24 Instagram Posts That Remind You 2017 Was Bonkers

Looking back on Youth Radio’s best Instagram posts of the year, it’s clear 2017 has been craaaaaaazy. We’ve seen marches for women and counter protests to white supremacy. We’ve seen travel bans come and go and come around again. We’ve seen hashtags rise and powerful men fall.

So please join us in looking back on 2017 in pictures, illustrations, and GIFS. And if you don’t want to miss out on beautiful designs in 2018, don’t forget to follow @youthradio on Instagram!

A photo from yesterday’s Inauguration Day protests in DC by youth radio’s Avery White. For more coverage if today’s march, follow @youthradio

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Jan 21, 2017 at 8:43am PST

Oh SNAP #womensmarchDC by Avery White

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Jan 21, 2017 at 3:50pm PST

In today’s divisive political climate, we asked teens from around the country what they hope for the nation in the next four years. Here’s what they said: “#Ihope4 our country to become more accepting.” Mira MacLaurin, 14, Austin, TX.

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Jan 27, 2017 at 3:57pm PST

Signs and protesters block escalators at the #sfoprotest on Sunday in response to Trump’s executive order on immigration. “Our Intention is not to screw over individual passengers,” said demonstrator Evan Minto, 26. “Our goal is to shut down the airport.” (Photo: Roma Edwards/Youth Radio)

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Jan 30, 2017 at 10:06am PST

What if teens talked like Kellyanne Conway? ? #kellyanneconway #donaldtrump #politics #news

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Mar 13, 2017 at 1:23pm PDT

Youth Radio: keeping it real since 1993. ? Illustrated by Dominik Vaughan

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Apr 29, 2017 at 5:01pm PDT

“Academic success doesn’t make any one life worth more or less than another. If the same thing happened to a high school dropout, the public outrage should be just as strong and focused as it is now.” – Keith Reid-Cleveland, @byp100 (illustration by Youth Radio’s Dominik Vaughan) #jordanedwards #blacklivesmatter #restinpower

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on May 3, 2017 at 2:56pm PDT

I just watched my mom graduate nursing school. She walked across the stage after six years of work, and I cheered like a madman. My mom got pregnant with me when she was 21. She had just reached the legal drinking age, and already she was having a kid. She had to grow up faster than her peers, and take on a huge responsibility probably 10 years too early. I remember on her first day of school, she came into my room with her back pack and her travel mug full of coffee, looking like an ecstatic little kid. I took my phone off the bedside table, and took a picture. I imagine this is how she must’ve felt, when she saw me off to my first day of high school. Even in 2017, women are still commonly expected to put motherhood before their ambition. But watching my mom go through school, I got to see her as more than a mother, but as a woman empowered. My mom made sure I had the opportunities she didn’t. She paid for me to participate in community theater, while working a job her heart wasn’t in, and taking loans from her parents. That’s why it was so satisfying to see her finally get her walk across that stage, and accept her diploma. #HappyMothersDay#BestMomEver#motherhood#motherdaughter #graduation#youngmom#womanempowerment Commentary by Charlie Stuip @snotg1rl Illustration by Desmond Meagley @dasherz

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on May 11, 2017 at 4:30pm PDT

All around the country, high school seniors are just days away from graduation. For those heading to college, that means just a few short months before they get to live experience that full freshman experience: freedom, parties, and crippling fear about college costs. We looked at a 2016 survey of more than 137,000 full-time college first-year students, and noticed a recurring theme: fear over finances has a major impact on freshman. There isn’t data yet available for freshman in 2017, but considering the Trump administration’s planned cuts to federal college financial aid programs, those stress levels probably won’t go down anytime soon. source: Cooperative Institutional Research Program of the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA. Illustration by Dominik Vaughan

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on May 31, 2017 at 2:14pm PDT

Graduation Cap Designs for the Class Of 2017 #studentloans #college #education #broke #BetsyDeVos #Jobs #generationz Illustration by Desmond Meagley @dasherz

