This article tells a similar story of many that I have recently heard, the story of renters purchasing homes in order to take advantage of the low interest rates that were a result of the global pandemic. This article details that the estimate of about a 3% average interest rate will remain the same until the end of the year! Despite this, because of many Americans having less than reliable jobs through this pandemic era, banks are not giving out loans to just anyone, and it has been difficult to qualify for a home loan. Lower income households are still having difficult acquiring property, possibly even more difficulty than before the pandemic.

This article provides a break down of the big picture of United States economics in the past few months. This break down includes simplistic graphs of the following: consumer spending, national debt, U.S. money supply, consumer sentiment, fed balance sheet, U.S. dollar, fiscal expenditures, inflation rate, and loans to the private sector. These grids provide a representation of how COVID-19 has impacted the United States in a variety of different ways. The article also has short descriptions of each segment that provides the reader with more detailed information. This article provides statistical analysis and quantitative evidence depicting the economic downfall that the United States has faced due to this global pandemic.

This image shows the different economic impacts of each state in comparison with one another. It is interesting that Alaska has been moderately affected and that Florida, New York and Washington state have the highest risk for exposure. This image shows that many middle states have had low exposure when it comes to the economy.

I joined the Journal of the Plague Year Covid-19 archive before the internship experience began. I contacted Dr. Tebeau and asked how I could contribute to the archive to develop a K-12 teaching experience. I quite literally hit the ground running. I had imagined slowly starting the work; however, I quickly realized it was like drinking from a firehose, and I loved it. Before this experience, I hadn't had much interaction with rapid response archives. They were a new concept to me, and the internship is where I learned what they were and how they functioned. As a student sitting in a history class, I think it's easy to see history as systematic and well planned because, by the time we are reviewing it, there has been some organization. Being part of the rapid response archive shows the exceptional amount of work it takes to archive history. While there is never a good time for a global pandemic to strike, this pandemic started during a beautiful place in my graduate studies. I had taken two of my core courses and a methods class. So, I felt prepared when discussing silences in the archive, biases, and other responsibilities held by the archive. This internship was a great way to use what I had learned over the last nine months and apply it rather than waiting until I had graduated to apply these skills. This application of expertise is something that doesn't usually occur during courses of study. I have also found that the internship has helped me shape my virtual class schedule as we head into the fall. While my district presented me with a virtual bell schedule to follow, it seemed like a lot to wrap my mind around, but I applied Dr. Kole's model for the internship to my class, sent it off to my instructional coach, and she loves it! While it's not directly related to the archive, the online pedagogy has been helpful. My favorite thing about working with the archive was curating. I just loved seeing all of the items come through and reading the stories attached to them. Beyond that, I feel like I have a great base of people I can now lean on through the rest of my time at ASU. I now have teacher friends in California with whom I am now sharing distance learning ideas. I hope these are the things that stand out when people think back to the Covid-19 pandemic. While it seems to be tearing through our country and pulling us apart, there's been a lot of good to come. I'm eternally grateful to have been presented with this opportunity, and I cannot wait to see how large this archive grows.

Vandana Ravikumar/Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship

I remember when quarantine first started, I was miserable. I hated the idea of being stuck in the house. But I used quarantine as a time for me to stay positive and work on becoming a better me. With staying positive I had a better mindset throughout the day and found ways to keep me motivated. I was upset at first with a bunch of my activities being cancelled but I did find positive alternatives. With this it has definitely lifted my spirits and made me have more of a positive outlook on the cancellation of certain things and on life moving forward.

The reason this photo is so important to me, and could be meaningful to others, is because this was when my mental health began to recover. Many people like myself struggled with mental health issues throughout the pandemic, and this picture was a massive turning point for my well-being.

