Carolyn is someone who has been dreaming about her 21st birthday and had big plans for celebrating it as well, however the pandemic forced her to cancel those plans. However, we still made the best of the situation. During this interview I asked Carolyn a couple questions that I needed to be careful with how I phrased them. I related this back to the things we learned about ethical archives. When figuring out what I was going to ask Carolyn, I was careful to think about what affect the question might have on her. I didn’t want to ask questions too harsh or questions that were accusatory. This definitely limited the questions that I could ask but I also think it was very helpful to think of it prior to the interview and make adjustments accordingly.

CHAMPS-NY is a statewide group of providers, advocates and thought partners, who work to promote state policy and practice changes to ensure children entering foster care are placed into family-based settings whenever possible. In this press release, Kate Breslin, CHAMPS-NY co-chair, talks about how a safe and stable home are vital to both individuals and public health during a global health crisis. This press conference is a call to action for the state of NY to provide foster children with the option to remain in foster care for at least 180 extra days after they “age out”. Nine other states have made this adjustment as sort of a form of a COVID relief plan for foster children and CHAMPS-NY believes that NY should offer this as well, especially since NY has been hit so hard by this crisis. This press conference and including it as a collection item is another attempt to fill an archival silence and to amplify the voices of marginalized groups. Those who speak in this press release are advocating for foster children who struggle to have their voices be heard. These people are fighting for these kids who know one else has or will fight for. This collection item displays and spreads awareness about a group of people who have been silently suffering and who have been subjected to the detrimental impacts of this pandemic just like everyone else, if not more.

This collection item not only symbolizes my personal experience of turning 21 during a pandemic but it also demonstrates something significant about my generation under COVID. I was one of the many 1999 babies that experienced this milestone birthday during the pandemic. This photo is to remind that I was not the only one who had to celebrate this birthday in my kitchen and that I was not the only one who couldn’t go out to a bar and take shots with random people. This pandemic has brought about a lot of unexpected things to many people. Turning 21 during COVID times and having an impromptu celebration during it is something that I think is important to document and remember, not only for my generation but for everyone. Looking back on the unexpected and homemade 21st birthday celebrations that people had this year will be something to cherish one day. These kinds of stories are also important in documenting how many people, although there were far worse things going on around them, chose to be selfless and sacrifice this very special birthday for the safety of themselves and others.

Deshala’s story is one that not only teaches us the struggles of being a foster child turning 21 and aging out of the system during a pandemic but is also a collection item that attempts to fill an archival silence and amplify the voice of a marginalized group. Her story exemplifies how this already anxiety inducing time in foster children’s lives was significantly intensified by the COVID19 pandemic. There are certain groups of people that many of us think of when we hear “marginalized group” but one most people don’t think of is foster children, especially those who are close to aging out. Kids in the foster system normally struggle to have their voices heard and are a group that experiences arguably the most emotional distress and inconsistency in their lives out of anyone in our country. This pandemic not only made them, kids who were about to age out of the system, more stressed and fearful for their future than ever but there was also hardly anything they could do about it either. The inclusion of this collection item is meant to spread and educate people on the strain that this pandemic has put on kids aging out of the foster care system. No one should ever have to worry about losing a safe and stable home, especially not during a global health crisis and Deshala’s story amplifies this issue and calls for action for others in similar situations due to the pandemic.

This is a photograph of a graffiti mural depicting the female rapper Cardi B wearing a face mask. This mural was originally painted by a man named Colton Valentine depicting the rapper with no mask, however, it was updated recently this year to adjust to our current global situation. I chose to place this item in the archive because I felt as though it demonstrates the significant roles that celebrities have over my generation under Covid. Many young people look to celebrities for advice and it is incredibly important that said people are setting a proper example by wearing a mask. I enjoyed bringing a different form of creative art into the archival collection with this object.

This is a photograph created by my brother, Domenic Ciampa. Like many others during the time of Covid-19, he has been able to continue his passion for drawing due to the lockdown restrictions. This was a card he made for our mother's birthday during the quarantine. There are three abstractly drawn cats with a funny blurb of text to the right. The text on the card reads, “I washed my hands before creating this... Happy Birthday” I thought this would be a good addition to my mini archive because it is a personal item to me. It also responds to the needs and considerations of my ethical archival collection. This object withstands all of the ethical practices and guidelines which I am following.

