Skating Forward

Progress, Retrenchment, and Hope: A Story Told on the Ice

A night at the hockey arena becomes a meditation on progress, backlash, and hope.

5 min read

Just now

“Progress is never permanent, will always be threatened, must be redoubled, restated, and reimagined if it is to survive.”
– Zadie Smith

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PROGRESS

Until just three months before I was born, states were allowed to ban interracial couples from marrying. In the decades since, ancient taboos have fallen away, allowing people who fall in love with someone of the same gender to legally marry.

This wave of social progress has reshaped the role of women in American life. No longer expected to be subservient homemakers, women have climbed to the highest reaches of power, including the office of the Vice President. Though they did not win the presidency, Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris cracked the glass ceiling, helping pave the way for what will eventually be the first female president.

In sports, women athletes have made huge strides toward parity with their male counterparts, largely due to the passage of Title IX. With schools forced to fund…