In Cambridge, MA, we depend on small businesses, whether they’re corner stores, beauty parlors, restaurants, or specialized outlets. This picture is the lattermost, a music store called Cheapo Records, which I visited often before quarantine. Places like this are extremely important for both conserving history and discovering new music (without algorithms). COVID-19 has only exacerbated the danger Cheapo and others are facing due to rising rents. This picture I took before they reopened spoke to me because it shows how the hiatus wasn’t expected to be this long; the merchandise is left outside, behind an iron curtain, in uncertain indefinance.

I took this picture while on a BLM march. The officer standing on the roof of the police station was one of a few who were taking pictures of the crowd. I believe the image has a lonely quality to it, given the empty windows, lone figure, and grey clouds. Loneliness has been a key factor in the pandemic, and this gets that across fairly well. It also shows the social turmoil going on underneath, both in its context of the establishment surveying the protest going on below, and the imagery of the authority of these times standing atop a building that seems hollow on a faded world.

This photo speaks a lot about the current pandemic that is rapidly spreading among the world. I chose this photo because it represents how much we have taken seeing our loved ones and friends everyday to totally not seeing them at all in an instant. This photo I personally can relate to in a way. While I have been fortunate to not have any family members contract this virus, I still was not able to see any family or friends for months! This photo speaks for the pandemic because so many people are stuck in hospitals and they aren’t allowed any visitors. I feel we have all taken life a little bit for granted before this pandemic came along, but I also feel we have all learned more about our selves, lessons about life, and to always cherish time with family and friends because you never know what could happen.

This is a photo I took at a wedding I directed this weekend. The bride had me place a bag on each individual chair. The bags contained mask and hand sanitizers. The little tags read "Spread Love Not Germs". This has been a popular response to the pandemic.

After living in Massachusetts throughout the emergence of COVID-19, and watching the state promptly implement and obey lockdown restrictions and mask mandates, traveling to north Idaho in mid-July was a complete culture shock. Less than a week after I arrived back to my hometown of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho to visit my family, Kootenai County finally passed a mask mandate. As a result, a huge portion of the city’s population protested the simple act of wearing a face mask, claiming it was a complete violation of their freedom. The protesters threatened those who did obey the mandate. The difference in reactions by the people in Idaho vs. Massachusetts as a result of something so simple as a mask mandate was shocking to me. It is a completely different world than what I had gotten used to in Massachusetts, and I’ll never forget the hostile feeling that filled the small town of Coeur d’Alene, for the first time that I can ever remember.

This is an email I had to send to a bride who was upset over COVID-19 ruining her wedding plans. These options were developed after deciding what was doable under mandates at the time. The bride ended up moving her wedding to 2021 and had an intimate ceremony in her home.

This email depicts the main purchases made by myself and other brides fro their wedding. Finding sanitizer in bulk has been a challenge, but a must for those continuing with wedding receptions.