This is a silk mask with what appears to be the $1200 stimulus check awarded to U.S. citizens during the pandemic. The design was all hand-stitched by a woman named Jennifer Markowitz in Raliegh, North Carolina. This piece is interesting as it is an artwork that overtly displays the moment in time it was made. This item will stand the test of time and be of interest to historians in the future as it illustrates significant aspects of the year 2020. This item displays an important subject of the pandemic, the stimulus check, on the piece of clothing that has become essential, a mask. This creative artwork is practical and clever when representing the times during the Covid-19 pandemic.

I am posting this photo because it showcases how I have spent a lot of my time during the pandemic. This photo displays every painting I have created since the beginning of the quarantine. Some of the works shown in the picture are still works in progress and others are completed. Before Covid prevailed and we were sent home in the spring, I had lost interest in painting and had not painted in months. The lockdown that Covid brought on allowed me to slow down and rekindle the love and creativity I had for painting. In this photo, there are 14 paintings, however, I have made more and gave them to friends as gifts. I mainly work with acrylic paint on canvas because I like vibrant colors and solid lines, although, I would like to start experimenting with oil paints soon. Covid-19 brought on many obstacles to a lot of people, but I am grateful that I could reconnect with painting. This object demonstrates the significant rise of creative liberty within my generation under Covid-19.

This interview examines how a relationship between my close friend, Abby, and her girlfriend Julia was affected by the pandemic. As pointed out in her answers, they began dating right around the time that the pandemic began, and ended in early November, so the entire course of the relationship took place while the pandemic was going on. This interview represents individuals who are part of the LGBT community (Abby is bisexual, her ex-girlfriend Julia identifies as a lesbian), and gives the opportunity for them to share information about a relationship that may be looked over due to its lovers.

As this interview is part of a collection exploring relationships and the exploration of sexuality during the Covid-19 pandemic, I really wanted to get to know some more about what it’s like to have a relationship altered by the pandemic. Luckily, I knew just the people. I reached out to two of my best friends on campus and asked if they’d be willing to speak about their experiences, which they agreed to. I already had an interview set up with a friend who went through a whole relationship (began dating and broke up) during the pandemic, but I felt it was important to explore multiple different types of relationships. This interview to me shows something about my generation living under Covid, as it shows how many of us felt like we were stripped of the indepence we gained when we left for college, and how we now have to navigate living at home again. In the case of these two, they also have to navigate being intimate and romantic with each other in this situation.

This photograph went viral on Instagram, with many people I know sharing the post on their stories in order to spread awareness about how hard nurses and other healthcare employees are working. I think this photo is really important because it shows a side of the pandemic that no one is really thinking about. It shows how healthcare workers are unable to see their families because they are tirelessly working with COVID-19 patients and don’t want to infect their families. This shows a marginalized group of people, healthcare workers, who haven’t really had their voices heard or cared about enough through the pandemic. Healthcare workers have not been appreciated enough for all the hard work and sacrifices they have made for their patients during 2020. In addition, this post gives voices to women who have often been silenced, allowing Syndi Lane to share her story with the world, encouraging others to follow.

There have been many ways people have chosen to let their creative energy loose during the pandemic. The story that I have uploaded is about a woman, named Manami Sasaki, who found her niche during Covid-19 to be turning bread into works of art. Sasaki designs bread with replicas of art as well as traditional Japanese imagery. Sasaki says that this practice keeps her calm and in good mental spirits. I chose to place this object in my mini archive because I feel as though this source attempts to fill an archival silence as well as amplify the voices of marginalized groups. This is an incredibly niche practice that amplifies Japanese culture

One of my coworkers tested positive for COVID-19, so all the employees got tested to ensure we were all being safe at work. I think the photos I captured at Melrose Wakefield Hospital tells a story about all the precautions to stay safe and healthy in an unprecedented time. These photos respond to the needs and considerations of an ethical archive because it shows what precautions are being taken both inside and outside a hospital. In The Ethical Archivist, the author wrote about the ethics of acquisition, which documents have permanent or evidentiary value. I think these pictures may be seemingly unimportant to most people, but to historians this is data that shows what types of mandates and precautions were put in place during a worldwide pandemic.

