Items
topic_interest is exactly
Social distancing
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May 2nd, 2020
CVS in Lockdown
The CVS on Armstrong and Arthur Kill Road requires masks and social distancing if you are shopping there. -
May 2nd, 2020
Wait Here
Wait here. This was the story of Covid Life. We had to wait in specific spots, and not crowd registers until called on. This happened quite often, especially at the pharmacies! -
May 2nd, 2020
Visiting the St. George Market
People waiting 6 feet apart at St. George greenmarket. A good turnout, but everyone was following the new rules of not touching the food and social distancing. -
May 2nd, 2020
Sign of the times at St. George Greenmarket.
Sign of the times at St. George Greenmarket. -
April 8, 2020
The New Normal on Staten Island
Is this the new normal or will Staten Island go back to the way it was before the pandemic? -
April 8, 2020
Public Health Measures on Staten Island
Social distancing, face masks, empty shelves and restrictions throughout Staten Island. -
Summer 2020
Culture at a Social Distance
My submissions for #lockdownstatenisland are two examples of creative measures local cultural institutions implemented in Summer 2020 to continue to serve the public safely outdoors. The first is the #WomenoftheNationArise outdoor exhibition at the Staten Island Museum. The gallery exhibition opened a week before lockdown during Women’s History Month - March 2020. Since the galleries had to be closed, the outdoor exhibit gave visitors to Snug Harbor Cultural Center had the chance to explore Staten Island’s role in the fight for women’s right to vote from a #socialdistance. The second is at Historic Richmond Town’s socially distanced recreation area. With picnic tables and chalk circles on the grass, Historic Richmond Town provided a safe outdoor space to enjoy fresh air, sunshine, a book, an ice cream cone, and some time with friends or loved ones. -
2021-12
Plastic Dividers
The plastic dividers were and are an integral part of COVID. My high school's cafeteria had them and it made it hard to hear my friends when we were conversing. Like this TikTok post I saw awhile ago, it reminded me of how it separated me from the customers at my job around a year ago. The dividers were made to keep people safer from COVID-19 even when at a close distance from each other. However, one time when I was at work, the sliding doors to the entrance were open, and it was so windy outside one day that the wind blew the plastic divider onto my back when I was turned around bagging an item for a customer. I have a personal grudge against those things now. -
2022-07-11
Practice social distancing while boarding
This was a sign at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. It is a sign reminding people to social distance. -
2022-07-11
Social distancing markings at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
This are markings my mom saw while at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Since the pandemic, things like this have become more commonplace in some areas, such as airports. I do not know if this was enforced or not. -
2022-07-11
Social distancing sign at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
This is a picture my mom took while at the Phoenix Airport to visit my sister. I don't know if this was enforced since I was not present. -
2022-06-27
Social distancing sign at Macy's
This is a sign I found at the mall. It is telling people to maintain a distance when shopping. This isn't enforced. However, I imagine only a year ago it being a bigger deal than it is now. I was just glad I found this sign, as it is a relic of the time when this was a larger issue. -
2022-06-27
Sign inside Macy's about germ spread
This was a sign I found at Macy's while at Scottsdale Fashion Square. This sign tells people to cover their mouth and nose while sneezing, use social distancing, and to avoid things like shaking hands. However, the time I went to Macy's did not have many restrictions in place. Some customers chose to wear masks, but at the point in time I went, it was not high alert. -
2020-05-05
A lack of touch in a tactile world
When the COVID-19 virus struck in the spring of 2020, I was still completing my undergraduate degree in history at a small university near the border of North and South Carolina. My university transitioned to online learning around the second week of March. One of my classes that semester was an upper level special topics course on Public History. Seizing the opportunity to document the COVID-19 pandemic for future generations, my course instructor had students to document and journal about our everyday lives in quarantine during the second half of the course as we transitioned online. The above is a video I took for that course of some my friends from back home, where I had returned to live in isolation with my mother, father, brothers, and grandfather; while at home, I would drive about once a week to an empty target parking lot to socialize with some of my friends from the community. We would sit in our cars, spaced at least fifteen feet apart, in order to avoid spreading the virus. Though I was thankful for the opportunity to still see my friends, and to have at least one social outing each week, the sense, or rather lack of sense, that was most prevalent in my mind, and still is when recalling the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in the spring of 2020, is not being able to touch my friends. I am a very tactile person, and giving a hug or a handshake to my friends is an important part of expressing my love and feelings for others. Though during