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Jun 1, 2017 at 12:07pm PDT

I have four tattoos on my body, and I’m saving up for more. Each new piece is a way for me to connect to an identity that was stripped from me. Every time I get tatted, my tattoo artist says, “Cheers!” It’s a cause of celebration. When I was one and a half, I was taken from my biological family and put into foster care. So I grew up not knowing my own family history, or even where I came from. Then, when I was 18, a cousin on my father’s side found me on Instagram. She told me our family is from a city in Mexico called Uruapan, in the state Michoacan. After we spoke, I got a sunstone tatted on my right forearm. When I look at it, it makes me feel more connected to my indigenous Latin culture. I’m using tattoos to inscribe my family’s story on my skin, because I went so long not knowing my history or my identity. Having it inked on my body will ensure I can never forget. Commentary by Noel Anaya. Illustration by @dasherz Desmond Meagley. Animation by Jenny Bolario. #commentary #fostercare #culture #latinx #mayan #tattoo #culture #youthradio #realvoices #adoption

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Jun 6, 2017 at 9:22am PDT

Bill Maher recently called himself a n-word.? Here is what some YR interns had to say about his bad humor.✊?

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Jun 7, 2017 at 10:12am PDT

Lebron be floppin’ like…??

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Jun 8, 2017 at 7:10pm PDT

It’s First Friday‼️ What will you wear to this First Friday? ???????Check out this video profiling all the dope fashion at First Friday?. Featuring: Cordell @khozey Kevin @ayoo.kevv Sydney @sydneyee Jay @JM.Vercetti Paris @xoparisssxo Cameryn @iitscam Maya Vivas @mayavivas Buddy @buddywhisler Katrina @katrinaschritt Rose @rosebathgate Hayden @haydensoeasy @oaklandfirstfridaysofficial

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Jul 7, 2017 at 1:30pm PDT

(TURN UP THE ? ??) What do you get when you mix #mariachi music with the hyphy sound? Hyphiachi! Music by Youth Radio’s Michael Diaz @ovmadm6. Illustration by Desmond Meagley @dasherz  #oakland #music #beat #hyphy #latino ?????

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Jul 18, 2017 at 4:00pm PDT

(Click for sound ?) Even big problems can look small from such great heights. Commentary by Natalie Bettendorf @natalierbett, Illustration by Desmond Meagley @dasherz. #hiking #outdoors #mentalhealth

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Jul 24, 2017 at 5:01pm PDT

Our mantra for everything forever @repmaxinewaters #queen  #fierce #reclaimingmytime ? Illustration by Dominik Vaughan

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Aug 4, 2017 at 4:27pm PDT

(??CLICK FOR SOUND??) “I just got the news today that the Trump administration is rescinding #DACA. It’s disheartening, and I’m scared of one day opening the door to an immigration officer and then getting put in handcuffs and getting sent away to a place I don’t know. I luckily just barely got my DACA, so I still have those two years to work. But after 2019 I don’t know what I’ll do as a source of income. It’s a sad day for many people. Not just the 800,000 or so Dreamers. We’re all affected by it.” –Juan Mireles, Stockton, CA @_juanx.x

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Sep 6, 2017 at 3:45pm PDT

60 years ago today, nine black teenagers enrolled in the all-white Central High School, after the Supreme Court decided to strike down racial segregation laws. They went down in history as the #LittleRockNine. Today, we celebrate their achievement — and reflect on how the fight for racial equity continues. To join the conversation, go to #LR9Live on Twitter

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Sep 25, 2017 at 12:27pm PDT

Did you know there are roughly 4,000 inmates who help contain wildfires ???throughout California? 550 of them are working in Napa and Sonoma county right now.

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Oct 12, 2017 at 7:02pm PDT

Halloween is around the corner?. If you’re going to celebrate, here is a short list of what not to be.

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Oct 30, 2017 at 2:25pm PDT

Did you know, that child marriage is legal here in America! ????? Let us know your thoughts.

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Nov 1, 2017 at 6:22pm PDT

There’s been a flood of sexual harassment allegations coming out in the wake of #MeToo, and the number of public figures being accused of inappropriate conduct is shocking, to say the least. Have you ever dealt with catcalling or other kinds of harassment? Comment below with your experience. Image: “When It Rains, It Pours” by Desmond Meagley (@dasherz)

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Nov 17, 2017 at 5:22pm PST

At least 6 states allow guns in bars??‼️ Charlie Stuip explores the adverse relationship between alcohol and guns.

A post shared by Youth Radio (@youthradio) on Nov 27, 2017 at 6:29pm PST