I think this is an important combination of sources depicting nurses at the beginning of this pandemic, in comparison to how they feel now. My sister, a nurse at a hospital in Los Angeles, California, sent this photo of her to me on March 21st, 2020, smiling and feeling good. 9 months later, she is exhausted, scared, and still working around the clock to help her patients. I think this collection item both demonstrates how significant social media has been with my generation under COVID, as well as being something of interest for future historians to see how devastating the year of 2020 has been. This video of her got 193.3K views on the TikTok app, showing how many people are using the app and watching videos surrounding COVID-19.

In this article, written by Caroline Enos from Suffolk University, it states how Suffolk was willing to open its arms to the medical workers in the area. This article really resonates with me because these are the same rooms that I lived in as a freshman, and now they are being gifted to medical workers. These 30 staff members who are working at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, are scared to go home to their families in hopes they would not get them sick. This article is definitely something of interest for future historians because it shows parts of the Boston community coming together to help each other and stay safe in the midst of a deadly virus. The story also resonates with members of my generation because we are seeing our University step up and give back to our community.

This is a video of a nurse who volunteered to go to New York and help out with the COVID-19 pandemic in hospitals. She was overwhelmed at the number of patients she had that were Hispanic, Black, Latino, and Middle Eastern, and other people of color. It was clear to her that they were being disproportionately affected by this pandemic and chose to march in protests along with them. The acts of Becca Cooper, and the stories she told her audience about, amplify the voices of marginalized groups by speaking out about it and making people aware of these communities and how heavily they are being affected. I think 2020 has also been a year of protests to fight for equal rights and that speaks out to my generation as well. I know a lot of people who have participated in these protests and it goes to show how my generation is standing up for what we believe in, much like Becca Cooper did for her patients.

This article shows the first coronavirus vaccine being given to a critical care nurse in NY. This is a huge milestone for the U.S. because it was the biggest effort to produce a vaccine in our history. This would be something for future historians to discover because it is so significant for the year of 2020. This has been a year of hardship for everyone and I think this vaccine is a glimmer of hope for many people. There are currently 3 million vaccinations being flown around the nation right now, hoping to help more people and save many lives.

As many Pride celebrations were cancelled this year, many members of the LGBT community turned to social media to share how they were celebrating Pride in these strange times. This post displays a handmade crocheted shirt in the colors of the pride flag, made and shared by an individual seeking recognition for the work seeing as she had no celebration to wear it to. This just shows the dedication of the LGBT community to the celebration of Pride, which will be communicated to any future historians studying LGBT history.

When I had the idea to focus a mini collection on the expression of sexuality during the pandemic, one of the things that came to mind was Pride 2020. I myself was going to attend the event in Boston this year, however, like much of the United States, the celebration was cancelled. However, I knew that the LGBT community wouldn’t just let June pass by without some celebration. This post from Reddit displays how one individual spent pride month with the goal of turning individuals from queer media into Lego minifigures. Queer characters in movies and television are not all that easy to find, so this individual’s work had the potential to introduce anyone who stumbles upon their posts to queer characters. This in itself amplifies the voices of the LGBT community, by in a way calling for the normalization of queer characters in media, and giving them a way to share their identities through projects they create.

As this interview is part of a collection exploring relationships and the exploration of sexuality during the Covid-19 pandemic, I really wanted to get to know some more about what it’s like to have a relationship altered by the pandemic. Luckily, I knew just the people. I reached out to two of my best friends on campus and asked if they’d be willing to speak about their experiences, which they agreed to. I already had an interview set up with a friend who went through a whole relationship (began dating and broke up) during the pandemic, but I felt it was important to explore multiple different types of relationships. This interview to me shows something about my generation living under Covid, as it shows how many of us felt like we were stripped of the indepence we gained when we left for college, and how we now have to navigate living at home again. In the case of these two, they also have to navigate being intimate and romantic with each other in this situation.

Due to the massive number of American voters who decided to cast mail-in ballots, coupled with the unprecedented voter turnout, American’s did not get an answer on Wednesday morning as to who the next POTUS was going to be. This uncertainty, along with the climbing covid-19 numbers, meant a lot of citizens were feeling overwhelmed and anxious about what the next few days, and perhaps weeks, would entail. Crisis hotlines in the US saw a spike in calls related to election anxiety. This political cartoon created by Bruce Plante shows the anxiety that the hotline workers themselves might have been experiencing. With call after call coming into these centers, hotline workers do their best to ease the minds of those on the other side of the phone call. This is significant to 2020 because it illustrates the collective emotions voters were facing in the first week of November 2020.