the COVID-19 pandemic we were able to communicate by means of modern day technology, such as zoom, and even in cases such as mine due to the state where I lived, still being able to socialize in outdoor areas, the fear of the virus prevented me from being able to express friendship in one of the most natural ways. Though only ten to fifteen feet apart, it was if we had all created an invisible bubble that could not penetrated. Though this was all for good reason, it did not make the psychological implications any less real. The ten feet that separated me from my friends for over two months felt like ten million miles, and my thoughts constantly played tricks on me. I grew accustomed to not touching or being near others. It was in early May, almost two months after returning home from college, that I touched someone outside of my family unit for the first time. A friend of mine who I went to high school with, who also worked on a farm that borders my family's farm, wanted to ride ATV's together. I agreed, and we remained at least six feet distant from one another. We it came time for him to return home, however, he extended his hand to give me a "fist bump." Normally, he probably would have tried to hug me, but even the notion of touching our fists together made me hesitant, though I did return the friendly gesture. The virus had me, and most of society, programmed to remain enclosed to ourselves, and in doing so, though necessary for a time, unable to engage in the most basic of human interactions. Prior to the pandemic, I never had give thought to the importance of touching in my relationships, however, in a post-pandemic world, I will never take for granted the most basic of human interactions, such as touch, because in a moment it could be gone. -
2021
High School Yearbook in 2021
Included is a picture of the page of a yearbook from the school that I work at for the 2021-2022 school year. This school year was very unique in that we started the year online. All classes were held virtually through Zoom from August to the end of September. At the end of September, students returned to school using a phased-in approach where one grade level at a time returned. After Winter Break, the school was held virtually again for two weeks. During the time that we were in-person, teachers were required to teach students in-person and online through Zoom at the same time. Because of that, I would have students in the classroom, and students listening to me and interacting with me through Zoom. Many students with health concerns never came to school in person. For everyone else, masks were required at all times. In addition, teachers were required to move desks in a way that students were at least three feet apart from each other shoulder-to-shoulder. This yearbook page shows different ways that teachers and students were affected during this year. The top left picture showed a Zoom screen with the students attending Zoom class. The large picture underneath shows a masked teacher standing in front of her students while also showing her students on Zoom behind her. Other pictures show teachers with their Zoom classes and empty classrooms. The text on the side was written by students who took the Yearbook class. It shows a student perspective on the pandemic and why classes were made to be held virtually for students. The 2021-2022 yearbook as a whole is an important object to me as this is the first and only school year that was affected by COVID-19 in its entirety in a way that can be seen visually. This year was unlike any other and forced me to have to change and adapt constantly. During this school year, I had to space students apart and had to make a seating chart for every class. If a student needed to move for a few minutes for any reason (like needing to charge their laptop), I would have to update the seating chart with the date to show where that student was and who they were sitting by. If a student tested positive for COVID-19, any students within three feet of them then had to stay home and learn virtually for a set amount of time. This time changed throughout the year but could be six to ten days. Looking back on these memories, I believe that it is so important to see what students and teachers went through during this time, as we are all still trying to catch up and adjust to the way that the pandemic disrupted and changed beliefs, attitudes, expectations, and ways of learning. -
2022-04-27
1.5m spacing at bus/taxi stop
Marking on the ground indicating that people should keep 1.5m between themselves at a bus/taxi stop outside the Mall Porongoche -
2020-04-24
Utilizing the Pandemic
I have a feeling that my journey through the Plague Years has been rather different than most other people. Even with the Pandemic raging, I would genuinely consider the past two years some of the best of my life. Though there were certain adjustments that had to be made surrounding the uncertainty of the disease early on, my life was largely unaffected. I was living at home and taking online classes at a community college so those continued after only a slight break. I worked part-time at a pet food store and because pet food was considered “essential” for people, I was allowed to continue working uninterrupted. My dad started working from home and my siblings high school went to a part-time schedule. During the day we started a plethora of new tv shows and almost every night we were able to have dinner as a family and play board games. The best part, after some debate, larger universities began moving to online classes and closing campuses. This meant that my friends who were away at school would be coming home. Once we knew the signs, symptoms, and the relatively small danger presented to younger people we were able to hang out and have socially distanced fun. As an introvert, friends, family, school, and work were all I really needed to be happy, and the loss of large-scale social functions was of no importance to me. In fact, I was able to utilize the lack of interaction during the Pandemic as a cover for experimentation. On April 24, 2020, after hearing my dad ask me to get a haircut for the third time, I decided to take matters into my own hands and gave myself a buzzcut. There were four thoughts ringing in my mind as the razor vibrated in my hand. 1. I need a haircut 2. No place was open that was close 3. I have had the same hairstyle since high school. 