I live in Des Moines, Iowa. We have never had an official state lockdown. Our state is currently one of the highest numbers of positive cases out of all of America. This photograph shows one of the drive through testing areas we have. Iowa still does not have a mandatory mask law/mandate. Our numbers are still rising. However, if you visited here you almost would not know it. It is almost as if life has gone on the same way.

A meme describing the safety of food in restaurants, with a face of doubt implying that food service standards for health and cleanliness are either insufficient, or not followed.

Black restaurant owners and other Black business owners have been hit harder than their white counterparts during COVID-19. This article details the why of this occurrence, including lack of access to assistance, and the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on Black communities compared to others.

I live in Des Moines, Iowa. We were hosts to many different protests. Many people wanted to keep things peaceful. This article talks about what happened.

A news article detailing an event in LA focusing on Black owned restaurants, and the ways it has been affected by COVID-19 and the BLM protests. Interviewing Warren Luckett, who started Black Restaurant Week as a way to highlight the Black food scene in LA. During COVID-19, they are moving their event digital, and aiding Black owned restaurants that are close to closing.

“Do not pout. Do not whine. Do not argue.” A sign inside a restaurant explaining the requirement to wear a mask while inside the location. Whether or not to wear a mask has been a surprisingly contentious issue during the pandemic, and this sign explains, humorously, the problems with the anti-mask arguments.

A doctor shares a photo as he prepares for a shift of taking care of coronavirus patients. He is in full PPE.

A NICU nurse died of coronavirus after she and family tested positive for it. The doctor claims that she had sepsis, pneumonia and coronavirus when she passed away. She left behind her 5 children. They say that she, "Desired to make the world a better place".

An emergency room doctor in New York committed suicide while staying with family in Virginia. Her family say she had become detached, and spoke of the horrors she saw while working with coronavirus victims. Her family would like her to be remembered as a hero. The doctor's family has set up a foundation that gives mental health support to health care providers.

A nurse working in a hospital near Milan collapses at her desk for a 5 minute break. The photo was taken by a coworker while they had been working round the clock. This hospital was in the middle of the crisis in Italy, and the healthcare system was overwhelmed.

A letter from a child to a senior in hopes of boosting their spirit during a pandemic. It’s a nice artifact to remember about from a pandemic.

Trump and Biden are fighting for the senior citizen vote in swing states. It’s an interesting story about senior citizens playing a major role in the 2020 election during a pandemic.

A social media post of a grandfather visiting his grandson during a pandemic. It’s a nice picture shared on instagram that reflects how seniors must cope when visiting family.

Story about local organizations helping senior citizens vote during a pandemic. It’s an interesting news story about the necessary steps needed and how precarious it is for seniors to vote during this difficult time.

College Student/Athletes prep for a possible spring season in Big Sky country.

The impact of covid, supply and demand and the meatpackers in Montana.

This article is highly interesting because it discusses the supposed political side of covid and its supposed effect on rural communities, rise in numbers, and the overall function of these rural communities.

I submitted this because we all need to laugh a little more… especially right now.

I had the most gracious and welcoming hosts on my trip to Alaska. I barely knew them aside from our communications over a horse I’d sold them and they invited me to visit, stay, and spend some time exploring the great outdoors of Alaska on horseback with them. After we finished one of our rides, we came across a group of people from the inlands of Alaska. None of this group had ever been on a horse, let alone seen one up close. The horse I sold proudly stood there while each kid took a turn sitting in the saddle and getting a taste of what being horseback was all about. It was one of my most proud moments of this great big mustang gelding that I tamed, broke, started, trained, and put out into the world to make it a better place.

At the start of the pandemic many gyms had to close all around the world. As the pandemic has continued, gyms have reopened and had to change the way they do things. In this tweet we can see that during the Brazilian JIuJitsu class, that all of the attendees are wearing masks. This is one adaptation that had to be made for them to continue training as safe as they possibly could.