In about September or October, I remember my friend reaching out to our group chat about how she was questioning her sexuality. This questioning soon led her to the realization that though she had identified as straight her whole life, she felt that the label of bisexual fit her better. Next thing I knew, she was dating a girl. When I decided to seek out material related to the expression of sexuality during the pandemic, I knew immediately that I wanted to dive deeper into her story and see if the pandemic had anything to do with the situation. One of the biggest issues I had with this interview was making sure that I was not overstepping any boundaries and getting too personal, going back to the ethical responsibility that historians/archivists have to respect the privacy of those who are aiding in their contribution. However, I feel that not only did I find more out about the effects of the pandemic, rather, I found more out about my friend than I had expected to.

For many American’s, the financial impact of covid-19 has been at the forefront of their minds. With sky-rocketing unemployment rates and working hours cut due to state restrictions to help stop the spread of the virus, some American’s have been forced out of their residencies and into homelessness. Even more troubling, many shelters were unable to house the homeless due to capacity restrictions. For those who do not know, homeless citizens in all 50 states have the right to vote, but some states encouraged mail-in voting for the 2020 election to limit the spread of covid-19. Without a permanent address, many homeless citizens were forced to vote in person because they had no other alternative.

In 2020 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been a pivotal organization in educating the public on how to protect themselves, and others, during the covid-19 pandemic. The CDC periodically releases guidance and updates on how to safely navigate everything from grocery shopping to voting. The CDC released an article titled “Tips for Voters to Reduce Spread of COVID-19”. In the article they encourage voters to know their voter’s rights, even if they are quarantined for covid. With a lot of voter misinformation circulating, the CDC took the proper steps to help voters understand their rights, whilst encouraging measures that help prevent the spread of this rapidly spreading virus.

This photo shows a bench that is an advertisement for the dating app Bumble located in Boston’s Seaport district (exact location unknown). The bench has two seats, with space for social distancing between, which goes to show how far people are taking social distancing guidelines. Bumble makes use of participatory content here to engage the public to interact with their advertisements, which may lead to more interest in further interacting with the app. This object has the potential to interest future historians, as it shows how brands used the pandemic as ways of advertising. It also shows the ways in which not only we changed, but the physical objects around us changed to adapt to the pandemic.

Many colleges and universities around the United States encourage students to be politically active and to exercise their right to vote, but Suffolk University decided to go a step further. Throughout all SU’s social media during the election we saw posts sharing information from deadlines, to social distancing practices while voting in 2020. This screenshot from Suffolk Universities Instagram account shows one example of how the university encouraged voting. What is not shown here is the fact that Suffolk University took the initiative to cancel classes on Election Day, November 3rd, 2020, so that faculty and students could volunteer at polling places and/or vote in-person. After the election, Suffolk University continues to encourage students to engage with the political process both locally and federally.

As the CDC released guidelines for how citizens could help stop the spread of covid-19, many American’s started to wear masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) before leaving their homes. Masks quickly went from simply being a means of protection to a way of expressing themselves. Much like wearing a campaign t-shirt to show political affiliations, people started to wear masks adorned with slogans from the presidential campaigns. The Trump campaign, and others, released MAGA masks for purchase on their campaign shop. Only during a pandemic in tandem with a presidential election would we see something like this. As the pandemic continues on, it is safe to assume that masks will continue to be a way for people to display their personalities.

As the covid-19 pandemic began, many American’s found themselves glued to the news more than ever before. A result of this news consumption brought to light the atrocities committed against BIPOC in the United States. On March 13th, 2020, Breonna Taylor was fatally shot 6 times in her home by a plainclothes officer. Two months later, on May 25th, 2020, George Floyd was suffocated and killed during an arrest over a counterfeit $20 bill. Rightfully, many were outraged and so began protests in cities and towns across the United States. As the election drew closer a movement began to encourage voters to reflect on how their vote can impact historically marginalized individuals within their communities. What will the candidate you vote for do for the communities currently facing social justice issues at large?