4. And most importantly, not many people would have to see it. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was and how it looked. Since that time, I have been much more adventurous with my hair styling and even with what I wear. The Pandemic helped me realize that life is too short to not try something new just for the sake of it. And though I did get clowned by my friends on occasion, that didn’t stop me from doing it again 11 months later… The pictures included are the sink full of my hair and hanging out with friends rocking the buzzcut. Overall, I know how lucky I was to remain relatively unscathed throughout the Pandemic. My paychecks never stopped, my classes resumed shortly, and my relationships with friends and family blossomed. The only real loss experienced was my hair, and for that, I am more than grateful. -
2021
a look back
This assignment has been hard to complete because I don't feel like I have many stories to tell. While I did spend the Summer working a sleep-away camp, I have spent most of the last two years inside avoiding activities that could lead to exposure. After re-writing stories way too many times, I decided to write about the present. Two years into the pandemic, I am facing the same uncertainty. In 2020, I knew nothing about what was going to happen. Now, it almost seems worse. We continue to return to how things were before covid-19, but I am not sure it is possible. In 2020, I figured we would spend six months to a year, and then it would be like ebola. Yet, here I am in 2022, worrying about new variants, when I can get my next booster shot, and whether I will be working this Summer. While I wish we could return to the way life was before, I think about the fact that this pandemic probably won't end anytime soon. We will constantly be getting booster shots and quarantine for the unforeseeable future. There are so many things that I want to do before I graduate college, like studying abroad, going to concerts, visiting my friends' colleges but, these aren't safe or practical decisions to be made. While I have to acknowledge that my anxiety about covid may be speaking more than the science and facts, it's hard to ignore that our actions have more consequences than we could have ever imagined. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we live our lives forever. We could either start to make some changes or let it get worse. As a camp counselor, my campers often asked me why we had to wear masks if we had to test negative to come. I often said because we have to or because the state mandates it, but in reality, we wore masks for the safety of all campers and staff. We wore masks as a precaution rather than create a potentially dangerous environment. We did it because we cared. Even though I feel like I have a lack of stories and I am still uncertain about everything Covid, I still take the necessary precautions because I care. -
2020-03-26
Introverts During Covid Meme
As an introvert, I never felt affected by a lot of the changes that took place when Covid struck. I stay at home most of the time if I am not at work, and I don't often go out in large social gatherings. I love my personal space, and I prefer the anonymity of wearing a mask. Sometimes, Covid felt like an excuse to stay home and do the things I love. This is not to underestimate the challenges that everyone faced; I just faced the challenges through my health and job, not social distancing or quarantining. These memes reflect a lighthearted view of what it was like to experience Covid as an introvert. -
2020-04-13
Earth is closed for business
A month into the pandemic, society seems to have disappeared due to social distancing and the stay-at-home mandate. In our local communities, if you wanted to dine out it had to be carryout. If you wanted to go shopping, you had to do it online. -
2020-12-01
Jeff Stutler II Oral History, 2020/12/01
This is an audio recording about my family's challenges in being with my father when he had a stroke in December of 2020. Forced distancing during family emergencies can be quite a scary experience. -
2020-08-15
Mario-themed, socially distanced birthday party