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is a relatively new MMA promotion that started in 2018. It treats MMA like other sports and has a regular season, post-season, and championship. PFL had to postpone their season this year due to the coronavirus. They did agree to continue giving the fighters on their roster their monthly stipends despite not being able to put on any fights. This decision was originally made in April and the 2020 season has still not started in November.

As a huge fan of the Sopranos and a lover of Italian food, my latest rewatch of the show has gotten me interested in trying my hand at the dishes that are cooked on the show. Being shut in for long periods of time during the pandemic, I found the free time to be the perfect opportunity to try out the Sopranos cookbook.

One thing that everyone and everything shared in common during this pandemic is the ability to being forced to adapt to the situation or fail in its path. The most important thing that was forced to have to adjust was all schooling. It made all schooling forced to have to figure out how to get their students the education they have been paying for. many schools sent out emails to their students giving them options on how to access their classes and educational resources. Of course online being really the only option for college courses universities that were not comfortable with the online process were forced to learn how to adapt to their students needs. It was just on thing that they had to get comfortable with and eventually everyone was up to speed on the process and things began to smooth out.

With many families not knowing quite what to do during the coronavirus, the government has laid out guidelines on how to safely plan during such a chaotic time.

During game 6 of the world series this year Justin Turner was removed from the game after the team was notified by MLB that he was positive for COVID-19. After his team won, he joined them on the field to celebrate. There were talks that he could be in trouble for doing so. This was a weird end to an even weirder season.

With the pandemic making life much more difficult both emotionally and financially for many Americans, the company I work for, Starbucks, has made things much easier for its employees by allowing each partner to redeem one free food item each day. I very much appreciate this benefit, as it allows my coworkers and myself to have anything ranging from a breakfast sandwich to a salad, and not worry about the cost. This picture shows a friend and coworker of mine named John eating his free sandwich in a very silly pose.

Being a college students is seemingly easy and hard enough at the same time. We go to class we start taking notes and we transition those notes into a study sheet or even into a paper. The important part of that is the going to class part. One thing that I have personally learned is that it was not easy to transition to online classes. I am a visual learner and it is a lot easier to ask questions on something you did not understand. The transition to emailing and hoping you get a response buy the time the assignment is due is something new to a lot of people. and this is not just for the schooling side of the pandemic this is also for the culture of a college campus. There is jsut something about being on a campus and knowing that every other person that you are seeing is going through the exact same thing as you are and you are in this fight together. Also, you create friendships in these environments that could ultimately help you with an assignment. It is hard to transition to being alone and trying to do these things by yourself.

While online grocery shopping has become incredibly popular during the pandemic, many people still choose to brave the outside world and go to the store. Due to the coronavirus, shoppers are required to wear masks, as well as maintain social distancing and only travel one direction down aisles.

One thing that I have noticed as time goes on throughout the years is that the kids of younger generations have a lot of things handed to them and do not know what hard work is and or what discipline is for that matter. Having to transition to learning on a computer is an awesome step for these younger generations to have to learn this discipline otherwise they fail their classes. One thing that I never understood was why parents now decided to just give kids anything that they want for not having to work for it. I am grateful for the discipline I was given growing up it helped me in school and with learning because I did not have a choice to learn online. As crazy at it may sound the pandemic did have some good outcomes and it was teaching the importance of discipline in school.

As a Pennsylvania resident, I have been keenly aware of the lockdowns and restrictions that have been put in place across the state, as well as the public backlash to them in many parts. For our assignment to blur personal information, I decided to upload this picture of protesters and blur their faces to protect their identities.

One thing that scares me about becoming a teacher is the fact that I may not be able to go into a classroom to teach when all this schooling is said and done. After reading the archives that I have it seems that teachers are being affected by this just as much as the students are. The schools that are allowing students to enter are in limited fashion with a lot of rules that apply. for example, the archive I am referencing shows a picture of a classroom with only chairs in it and no desks. due to covid they are not allowed to use desks for sanitary reasons. It makes it seem as though the schools should not be open anyways if they arent able to take notes. It really makes it seem as this is a trial run for this school to see if they are going to be able to allow students into the school when the regular school term starts. The time that we are in is making it hard to do the things we loved to do before the pandemic and I think we can all agree we will be happy when things get back to normal.