As covid-19 continued, many political campaigns were forced to be more creative in their approach when it came to engaging with audiences. Some campaigns held virtual events and rallies. The Biden-Harris campaign decided to take advantage of the cultural phenomenon that is Animal Crossing: New Horizons to engage with younger voters. In the Nintendo game, players curate their islands and can create their own personal designs to share and use. This game has been significant to many millennials during covid, because it has been a place for young people to “hang-out” virtually and show off their creativity. The Biden-Harris campaign took advantage of this massively successful game and created their own island, Biden HQ. They created t-shirts and designs that other players could utilize. Players can still visit Biden HQ using the in-game dream code DA-7286-5710-7478.

This article discusses the struggles that low- income workers face because of the pandemic. Low-income workers are struggling to pay rent, losing their jobs, having use money from their saving accounts, and more. The article also provides graphs with demographics that consist of race, gender, and income groups. These graphs are useful in order to make comparisons. This article fills an archival silence and amplify the voices of marginalized groups because it highlights the struggle that these groups are facing. The silence may be intentional. The media is covering billionaires like Jeff Bezos who are only getting richer during the pandemic, instead we must focus on the average person/working class because they contribute to the overall success of our economy.

I found this meme to be quite interesting. We use humor to better our mood during tough times, however this meme depicts reality: the anxiety about going to work this year during this strange new pandemic. This collection item can help future historians determine the society’s apprehension and concerns towards employment during COVID-19. A historian might wonder what this meme implies. Well, this meme implies that the public fears getting sick and what that holds, fear of spreading it to love ones, fear of not recovering, and perhaps work conditions are not entirely prepared. This meme can imply many things based on what a historian wants to argue.

A mask may appear uninteresting compared to other strange items that have risen in the coronavirus era, however it is important because it represents decency. This item demonstrates Generation Z’s awareness to society’s current important issues. This generation has been active during the BLM movement, the 2020 election, and in many other instances. The mask design is irrelevant but the mask itself carries a message. From what I’ve seen this generation won’t hesitate to condemn one for not wearing a mask and therefore are promoting its importance. During a pandemic, a mask is not a political tool but an attempt at keeping you and others safe.

During this pandemic, everyone is clearly going through a difficult time. However, I think that mental health fluctuations have been especially common during this time. Sometimes we’re feeling productive and like we can accomplish anything, other days just getting out of bed takes everything in us. Different people are going to be on different levels of vibration, including friends. One friend may be feeling themselves while the other may struggle to even look at themselves in the mirror. The representation of this drawing is that even though one person may feel happy and one person may feel deep sadness, they can still be there for each other and walk through the storm together to help each other grow. Even though it doesn’t show it, this also applies to the Black Lives Matter Protests and overall racial problems. It is an issue we can help each other out with by taking the time to emphasize with people who don’t experience the same things as us.

At the restaurant that I work at, the host plays a larger role than just taking people to their tables. There is a designated “sanitation specialist” that clears the tables and wipes down the tables with peroxide and another liquid so that we can seat guests in an orderly manner. There is also the job of the main host to take down people’s phone numbers in case a coworker reports having COVID symptoms so that those in the restaurant can get tested for the virus. This connects to the civic purpose of history as this was one of the new contributions to the people in order to keep them, hopefully, safe from the pandemic and a need to reform how we think about our information in public spheres. I think that this item is something that “ helps illustrate something particularly significant about the year 2020”. This is through the tracking log as we’ve often seen people protest the government having our information as seen with the microchip scare with the vaccine, but this has become something of a norm at work. Every so often, there is that person that will give me a fake number or protest their information being leaked because “they will call us”, our only defense is that we get rid of the paper after a month before getting our manager. The blurb at the top does a better job at explaining than I do.

During quarantine, another way that I tried to spend my time was reading books that focused on the religion of Wicca as someone that is interested in the practice. In this photo are the two newest books which focus on Paganism and Tarot, mainly an introduction to both as someone just starting back in November. I like to complain that I haven’t read anything this year but forget about the four different books on Wicca and witchcraft in general I’ve found, along with various articles. This ties into an item that “demonstrates something significant about your generation” since the rise of TikTok and quarantine have created the perfect launching pad to spread the word. Before, it was mainly a niche group on Tumblr that needed specific search terms to find. With this growing popularity, much of my time is spent double checking information and making sure that the author is a trusted resource in the community, especially since many authors often leave out the trans and non-binary community because of the stereotype only women can be witches. There is also the need to educate me on close practices like Voodoo and the different types of sages to avoid using the endangered white sage that was illegal for natives until the 1970s.