Like so many other children, we were unable to have a birthday party for my son when he turned 5. The COVID numbers were rapidly rising in Tucson last August and it would just be too unsafe to have people together to celebrate. In order to still plan something special, I made a Mario-themed scavenger hunt around town for my son so he could still see some family and friends. I made a bunch of Toads and hid clues inside and made masks of different characters, such as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Donkey Kong, etc. Starting at our house, the Toad on our front porch had a clue for my son, telling him that he had stolen his birthday present and to get it back he'd have to solve the clues. This led us from house to house, where my son would search for another Toad and another clue, while our family and friends pretended to be the different characters using the masks. Staying outside, they were all able to wish him happy birthday and hand off a birthday present. In the end, my son solved all the clues and Toad "returned" his birthday present back at our house, which was a Nintendo Switch (which was itself difficult to purchase at this time because there was such high demand with limited supply). While it wasn't a traditional birthday party, it ended up being a lot of fun and something that he still talks about. We were able to record clips of his different stops and put it together in a short video. The pandemic really made us have to rethink how we celebrate birthdays but in some cases it created unique experiences that were even more special. -
2021-10-06
Pandemic Rules Aren't Fun
I'm a nanny to three kids. As a fun activity, I wanted to take them on an adventure to Build-a-Bear. For those unfamiliar with this store, you choose an animal that has no stuffing in it; then, you go to a big machine that has the stuffing in it, and with the help of an employee, you stuff your own animal. You can pick out clothes, accessories, a name, etc. It's very fun and something I've done multiple times as a child myself. I explained the process to the kids and they were very excited! However, upon arrival, we discovered that the kids couldn't help stuff their animal. They had to stand behind a rope while the employee does it for them. We understood this was the social distancing protocol. The kids were ok with it and had fun anyway, but I was a little disappointed because this was one of the best features. We have safety protocols for a reason and I comply with all of them. It's just frustrating when you want to have fun to get your mind off work or problems in the world that the pandemic reminds you it's there at every turn. -
2021-10-06
Vet Visit During the Pandemic
My dog has her yearly vet appointment coming up and this arrived in the mail. It says clients must stay outside and someone from the office will collect your pet. That's fine but when you have a giant 80 pound dog full of anxiety like I do, it isn't going to be an east task for them. Previously, one person was allowed to sit and wait while their pet received treatment because they spaced out their appointments accordingly and it wasn't an extremely busy place anyway. The room where the pets go for their check-ups was pretty close to the door so I would always talk to my dog to calm her down. I won't be able to do that for this visit and it's making me anxious because I know my dog will be upset. This is the vet's procedure and we have to follow it no matter our feelings. I know she'll be okay but it still makes me nervous. -
2021-10-06
Introverts during social distancing
I was scrolling through memes and this one adequately describes my reaction to social distancing at the beginning of the pandemic. I felt like my time had finally come when we had to begin social distancing and staying at home. I'm not a very social person so I was happy being in my little bubble. -
2021-10-06
Getting out feels like a Resident Evil game
Getting out and gathering groceries or even running errands makes you feel like you're the protagonist in a Resident Evil game. I'm always vigilant when I go out and I make sure I comply with mask rules and social distancing. As a Resident Evil fan, this made me chuckle. -
2020-10-01
Life During the Pandemic
This photograph is about the time that my sister and I went to a pumpkin patch with a friend of ours. It was a different experience because we had to wear masks and keep our distance from the rest of the people, we had gone to a pumpkin patch the year before and it was completely different because we didn’t have to maintain our distance of wear masks and we were free to roam around wherever we liked. The reason why this was important to me is because I remember since it was our first time doing an activity like this during the COVID where there was a little bit more risk we were a little scared but at the same time we thought we can’t just stay inside forever and stop living. -
2020-06
Public Space and COVID-19: UN-Habitat
In this article from the UN, we learn that public space is distributed inequitably between those in poor urban neighborhoods and wealthier urban areas. They advise that urban planning must include more public space, more green space, and just more space to move in general to allow for social distancing. -
2020-04-09
Grieving Rituals Lost to COVID-19
Rituals are an important way to celebrate special occasions and victories as well as to deal with the stresses of life. This article discusses the grieving process people have gone through because of the loss of rituals (graduations, funerals, weddings) during the pandemic and the importance of creating new rituals. -
2020
Humorous Memes About Quarantine and Covid
During quarantine I collected many humorous memes about staying at home and the problems that brought. All sorts of subjects were covered: cooking, getting along with your spouse/roommates, homeschooling the kids, learning to bake bread, being stuck at home, sanitizing, facemasks, people hoarding toilet paper, boredom, effects of isolation, etc. Here are a few of those memes. -
2020
Humorous Memes About Quarantine and Covid
During quarantine I collected many humorous memes about staying at home and the problems that brought. All sorts of subjects were covered: cooking, getting along with your spouse/roommates, homeschooling the kids, learning to bake bread, being stuck at home, sanitizing, facemasks, people hoarding toilet paper, boredom, effects of isolation, etc. Here are a few of those memes. -