Mayor Zimmerman, Sugar Land Texas, proclaimed August 24-28, 2020 “Healthcare Heroes Week.” The community wants to show their appreciation for all the work they have done and for the sacrifices they have made.

The pandemic has continually put a stop to or threw a wrench into sports schedules. Now the virus has once again caused issues with college sports. In this case, the Arizona-Utah game has been cancelled because a number of Utah plates tested positive. 10 games have been cancelled this week alone.

Jason LeClair is a teacher at a theater arts teacher at a charter school in Rhode Island. In this interview, he discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected parts of his personal life and daily routine. He talks about specific effects the pandemic has had on performing arts, such as the use of Zoom and drive-ins for theatre and concert, the delays in reopening the performing arts to the public, and how the shutdown of performing arts has effected the economy. Finally, he touches on some concerns for the future of performing arts and how he believes the performing arts will be different after this pandemic.

This photo is of a child holding a handmade thank you poster for healthcare workers and other essential workers. The children who made these thank you posters wanted to show their appreciation for essential workers around them locally and around the world. He is thanking them for their service and staying at home so that he will be healthy for them.

I’m so glad to have supportive friends that share my interests. As a huge Star Wars nerd, I’ve been eagerly awaiting Season 2 of The Mandalorian. On November 4, my friend and I sat down together to watch the first episode of Season 2 that was released. It was FANTASTIC. It was a nice reprieve from the monotony of everyday life and our discussion post-watching was a great distraction from what is to come for the nation. I just about died from laughter when my friend, quite poignantly, asked me: “do you think that we should just say ‘fuck it’ and move to Tatooine and fight giant Alaskan Bull Worms in the sand for a living?” That’s a friend for life right there.

This meme is everything that COVID/riots/election America is right now. Nobody’s talking about it, but suicides are way up. Divorce is way up. Casual alcoholism is widespread. People are doing so many drugs it’s insane. People are visibly deteriorating, not taking care of themselves and it’s showing. Men I know who used to be clean-cut and disciplined aren’t getting haircuts, aren’t shaving, and barely exercise anymore. Depression is the real “new normal.” Everyone is affected. Oppressive government regulations, blatant abuse and murder of American citizens by the police, arbitrary emergency orders, and openly fraudulent election processes have broken the spirits of almost everyone. No one even thinks change is possible anymore. People want this nation to collapse and are now openly saying it. All hope has been lost in the hearts of the average American. It’s funny because it’s TOO relatable for EVERYONE.

In my history class we were given the task of taking an image with personal information or faces that should not be viewable. the reason that i chose this image was for a couple of reasons. One, the fact that these people are dealing with thinking that COVID is a hoax is reason enough to not want to be seen. two, there is a child in this picture that is clearly underage and this should have been blurred out no matter what due to that. I understand protesting and standing up for your rights but as soon as someone gets this information in a picture we have to make sure as an archivist that we take the proper steps to conceal peoples identities without their consent.

My friends and I were once again on Xbox Live, talking about the election, and I had a sudden thought. Didn’t Trump steal the election in 2016 with help from Vladimir Putin, according to the liberals? Of course he stole the election in 2016. Our voting system is totally rigged and rife with fraud. But, not when Joe Biden wins! When Joe Biden cheats his way into getting 5 states with hundreds of thousands of mail-in ballots at 3AM and I point that out, I’m ‘disrespecting the electoral process’ and ‘a fascist.’ Both are hilarious because I never respected representative government in the first place and I’m an anarcho-capitalist. Naturally, I asked my friends at this point: “where’s some Russian collusion you really need some? Putin’s not coming through for the Orange Man this year.” Laughter ensued.

I made this meme in reference to the 138,000 fraudulent ballots that the Democratic Party dumped into Detroit, Michigan at 3:30 AM on November 4th, giving Joe Biden his “victory” in the state. This represents their carelessness in not releasing the votes slowly and instead dumping them all at once, alerting everyone to the obvious fraud at play.

