Collected Item: “A Bright Light At the End of the Tunnel”
Give your story a title.
A Bright Light At the End of the Tunnel
What sort of object is this: text story, photograph, video, audio interview, screenshot, drawing, meme, etc.?
These are two images taken by me. The first is in Downtown Phoenix, showing the current homeless population there and the other is of a rainbow at a park near where I LIVE
Tell us a story; share your experience. Describe what the object or story you've uploaded says about the pandemic, and/or why what you've submitted is important to you.
The first picture shown was taken while in Downtown, Phoenix. It was very shocking to me to see how many little tents and makeshift homes were here. The whole area looked like a miniature town. It is impossible to know if people were pushed there due to Covid-19 and the rising unemployment rate, but I wouldn't doubt the possibility. According to The New York Times, "Staggeringly High: U.S. Jobless Claims Remained Elevated Last Week" by Ben Casselman, millions of Americans remain out of work and that number has only been rising. Casselman also stated that 8.3 million Americans reported that they could be evicted from their homes within the next two months. Hearing all of this it also makes sense the homeless population is rising. It's hard enough trying to find hygiene products, food, and other essentials when you are homeless; I can't imagine what it's like during a global pandemic. I think something must be done to help these people along with those facing eviction and job loss. The pandemic is a human issue and its very strange that people put money before actual people's health and livelihood. The last picture I used of the rainbow is meant to symbolize a bit of hope in these gloomy times. I feel especially down lately, hearing about how many people have lost others due to the virus and how helpless the situation seems when many are making absurd choices. I remember I saw the rainbow while taking a walk- which is pretty much all you do while being safe right now. It had rained a bit but the rainbow lifted my spirits seeing all the colors and the vibrant greenery. The pandemic can't last forever, and I hope everyone can work together to stop the spread of the virus and implement change within our fragile health and economic systems.
Use one-word hashtags (separated by commas) to describe your story. For example: Where did it originate? How does this object make you feel? How does this object relate to the pandemic?
#REL101
Enter a URL associated with this object, if relevant.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/08/business/economy/unemployment-jobless-claims-coronavirus.html
Who originally created this object? (If you created this object, such as photo, then put "self" here.)
Jacqueline Garcia-Tafoya
Give this story a date.
2020-10-08