-2021-06-20
Losing Connections with Older Relatives and with Their Life Knowledge
I am an individual over 60, which means that my aunts, uncles, and cousins are also over 60, and several are in their 80s and 90s. Luckily I haven’t been separated from family members younger than me, but because of the health and safety concerns for older individuals, I haven’t been able to meet with these older family members during the pandemic. I’ve found that my older family members don’t enjoy connecting through technology, as they know that doing so, although better than not connecting at all, is a poor substitute for face-to-face connections. Trying to communicate over Zoom results in frustration and dissatisfaction for people who are used to another way of communicating, a way where body language, touch, and energy are important components of the conversation. So the level of connection with these individuals has declined greatly during the pandemic, as we haven’t been able to meet in person and our technology-driven connections have been unsatisfactory or infrequent. The lack of connection is particularly sad as this demographic is more likely to fall ill with the virus or suffer another illness, or even death, and I may not have another chance to see them. I’ve lost an uncle to the virus this past year already. I’ve gone without seeing friends this past year, but I fully expect to be able to see them again in the future; with my older family members, this connection in the future is far less certain. The lack of connection is also sad because these individuals have lived long lives and encountered hardships, including diseases and public health scares, and their advice and history would be sources of comfort and knowledge for these times. -
2020-03-13
Official School Shutdown
I first knew this when one of my friends texted me. She told me to check my email and when I did, the screenshot above told us that we were not going to go back to school until after Spring Break. It was a Friday and it didn’t occur to me that we would have online school. So I just assumed that we had no school at all, like an extended break. However, we got some more follow up emails saying how we still had to do classwork and such. (This is when I started checking my email daily) Back then, I had limited access to technology and I didn’t want to bother my parents too much; so I had to work with what I had. But then the date kept changing. It was extended to May, then to the rest of the school year. And the first half of this year. It was extremely distracting to learn from home, it felt like my siblings became ten times more annoying, we had to be more careful with cleaning/sanitizing and had to store more food/supplies. I didn’t leave the house for a couple of months and I barely talked to my friends. I did get to try more home cooked meals and it was easier to prepare in the morning. Many political and racial things began happening like getting justice for hate crimes (ex: BLM protests) and unfairness from police officers became relevant. When George Floyd got murdered, it caused a bit of controversy between my family and I, specifically my mom. My mom claimed that he was a criminal so she said the police officer was just doing his job; while I said that it still wasn't right. We kind of ignore that topic now.. A new president was also nominated and it was the first time people had to mail in votes. The new president wasn't official until two weeks after counting the votes. There were people that raided the White House and the 45th president of the USA got banned from many social media platforms. Since he was upset about not being president again and sort of hinted at people attacking the capital. Many people hate and like this man. Mostly hate. After about a year, scientists and doctors were able to create a vaccine that successfully blocked out covid. So many people are getting vaccinated and the public is beginning to reopen. Going to school in-person (late March 2021) had less distractions and I’m actually learning. We're still doing safety precautions and lots of sanitizing. -
2020-07-15
PSC-CUNY Protest at BCC
For my primary source, I selected a photograph I took at a protest held in front of the Bronx Community College campus on July 15, 2021. The Professional Staff Union of CUNY (PSC-CUNY), the union for the faculty and much of the staff throughout CUNY, organized the event to protest the BCC administration June 26 decision to lay off 36 experienced adjunct professors at the end of their 3-year contracts, even though that their departments recommended that they be rehired. People in the picture include BCC Faculty, staff, and students, as well as those from as well as people from Hostos Community College, who came to support the BCC community and were facing similar cuts. The day was very hot, but I was nervous to the subway because of COVID, so I rode my bike from my home (about 24 miles roundtrip). I was pretty sweaty and probably stinky when I arrived. It was the first time I had been to campus since March 10, when, on my way home from school on the subway, I learned CUNY was moving online. (The campus itself was locked, but we stood in front of the gate on University.) It was also the first time I people from school in person since March; I was so happy to talk to them. It was weird to be with a group people, after months of isolation, but we all wore masks and stood six feet apart. Cars honked their support as they