This is article covers a research period from March 1 to May 31 involving adults with COVID-19 which included healthcare workers as patients. It reports finding who was affected, how sick they became, and the percentage of those who died. The median age was 49 for healthcare workers, 13 years younger than the entire group surveyed. Men outnumbered women in severity, but women accounted for larger numbers affected. The findings also concluded that healthcare workers are being stretched to their limits and operating with scarce personal protective equipment.

This is an image of protesters destroying abandoned police cars in a Black Lives Matter protest-turned riot in 2020.

This church stands in solidarity with African American people. Every month on the second Sunday they hold a vigil for the solidarity with Black Lives Matter. By doing this they are bringing a reflection and a connection space for people calling for racial injustice and the end to police brutality. The photo has been edited to protect the privacy of those attending the Black Lives Matter vigil.

The photograph is from Presidential election results won't stop Seattle BLM protests by David Kroman for Crosscut and was taken by Jovelle Tamayo of Crosscut during a Black Lives Matter protest on election night, 3 November 2020, in Seattle, WA. The article states no matter who wins the presidential election Social Justice protests will not stop. My experience throughout this year during the pandemic and Social Justice movements has been silent. Maybe I feel that my voice will not be heard but I do fear that if I do not say something, I’m hurting the movement for Social Justice. Social Justice movements will continue whatever the election results may be and inequality surrounding diversity will still exist too. Black Lives Matter has continued to spread its resolve for Social Justice, and I know my silence will not continue. Social Justice occurs and is a presence in our society today. It is up to the individual to make their decision to say something, but it will be present until changed.

The Bedford City School District in Bedford Heights, Oakwood, and Walton Hills, Ohio are supporting their Bedford High School/Art Department efforts to memorialize the fight for Social Justice. The significance is not how much publicity the art project will get but that Social Justice is reaching even the smallest of corners in the United States. The Black Lives Matter protest and Social Justice reform determinations have gathered acknowledgements everywhere and hopefully the movement does not stop its traction to change social injustice towards minorities. Again the art project by Bedford High School is a statement that Social Justice is still progressing towards reform no matter how small it might seem.

Honestly, the timing of this year’s election is maddening. Plague, social movement, and constant controversy is really overwhelming. No one, at least in my generation, has dealt with such a conglomerate of crises. I’m encouraged to see posts such as this from a community focused institution. No matter what we chose on election day, our community leaders are pointing to what is important and beneficial to each other and our nation: voting.

Abstract by Cassandra Kist: “In this opinion piece I reflect upon museum social media trends during COVID-19 and consider what it could mean in terms of future online engagement and the (mis)alignment of practices with institutional social missions. In opposition to the recent focus on uplifting museum content and activities online, I investigate an overlooked question regarding the role of challenging heritage on social media during the pandemic. I end with a call for the sector to consider the complexities of including or excluding challenging heritage from current museum online activities and in turn, the opening or foreclosure of critical reflections at a pivotal time in history.”

Though created in 2018, the American Alliance of Museums created multiple infographics on the economic activity and contribution of museums in several states. I have been searching for multiple ways to bring awareness to preserving museums in the midst of the major pandemic and infographics are very informative and provide information in an organized and enjoyable way!

With the majority of interpersonal connections being translated into online sources, museums have had the hardest time adapting to an online format without losing their community/audience and assimilating into one of many different information websites. I discovered this article while doing research on the impact of COVID-19 on museums. Part of the difficulty in translating your audience to an online format is simply the appeal of the website itself. Giving museums and their communities tools to progress safely into the future is helping at the source, and things such as website creation is necessary for advancement, and for many museums, survival

This article is explaining how work environments will be changing, and for the better. The author explains how not only has the pandemic shown how flexible a work environment can be as far as working digitally and from home. The author also explains how the management of most workplaces need to be more flexible and diverse. The author also explains how we can better the work environment for social justice and lists a few ways.