This is a small conversation between my mom and I when she went back to work during the beginning of quarantine. She works as a medical secretary at a local doctor’s office and works closely with sharing phones, computers, and other spaces. It was not until recently that there was a COVID scare following Thanksgiving, but, she tested negative since they are from a different department. This item connects to the week focusing on historical thinking on and off the web as this was never something that I would have considered sharing beyond my close group of friends since it feel mundane now. I think that this is an “Item of interest to future historians that helps illustrate something particularly significant about the year 2020” as we see her in full gear. While the precautions no longer have the dress or hair mask, she still wears the medical-grade mask with her gloves and face shield each day. Seeing people in action will humanize the pandemic and make it seem like something that truly happened than just another historical moment with accounts like this.

During quarantine, trying to keep myself busy as been the ultimate goal these past few months. Right before the semester started, I got into embroidery as these patterns often take hours to complete. Many of my patterns have been bought off of Etsy to support small businesses, but when I started, I bought a few kits off of Amazon since I was only working a few times a week. This connects to the idea that of something that “demonstrates something significant about your generation under Covid”. My friends and I have all been struggling to keep busy with just the things that we have so niche hobbies like embroidery, reading, and home workouts have become something of the norm. Being able to distract ourselves for a few moments from this crazy world is the goal and I think that it will be more documented than it has been before with social media. A major way that this has impacted Gen Z is “regressing” back into the interests of our younger years. For me, I’ve begun listening to Taylor Swift and One Direction almost religiously again and revisiting some of my favorite book series from childhood for that spark of dopamine.

In September 2020, myself and three friends took a mini-vacation to Derry, New Hampshire in order to get out of our small town of Middleboro, MA. We rented this house and mainly did our homework and hung around playing games. From this trip, it was interesting to see the difference between Massachuttes and New Hampshire as we saw people leaving restaurants without masks and it felt more “laissez-faire” in a way. This picture connects to “the needs and considerations of an ethical archival collection”. This is because I wanted to show that I, like most people, was not a saint during quarantine and broke the rules at some points. We made sure the house was safe by disinfecting when we got there and other safety measures in order to not get sick. By acknowledging this moment, I wanted to show what I was really like during this time period, not an idealized version of myself that could do no wrong. I know that I haven’t always been the safest and it will help with my credibility.

Since the unfair deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor back in May 2020, I have been posting on my Instagram story in the hopes of educating someone. While I try to defend it as activism, there is a level of performatism since I was not allowed to visit an protests with my mom’s health and seeing how the Boston police were handling the situation. It is easy to just post a picture of something that you agree with and not show yourself doing anything that will really hope. Recently I have been trying to read more books focused on theory in order to educate myself more and this has been a major focal point of my time lately. Along with this, I have also attempted to find more petitions to sign and donating more since my job has become more stable. This item connects to the criteria of “something significant about your generation”. This comes from the fact Gen Z has always had the internet as a major component in their life and many of us find our personal worth on social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. Being able to see these posts everyday keeps us engaged with the world around us, however, with Instagram’s policy of random posts, not everything is being seen and it leads to certain topics not getting the same exposure. I think that while social media is good in terms of activism, there is a major need for protesters still as they are the ones that get the most change done. There is also the importance of filling the archival silence as the larger topics are being discussed. As a white woman in 2020, educating myself and making sure the voices of minorities are heard before mine. I would rather post these little infographics than about my life because educating the masses is more important than my second time visiting Michaels each week. Giving even the smallest platform to these stories is important as many of my friends have said that they have learned something new from these. It sometimes feels like I’m posting into the void, but, I hope to get the larger message across anyway that I can.

This item was created in June when I had fully decided to stay home for the semester rather than renting an apartment close to campus. It was another ploy to create some kind of hope that this lockdown would be over in the next few months. There are four major sections divided into my dream room since I was allowed to remodel it (spoiler: the only thing that changed was my new bed and shifting the furniture), clothing, places that I was hoping to visit, and random photos that I wanted for my ‘aesthetic’. The only one I came even close to completing was the clothing with my four pairs of plaid pants and mountain of sweaters. Out of all the criteria listed, I think that this “item of interest to future historians that helps illustrate something particularly significant about the year 2020”. During the beginning of lockdown, self-improvement was a topic that many people in my generation along with others were attempting to tackle with this time at home. For this photo, it highlights my personal life and the things I thought was important during this time. I connected this with the Social Dilemma documentary because I did post it to Instagram for a reaction, showing the importance of social media and my computer through Photoshop is important for my life.