drove by. I selected this source because I want historians of the future to understand how the pandemic hit higher education and the connections among the COVID crisis, social justice movements, and education. Although I went to larger marches after the murder of George Floyd, I believe funding for CUNY is a form of social justice. I was angry that politicians and school administrators were giving lip-service to the phrase Black Live Manners, while cutting funding and jobs from CUNY. BCC’s students are overwhelmingly Black and Latinx, and many studies show that a CUNY education is one of the best schools for supporting social mobility, helping people support themselves and their families. Firing the adjuncts not only meant the teachers lost their income, and, sometimes, their health insurance, but that BCC students would be in larger classes; larger classes mean faculty have less time to devote to each student, which can make it harder to for students to succeed. While I understood enrollment was down and the budget from the city and state would likely be smaller because of the economic toll of the pandemic, I thought there were other places the administration could cut costs. (Such as their own salaries). I want historians to see that the faculty and staff of CUNY fought for what their students deserved and the connections among CUNY, social justice, and New York’s economic recovery. I also want them to see how people approached protests, which require gathering together with other people and often chanting or shouting, while in the middle of a pandemic that required people to stay apart and cover their mouths. -
2020-06
Some Graduation Memes and Photos During the Coronavirus Time
Graduations during 2020 were conducted remotely. This meant that the students missed out on an important and memorable ceremony to mark this milestone in their lives. All ages were affected. The students were mostly home, and some had videos either as a live feed or prerecorded. Families tried their best to make the occassion memorable for their kids. Some schoolz had car parades for their graduates to "march" in front of their school or neighbors. -
2021-04-30
High school proms go on, but with COVID-19 restrictions
Prom has been cancelled across the United States. While this is the case for most places, select locations are finding ways to make prom possible. For a school district in Pennsylvania, this meant having prom on the football field. This allowed them to enforce social distancing while still allowing the students to play games and have fun. -
2021-04-21T18
Dinner and Hearts
As of yesterday, my two weeks was up and I am now "fully vaccinated" per the CDC guidelines. My wife got there Friday, and my mother has been fully vaccinated since February. Per the CDC, since we are all fully vaccinated, we can visit each other and not have to wear masks. We had Mom over for dinner for the first time since before the pandemic. After dinner we played a few rounds of hearts. I had to reacquaint myself with something that used to be "normal" before COVID-19. I was a bit rusty at playing cards, but I soon got back into it. It does not seem like that big a deal, but it was good for Mom to get out of her house for a while. It was good for all of us, and I am looking forward to more such evenings. -
2020-08-29
March on Washington 57th Anniversary
On the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington, tens of thousands of people gathered to demand racial equality and an end to police brutality in the US. The rally was organized by Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, the NAACP and the National Urban League. The families of George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and Jacob Blake, shared stories and called for systemic change. Organizers reminded attendees to practice social distancing and wear masks throughout the program. 1. Rev Al Sharpton speaking with an attendee 2. George Clinton cooling off before his performance 3. Black Panther Party member overlooking the crowd 4. Young boy holding Black Lives Matter poster 5. Martin Luther King III giving advice to activist from Texas 6. View of the crowd from the Lincoln Memorial steps -
2021-01-12
Activists Give St. Paul Mayor List of Demands
On Sunday, activists and community members hand-delivered a letter to St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter's home signed by over 500 constituents and 25 local organizations demanding the city stop evicting people from encampments during inclement weather and the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter is asking city officials to meet these requests: ➡️ Convene an emergency St. Paul City Council meeting to address these issues ➡️ Place a moratorium on enforcement of any illegal camping ordinance, to last the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic ➡️ Halt the clearing and disposal of tents and other sheltering materials to ensure that unhoused people do not lose what may be their only present means to self-quarantine and practice social distancing ➡️ Adhere to the existing statewide eviction moratorium ➡️ Follow best practices outlined by the National Homelessness Law Center -
2020-06
Dear Anti-Maskers
One common sight to behold during the pandemic was the signs posted within business’ storefront windows mandating masks to be worn to slow the spread of the coronavirus. In early June 2020 as the city of Chicago entered their Phase 3, which allowed for local businesses to reopen, some store owners used creative messages such as this one to enforce required mask mandates. The sign above, which I noticed on the Chicago Bagel Authority’s Belmont location—six miles north of the Chicago Loop—is a symbol of the city’s efforts to mask up, specifically targeting groups known as “anti-maskers.” -
