 2020, Joe Biden selected her as his running mate on the Democratic ticket, and they won the presidential election. She became the first woman and the first person of color to serve as U.S. vice president. Her policy priorities included passionate advocacy for a clean environment, voting rights, and international policy. Harris had an unsuccessful bid for president in 2024. SEE FIGURE 88 ON FOLLOWING PAGE
Figure 86. Over one million people gathered in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt demanding the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. Image courtesy of Jonathan Rashad, Flickr.
Figure 87. Activists gathered in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, awaiting the Obergefell v. Hodges decision. Image courtesy of Ted Eytan, Flickr.
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