(note: nothing written here represents the views of the candidates or parties represented here - this is solely the personal memoir of one Nick Cook) Volunteering for a political campaign even during the best of times is a weird experience. Your day to day mission is to knock on the doors of—or call on—complete strangers (or at best someone you have a vague memory of seeing at a rally some time ago) and ask them if they can take a moment out of their complicated and hectic lives to hear from the gospel of whichever chosen candidate you're preaching, in the hope that, in about a week or two they'll still remember enough of your spiel to fill in that person's bubble. The coronavirus has not made that any easier. I do feel, however, that it has created a weird sense of camaraderie in those of us who are still trying to push the gears of democracy in this plague year, or whatever name you media types have christened it. I personally am not the type of person who supports campaigns that can afford to have their faces splashed across TV screens and names plastered on billboards. Doorknocking and trying to love thy neighbor is—to me—still the best way to do the business of democracy. I entered politics because I wanted to have some sense of control of my life and community. To make the lives of the people around me just a little easier and a little less anxiety free. So that maybe one day no kid is going to have to come home to an empty refrigerator and no one will ever have to experience the pain of living paycheck by paycheck again. Seeing that lightbulb on people's faces when I talk to them about a candidate or that little smile on their face as I wave goodbye and thank them for their time is why I do this. It's knowing that maybe I made a little change for the day. So coronavirus taking that away from me was hard. I'd like to say that my doubts about campaigning digitally were actually wrong and one day I had a really fulfilling phone call with a voter where we both connected with each other in these lonely times or I had an incredibly amazing Zoom session that changed everything. But I didn't. It's just been a very taxing time that I'm pushing through because I can't stand sitting alone at the house with my thoughts anymore. In the week or so leading up to the election, I got the chance to do at least a little in-person campaigning. Waving and holding signs on street corners, putting literature in doorways, that kind of thing. As well as the chance to stand socially-distanced outside of polling places on primary election day. The people I met on the campaign trail here were just as tired and ready for things to change as I was. One State House candidate compared this campaign season to running for office in a cave and that about summed it up for me. Seeing Tanya Vyhovsky, a social worker and therapist, win her primary election to represent my neighboring town of Essex was also the first real-time I felt joy. Someone who comes from that background and experience and isn't just another lawyer or landlord and has a truly transformative vision for society winning is always great to see. Similarly my home state of Vermont also likely elected Taylor Small, our first transgender lawmaker, and someone who shares that vision. Seeing these victories and meeting everyone who pushed for them along the way has renewed me with a new sense of life in the political realm. Campaigning in the age of COVID has also begun to truly impart on me the lesson that democracy doesn't just come from the ballot box but needs to be expanded into our workplaces, community gatherings, and social lives. However, this is a story for another time. (Join your local union and mutual aid society!)

In the heat of one of the most consequential Presidential Campaigns, both President Trump and Vice President Biden still have to get their deliver their messages of the future to the American people. Vice President Biden has headed warning of the virus and switched to a campaign that mitigates the risk of spreading the virus: online events and restricted in-person events that follow social distancing and mask rules for the speakers and news there. Meanwhile, President Trump has insisted on holding his rallies with no precautions in place, thus resulting in lower than expected turnout. For the average American, who sees campaigns as a race to kiss the most babies and shake the most hands, this race is far from normal. However, both of the candidates have still been getting extreme news coverage, and many people are seeing more to politics as a result of staying home.

In the restaurant world, there are the big boys and the ma-and-pa restaurants. Shake Shack is one of the big boys, founded by Danny Meyer, so why did it receive 10 million dollars of the Small Business Relief Money? Glitches, confusion, and fine print. National Restaurant Association lobbyists fought for a provision that would allow funding to go to chain restaurants with fewer than 500 employees per location. The relief money now exhausted many independent and small restaurant owners were left out while chains got millions.

Danny Meyer, one of the biggest names in the restaurant industry backs out of the No Tipping Movement. The No Tipping Movement advocates ending tipping culture in the US to create an equitable working environment and curve the harassment servers can suffer from customers. Due to the pandemic, Danny Meyer chose to allow his servers to make more money by eliminating no tipping from his restaurants and serving a hit to the movement as others panic to follow suit.

Food workers share their experiences in this Bon Appetit article on how the industry is dealing with the events of 2020 from the pandemic to the protests. Each story is unique and covers almost every aspect of the industry.

This is a follow-up to the first article featuring the collaboration of Colorado breweries to support each other as well as healthcare, hospitality, gig, and service workers. This article lists all breweries with current release dates of the collaborative beer, Colorado Strong Pale Ale.

Pesakh was going to be a large family event. We had people coming from London, Canberra, Sydney and of course, Melbourne. Then the pandemic hit. No-one could travel, and we were not allowed any visitors in our house. So, we set up a zoom Seyder. We had members of the family join Zoom from London, Lund (Sweden), Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne. It was a huge success.