“It represents my mental health in the sense that the muddled background color represents all the “crappy” things going on in the world, and the chaotic lines also represent that, but they are the more pressing matters. The chaotic lines also connect to the head, representing the way everything got to me and in my head during this, and gave me a very jealous outlook on life, because there were a lot of people better off than I was, mentally, physically, financially, even though I was not in THAT bad of a place comparatively to others. Also the different textures between watercolor, pencil, and pen is representative of the different layers and different things going on in my life all at once. I really utilized the symbolism of things as well as playing with different textures in a cohesive way to represent myself and my feelings in a more abstract way.” -Sydney Avtges's response to when I asked her how her drawing represents her mental state during the pandemic.

I interviewed my friend Lindsey Neri who is about to graduate from University of Connecticut this winter. I wanted to hear more about a student’s mental health one-on-one verbally, especially from the perspective of someone who is preparing for graduate school next Fall. As of now we are in an awkward spot with Covid-19 unsure as to whether or not life will be nearly back to normal a year from now. And by normal I mean no more mask mandates or mandatory online classes and work from home. Neri recognizes that she is one of the more fortunate ones in terms of being able to obtain her job but is feeling as though she may end up missing out on some potentially great opportunities when she starts grad school. Like most of us, her mental health has been very affected by this pandemic but she remains grateful for what she has in life and for the most part, keeps a positive attitude even in these troubling times.

This call was informing her a month before her due date that she was NOT allowed, visitors. This was one of the many different calls that caused a nerve-racking feeling. We had been in quarantine for about three weeks and it was determined that she had to go through this all alone. This call was very important because it is something you never want to be taken away from you. Sharing moments like these with your family are very valuable and in a very tough situation, you need a support system. Her spouse was not allowed either. The last month of her pregnancy she had to face alone up until the moment she was in the labor delivery room. At this point, she feared she wouldn’t be allowed to have anybody in the room with her. Luckily, Massachusetts laws allowed her to have at least one.

This object represents all businesses that use the words “quarantine”, “social distance”, or any COVID-19 related word to make a catchy phrase to make a “meme” or merchandise”. I worked in retail when COVID-19 was in its earlier stages of spreading. Our shipment included countless “fashionable” face masks, tee shirts, mugs, posters, etc that were related to the pandemic. This represents our generation, as everyone is very quick and witty to make a profit or a joke off of anything going around. In earlier times, you wouldn’t find tee shirts that say “Keep Calm and Sanitize On” or “Social Distancing club” in retailers. With the technology and resources, we have now it is very easy to make these sorts of items. The idea is exploiting COVID-19 and maybe even seen as bringing light to the situation, which this generation is very well known for. This baby tee is just one example of the many witty merchandising being sold almost everywhere.

When these orders by the state and corporations were released everyone was reading them. These played a very important role in ethics. Governor Baker and many stores like Target released orders to implement for shoppers during the pandemic. There were large crowds, long lines, and hectic shopping everywhere, these orders were placed to help those at a disadvantage. Baker said stores must allow an hour before regular hours for those 60 or older and this included disabled people and pregnant women. Target‘s order specifies that pregnant women were allowed to come in during shopping hours that were restricted to these certain groups of people. This is a very ethical thing to do for these people. Standing in line or being high risk in crowds was very dangerous for everyone, but especially for these people. These orders relate to an ethical archive piece that represents how pregnant women were treated during the pandemic. This was a small advantage for them in these unprecedented times. These were put out to reassure their accountability if a situation struck out where these people were put in danger in the crowds when shopping. Also, they both acted in this very quickly, they knew it was ethically the right thing to do, in order to protect these people with a disadvantage or at high risk.