2020-11-05
Echoing Empty Galleries
This photo, taken at the Detroit Institute of Art, is a glimpse of the drastically different pandemic-era museum experience. Upon entrance to the museum, guests are masked, tickets are bought online, temperatures are checked, and then one can wander the silent, empty galleries. Diego Rivera’s monumental Detroit Industry Murals are even more awe-inspiring when drifting around the cavernous hall distraction-free, with only sentinel machines keeping one company. Presently, Rivera’s personal history of political conflict and pandemic-related loss ring especially true. Although museum visits have adapted, one can still experience a powerful connection to art, in a new, maybe even improved way. -
2021-02-04
My Mother Will Be 80 Years Old This Week
My mother will have her eightieth birthday this Sunday. She is not likely to share her story here. She has a computer and uses the Internet. However, she usually only looks at other people’s posts on Facebook and does not use Twitter at all. I will therefore tell some of her story myself. My mother has been stuck in her house for nearly a year now. She lives only a mile or two from each of us, so my sister and I get her groceries for her so she does not risk exposure to the virus. My mother was resistant to this for a while, from a combination of independence, a disinclination to impose on others, and a plain desire to get out of the house. My mother probably has not gotten a hug from anyone in nearly a year. We call her nearly every day, and we do visit with her on patio, but we always keep our distance. As much as she would like to see people more, she does not want to break social distancing. In her view, she has stuck with it this long and does not want to waste that effort. When I talk to my mother, she often expresses boredom. She reads, works on puzzles, watches television, and calls family (although she does not want to bother people). The other day I half-jokingly suggested that she spend some time writing her memoirs. It would be a gift for her children and grandchildren to record her life experiences. My mother has started writing several pages a day. She writes long-hand in a notepad, then types up what she wrote on her computer. I was amused when she told me this, because I have not written that way in more than thirty years, and younger generations likely could not imagine doing it this way. My mother made one of her rare trips outside the house last week. She was able to navigate the website and get herself an appointment for a COVID vaccination. I was rather proud of her for persistently navigating a website that I found confusing and difficult to use. Her persistence in seeking a vaccination speaks to her eagerness to get life back to normal. -
2020-03-27
Social Distancing and Quarantine Were Used in Medieval Times to Fight the Black Death
A medieval Italian legislation document, dating from 1377, reveals that social distancing and quarantine measures were practiced during the bubonic plague. The article describes what measures seaport towns took to screen and isolate ships before their goods and crews could enter these populations Also, it discusses the advent of plague hospitals, how the word quarantine came to be, and 14th century public health structure. As far as medicine and technology has advanced over the centuries, we are still using some of the same practices that were used seven centuries ago. It illustrates how much we can still learn from the past. -
2020-03-13
covid
When covid first came out, it was a really small issue. No one immediately required social distancing measures and we were continuing life as normal. I was told that it was only in China, and the likely cause was someone eating a bat. However, as it got to the US, cases quickly escalated and everything shut down, taking sanitizer and toilet paper off the shelves and destroying small businesses. I was scared, but I knew I wasn't going to die. When school got off I thought the virus would go away in 2-4 weeks. Now the cases keep escalating, and it is January 2021. I am way more serious about social distancing now, having learned the impact of following the rules and the terror covid nurses go through. Looking back on myself in march, I feel stupid because I had no idea what was coming. I feel like this was a year of karma, learning, and self-growth and improvement. -
2020-12-08
Six Foot Seating
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. -
2020-12-14T22:05
HOW SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTES TO HIGH COVID RATES
We are submitting our group project from class which covers the affects Covid 19 has had on specific communities and groups of people. -
2020-11-26
Social Holidays: Christmas: how to be safe holiday shopping
Pictured is an infographic which offers tips on how to be safe holiday shopping. -
2020-10-21
Social wedding: Heirlooms Bridal Covid restrictions
This image contains rules which Heirlooms Bridal Shoppe established in operating their store during COVID-19. -
2020-10-20
Social wedding: Calgary 'superspreader' wedding led to at least 49 cases of COVID-19
This article explains the major consequences resulting from one 'superspreader' wedding in Calgary. -
2020-11-26
Social Holidays: Christmas How to tell family their Christmas gathering is too risky and you're not going
This article provides tips on how to best celebrate Christmas holidays and encourages Canadians to stay home.