Kyle Ballard is active duty military in North Augusta, South Carolina. Kyle identifies as a gay man and uses the pronouns he and him. He has witnessed firsthand the federal government response to the pandemic as he works on a military base and was given a restriction of movement order after falling ill in March. Despite his illness, he was unable to get a Covid-19 test due to testing restriction at the time. He spends most of his time working at the military base and developing student government for Arizona State University’s online campus. Kyle discusses the potential issues faced particularly by LGBTQ+ youth in the middle of the pandemic and his disappointment in the government response across all levels. He lives with his boyfriend Mason and recounts how it was difficult to not see him as much after the quarantine had ended. Kyle wishes the media would focus more on what other countries have done to successfully limit the spread of Covid-19.

The 2020 election is arguably going to one of the most important ones in American History. Not only because of the explosive tension between the two candidates but also because of COVID-19. This invisible enemy has crippled not only our nation but the world. It has forced countries to shut down, leaving economies unstable and politics shaky as ever. In some countries, the virus has brought leaders together. In the U.S, it has deepened the bipartisanship. Rather than reaching across the aisle, both Republicans and Democrats use this pandemic for their political gains. The conversation of COVID has not only a global issue but is also treated as a Presidential Candidate debate topic. The health of our nation is vastly essential; however, politicians do not hesitate to point fingers when numbers continue to rise. Not surprisingly, the most controversial opinion is coming from President Trump, who boldly stated he would be pushing back the Presidential Election. This is not Constitutional legal, nor does he have the power to enforce this. With Americans eager to vote for the upcoming election, we are faced with the following predicament; how do we ensure our voters' safety? Many leaders are leaning and enforcing, state by state mail-in ballots. Eligible voters are mailed ballots before the official election day and send it back to the appropriate party. However, even with this solution, there has been push back from Washington. Currently, the Trump administration has cut funding for the United States Postal Office. In an interview, he "frankly acknowledged that he's starving the postal service of that money to make it harder to process an expected surge of mail-in ballots" (Riccardi, N. 2020). Studies have shown that Democrats are more willing to vote via mail. With this, Trump is taking every precaution to slow the Democratic wave that is approaching the White House. Obama, who is usually silent during politics, has called Trump out for financially starving the postal service. Not only is COVID changing the way we vote, but it is also changing the landscape of American Health Care. More than ever, Health Care for all Americans is being supported and pushed onto the next president. When casting their ballot, Americans are now asking themselves, 'who can take care of my family and I best during a pandemic?'. It has been clear that this virus is not going away, and we are expecting another wave. With this in mind, we have to ask who is best suited to guide us through this apocalyptic world.

Local resident Genelle Richey retired in 2012, dedicating 62 years of her life to teaching the youth of Blanchard, Oklahoma. Since then, Mrs. Richey's status of being a local educator and mentor as only grown in appreciation. On April 11, 2020 during the peak of COVID-19 shutdowns, the community of Blanchard expressed its gratitude to Mrs. Richey by organizing hundreds of participants to drive past her in a "reverse" parade celebrating her 90th birthday. She and her family gathered on North Main Street to greet the cheerful crowd as they passed. The event was organized by her family and mostly through Facebook to preserve the surprise to Mrs. Richey herself. The event took place between 3:00 and 4:00 PM on that Saturday, April 11. The parade featured vehicles displaying signs and decorated "float" style trailers. The line of vehicles were led by Blanchard Police and Fire Departments. Parade vehicles dropped off birthday gifts and took photographs to preserve the special event. During an otherwise quiet and uneventful month of pandemic closures, the community of Blanchard resiliently came together to adapt a memorable day for a very special woman. Submitted for the #ruralvoices collection. Contributed by Clinton P. Roberts, curatorial intern for Arizona State University, HST 580.