This article is focused on how COVID-19 affected a pregnant woman's birthing experience, especially harming black and native women. This article is very interesting to read and compare it to Brittany's story. Shaine Garcia and Brittany both were hoping for a healthy and smooth experience while giving birth, and COVID did not let that happen for them. The author mentions how the rules implemented allowed no visitors or accompany in these appointments. This prevented doulas and midwives from also being there. Those who were fortunate enough to have home births, midwives, or doulas were at advantage compared to those who could not afford this privilege. “Among mothers with low socioeconomic status, 18.7 percent of white women reported mistreatment compared to 27.2 percent of women of color. Indigenous women were the most likely to report experiencing at least one form of mistreatment by health-care providers during birth, followed by Black and Hispanic women,” says the Giving Voice to Mothers study.” This is the reason many prefer to have doulas because the black maternal mortality rate is twelve times a white woman. There are many disadvantages to those that could not have a home birth or the presence of extra support while giving birth. It is a very dangerous situation for these marginalized groups of women, that are not being treated correctly, especially during a pandemic where they are likely to face it alone. This correlates to the criteria of an item that attempts to fill an archival silence and amplify the voices of marginalized groups. Many people are not aware of the mistreatment happening to black and native women in hospitals. Doulas and midwives are there to help support and protect the mother in many more ways than people know, and because of covid-19, these privileges are being taken away. Although this article doesn’t specify those women who can’t afford them anyway, these women are being silenced. This article serves the purpose to educate and inform those that it is an issue going on and possibly getting worse during the pandemic. This is an article that shares the experiences of black and native pregnant women and how their experiences differ much more than other women. It was found through research.

"Galvin P. Bisserup, Jr. is the owner and principal portrait photographer of Glickman Studio Photographers which has been in Freeport, NY for 98 years. Over the years he has captured the many eventful moments of individual lives, from infancy through seasoned adulthood. For over three decades this professional photographer has been behind the camera capturing the smiles from the heart and soul. In this interview, Galvin recounts his career and how his work as a community photographer has been impacted by COVID. He also describes a project from this past spring which resulted in the creation of a music CD in celebration of Father’s Day with his men’s chorus. This interview was recorded by Juilee Decker and Joysetta Pearse with Galvin Bisserup on October 15, 2020 at 6 pm ET and lasted approximately 40 minutes. It was conducted over Zoom. A transcript is attached, along with multiple images associated with the interview, provided by Bisserup. It is part of the LongIslandCommunity series, an initiative of COVID-19 archive (Juilee Decker) and the African American Museum of Nassau County (Joysetta Pearse)."

“Do you sell hand sanitizer?” asks nearly every customer that enters the door into the store that I work at. If I’m not busy, I’m usually kind enough to walk them down to the aisle they’re in (Aisle 12, Cleaning and Breakroom!), however, if I can’t take the time to, I tell them to follow the stickers we have on the floor that leads to that section. Sort of like the yellow brick road from The Wizard of Oz led Dorothy and her gang to the Emerald City. Many stores nowadays have social distancing and directional stickers for aisles, but this is the only place that I have seen these types of stickers. This is something that I have come to associate with life during the pandemic; now learning to work during this.

In the beginning of the pandemic during the month of March students, myself included, were advised to bring their stuff home as in person classes would be canceled for the duration of the school year. Pictured is my freshman year roommate, in half empty room as she moved out before me. This is a very sentimental image to me as its the last one I have of a room I truly cherished. Memories and friends were built and grew within that room, I believe it maybe the last authentic college experience that I have. I will never access to that space or room again and I will never be surrounded by the same students either as many of them have chosen to stay home this semester. This beginning of the pandemic and since there drastic changes to my life and others lives have been made. I now live by myself for the safety and concern of myself and others however it has begun to feel lonely and unlike a proper college experience. This picture demonstrates that last time that things felt normal, as we had no idea that it this pandemic would continue to the next semester and impact us so dramatically.

The image I chose to share was of the basket of masks in my room. Never in my life could I have predicted that this would be something I have, never mind how much of a staple it would become in my everyday life. I think what I titles thing story holds a certain importance as well. Keys, Wallet, Mask, really emphasizes how much masks have come to be a part of my daily routine. Going from living at home to moving into my new apartment in North End during the middle of the pandemic in July, just minutes from Downtown Boston, I went from only wearing a masks when going to get groceries indoors to wearing a mask every time I walk out my front door, even just walking down the street. I truly has just become such a natural thing to have a mask on my face and for everyone I walk by to have one on as well. I think the significance of the mask during the pandemic and that it has really been the only constant in my or everyone’s lives throughout this COVID-19 experience. Every day I hear contradicting statements about the pandemic, not knowing what’s true and what’s not. My masks for me symbolize a sense of protection at a very vulnerable time in life. I’m not sure if they help or if they don’t, but I know for sure that wearing a mask has given me some sense of security throughout all this chaos and uncertainty.