Sharon Annesley of Blanchard, Oklahoma tells the story of how the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the traditions of the Oklahoma State Fair. Her text document story chronicles how the State Fair changed over the years, but had never been canceled. She details how this will affect the local economy of vendors, agriculture, and local tourism. She also describes what a typical day for her and her husband would be at the fair and the long-standing tradition it has become to them. Text document authored by Sharon Annesley. The story is titled under the heading “COVID-19 CANCELS THE OKLAHOMA STATE FAIR” (June 28, 2020) The story features personally gathered information and accounts by Sharon Annesley. This document was hand-submitted in a physical form for submission to Clinton P. Roberts for the #ruralvoices collection. Contributed by Clinton P. Roberts, curatorial intern for Arizona State University, HST 580.

With the reopening of Oklahoma schools, teachers are doing their best to create preventive measures in their classrooms. Dibble, Oklahoma third grade teacher Ms. McDaniel was inspired by online plans for creating class dividers out of PVC pipe and transparent shower curtains. The dividers allow the students to interact with one another, see the classroom board, and see the teacher without being able to breathe directing on other students. Oklahoma schools have not instituted a regulation for masks or other protective measures and only have offered recommendations. This has left individual school districts to provide their own rules. In this particular school some students wear mask, some do not, and others have opted for virtual learning. These desk dividers become a way for teachers to have structural PPE where individual PPE may not exist. Ms. McDaniel made five large cross section dividers that can protect up to twenty children. Ms. McDaniel researched, purchased, and fabricated all of these on her own. Her ingenuity is an example of how rural schools and rural teachers have had to be more creative with their methods of precaution. Submitted for the #ruralvoices collection. Contributed by Clinton P. Roberts, curatorial intern for Arizona State University, HST 580.

As COVID-19 spread across the country, many small businesses have been battling to stay afloat. My family restaurant was one of the ones affected by all the changes in regulation that were put in place due to COVID-19. Some of the regulations were tough and challenging for businesses especially those who mainly relied on dine in. Luckily for us, our community is very supportive, and they continued to purchase take-out from us. I’m very fortunate that we were able to stay open, but many businesses had to shut down permanently which is devastating especially in a small town of entrepreneurs.

San Francisco Bay Area artists, Mark Harris, created a stunning mural on the boarded up windows of local business, Rose Gold Piercing and Tattoo. Rose Gold shut its doors at the start of California's COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders and has yet to reopen. Harris's message to "Relax, think COVID-free thoughts" is a reminder of how much our world has changed and is being dictated by the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic continues to wreck havoc on the San Francisco Bay Area, Harris's art brings hope and beauty to local residents. Harris's mural is a part of the larger San Francisco Bay Area art initiative, Paint the Void. Over 100 murals have been created in public spaces throughout the San Francisco Bay Area as a result of Paint the Void.

Businesses across the San Francisco Bay Area have closed, some temporary and some permanently, as a result of California's COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders. Those that hope to re-open have boarded up their windows to try to protect their stores and inventory. As a result of the crushing economic blow of the COVID-19 pandemic, the vibrancy of San Francisco streets has vanished. In response, local arts are turning boarded storefronts into beautiful murals with messages of hope. Local artists are "bringing life and beauty to our streets, sending messages of love to people in their community." Two local art agencies, Building 180 and Art for Civil Discourse, have teamed up and created Paint the Void. Paint the Void pairs local artists with boarded up businesses in an attempt to beautify the city and "to bring hope into the community and inspire people." Artists hope to eventually auction their murals and donate the funds raised to those in need.

Artists around the world have faced insurmountable challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. San Francisco Bay Area artists are turning public spaces into canvases to inspire hope. In the turbulence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Paint the Void emerged. This organization's mission is "to match local artists with boarded up businesses to create murals as a response to the void left behind in the wake of COVID-19." The group is raising money to grant artists stipends "for their hard work as guardians of hope and beauty in these unprecedented times." To date, the organization has helped 91 local artists create 100 murals across 84 storefront in the San Francisco Bay Area.

First day of distance learning Kindergarten!

Soccer has always been a huge part of my life. Soccer has been one of the most important (if not the most) things in my life, not only has taught me a big majority of my values and has opened the gates of college for me. After the outbreak of COVID-19, I was forced to come back to Spain, my native country. Leaving in the middle of Spring season left me a feeling of sadness and emptiness... But that was not the worst thing no, the worst thing was not being able to play soccer for five months straight. COVID has taken away what soccer represented for me, and I couldn't be more excited to play again in a couple of weeks... I'm truly nervous.

Unable to resume in-person instruction, for the time being, the first day of school for students at Princeton Joint Unified School District in Princeton, California looked quite different this year. Instead of having students on campus, parents were asked to attend a scheduled conference to pick up supplies, technology, and information. The white papers hanging around the perimeter of the gym list every student in attendance, and the items placed below each sign were left for students to use at home. Parents attending the meetings felt overwhelmed and frustrated by the inability to return in-person but recognized that the local school district did not make this decision. Over the summer months, distance learning strategies were completely overhauled to improve on the lackluster results of last spring. Teachers at Princeton Joint Unified School District will be offering live instruction throughout the day using several new platforms. Parent conferences will continue into next week before daily live instruction begins on August 20, 2020.

Claire Cunliffe, a high school mathematics teacher from Baltimore, Maryland, compares the early implementation of distance learning procedures among public and private school districts. While Claire reflects on the positive response to distance learning among students at private schools, including the increased ability for students to self-pace, she expresses concern over the lack of funding and limited resources available for students attending public schools. Claire makes the argument that technological unavailability among minority populations is exacerbating the opportunity gap among urban students. Reflecting on the conflicting responses of city and state leaders, including Governor Larry Hogan, Claire offers suggestions for reopening schools that ultimately place the decision in the hands of parents and healthcare professionals, instead of politicians. Claire conveys optimism that distance learning practices during the COVID-19 pandemic will permanently reshape the educational sector by encouraging interactive approaches to teaching, promoting community building among students, and displaying the benefits of incorporating digital elements into the classroom curriculum.

After months of wondering if Princeton Joint Unified School District schools could feasibly return to in-person instruction amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Newsom decided for us. Positive cases in Colusa County and Glenn County dramatically rose in July, and, as a result, both counties were placed on the state’s watch list. While the state has offered school districts in these counties to submit a waiver request allowing them to reopen, the chance of being approved appears very slim. As the pandemic has continued, it is interesting to see how everything has become more politicized than it initially was. Politicians from both sides of the aisle appear to be making decisions concerning the health and welfare of the American public based on political ideologies. Parents have openly expressed their frustrations with the governor’s decision, often pinning it on Democrats as a whole. While the push-and-pull continues between parents wanting to return to normal and politicians keeping their kids home, schools are stuck in the middle, trying to make this new system of learning work for families who want no part of it.

COVID-19 has forced us to innovate visiting loved ones. A common way to get around not being able to see family and friends in long or short term care facilities is talking to them through a window. In this case, a woman stands outside a window wearing gloves and a sign saying "Bob I love you very much!!" and uses a cell phone to talk to Bob.

This young man dances with his grandma when he drops off her groceries. Social distancing has made it hard to spend time with our older loved ones and this is a great example of how we can still have fun with them even while socially distant.

Instagram account southernseniorlivingnews posts a photo of a woman holding up a whiteboard with a message to her family reading "Hi family, I'm hanging in there. Hope everyone is safe. Miss you all. Thanks for the letter to my Concord friends! <3 Mom". COVID has made it way more difficult to see and communicate with loved ones who live inside an assisted living, nursing home, or other community for older adults. Protecting them also means restricting our contact with them and that can be extremely difficult for both parties.

This screenshot greatly resembles current issues occurring in our world, especially the US, regarding the global pandemic of COVID-19 and politics. It seems that in the US, there is so much controversy over a simple object made of cloth. There are a numerous amount of people that follow public health regulations (one being wear a mask in public), to help limit their exposure to COVID-19. But others zealously argue against them, claiming that wearing a mask disables their individual freedom. Our president has made remarks that wearing a mask could be seen as a political statement, after he mocked Biden for wearing a mask, and after the CDC recommended wearing one. There are varying responses from the public as to why one chooses not to wear a mask. Ranging from religious, to cultural, to freedom/rights violations, anti-maskers think it should be their choice whether or not to wear a mask, and that they shouldn't be told to do so. Others think it's all about them and that they are healthy enough and won't get sick.

This mask is important to me because it shows that I have pride for my school during the Covid-19 pandemic, and pride for other schools. I also have faith in the masks for preventing the spread of Covid-19. The diagram I put up on the files associated shows a number of people who have gotton Covid-19.

ISRAEL-UAE PEACE

Sarandon Raboin/Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship

A news article discussing the potential release of thousands of prisoners to help relieve overcrowding during the COVID-19 pandemic. Large amounts of prisoners have been released in the past with no detriment to public safety. In a time when people are dying as a result of this overcrowding during a pandemic it would be incredibly beneficial to release these people. According to data, the issue seems to be one of political risk rather than of public safety.

An article reporting on the surge of COVID-19 cases in a rural California county close to Sacramento, Amador County.

COVID-19 impacted my everyday life for the past 7 months. It has deprived me of socialization, a steady income, and the ability to feel “free”. It forced me back to New Jersey for a few months with my parents in order to save money. Adopting a cat was almost forced onto me, since its’ owner was unable to take care of her since COVID-19 had also effected the owner in negative ways. COVID-19 also made me realize what’s important to myself, who I choose to associate myself with, and how important being self motivated is.

"This is a project curated by and for the Broadway community. While the footlights are dimmed during the Broadway suspension, we wanted to shine a spotlight on the sprawling, interconnected world of workers beyond the stage that help bring the stories we love to life. By creating this interactive tool, we hope that audience and industry members alike will take a moment to learn more about the artists and artisans, technicians and ticketers. Collectively, all the roles, small businesses, and vital individuals have helped make Broadway the cultural heart of New York City through their passionate, tireless work. This is a living, breathing map, and we need you to continue its growth and evolution. The contributions from within our community will help ensure it’s as representative of Broadway as possible."

"The arts in New York City is a major economic engine. According to a study commissioned last year by the Mayor’s "Office of Arts and Entertainment, theater is responsible for $1.3 billion in annual economic output, 8,409 jobs, and $513 million in salaries. The Broadway closedown, effective from March 12, has had a massive financial impact on New York, and a massive personal impact on those who work within it...When the coronavirus pandemic hit New York City, hundreds of Broadway shows closed immediately. While the Actors’ Equity Association was able to secure several weeks of pay and health insurance for Broadway and touring performers, many were left with nothing."

An item curated for the Performing Arts collection to highlight the plight of the American theatre professional. "It’s looking more and more likely that, barring an incredible about-face like a spectacularly successful vaccine or a powerful and immediate treatment option, a majority of U.S. theaters won’t survive the pandemic. This includes theaters that were financially flourishing in the Before Times, like Mercury Theater Chicago. And along with these institutions, a majority of theatremakers — not just actors or directors, but costumers, musicians, composers, wig masters, props masters, designers, electricians, stage hands, carpenters, stage managers, company managers, house managers, administrators, wardrobe crew, production assistants, ticket sellers, concessions vendors, marketing directors, photographers, choreographers, venue staff — will not be able to wait this out."

Would you believe me if I told you this piece of cloth and string caused protests across the country? Honestly, nothing about this entire pandemic resonates with me as hard as the mask debate. The fact that people had the issues with wearing protective gear when necessary terrifies me. I understand why people might not be willing to wear a mask, but I also understand why someone would want to swim in shark-infested waters. Does not mean I want to join in with them. It’s just crazy to me that something as simple as this caused such a huge debate.

By Sarandon Raboin/Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship