Items

• 
  2020-08-16

  Mask Breath and Swamp Mouth

  In 2020 it was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 + Celsius) in August in the eastern area of San Diego, California. I was working as a delivery driver for Amazon delivering packages around greater San Diego County. Having been about six months into the pandemic, masks were required pretty much everywhere. For health and safety, we were required to wear those masks while delivering. The picture above shows me wearing one of the masks which is made of cotton and double layered. These masks have a sleeve inside to insert a filter. Elastic strips with a stopper on the end goes around the ears to hold the mask over the nose and mouth. Because this mask irritated my ears, I took a bread wrapper twist and hooked it to the back and tied it so it wouldn't sit on my ears and was instead tied around the back of my head. This jerry rigged mask led to a tighter fit on my face. This in turn led to sweat and moisture collecting in the fabric of the mask throughout the day which led to an extremely pungent stench because of the sweat, mucus from a runny nose, and stinky breath. The other issue that caused more distress was the soaked mask. Especially on this particularly hot day, I was essentially breathing through a wet rag. Breathing through my mouth was the only option because my nose wasn't strong enough to draw in enough air. Climbing up stairs and up and down drive ways made it more difficult to breath. I had to take intermittent breaks to pull down the mask to get air and breath fresh air. Needless to say, mints, gum, and breath freshener was regularly on hand after this day. Along with lots and lots of water.
• 
  2022-05-10

  Anasitasia Viatele Oral History, 2022/05/15

  Anasitasia Viatele is from Kent, Washington. She recounts her life during the pandemic and the struggles she has faced during that time. She discusses her family in American Samoa and touches on their struggles as well.
• 
  2020-04-03

  My Neighbors and I

  My neighbors and I have known each other for multiple years, and are good friends. They came from India as immigrants back in 2000 and started a family, eventually moving in right next to us about two years before the pandemic. Once COVID hit, our usual Saturday night bonfires together came to a halt as we wanted to be safe and not spread the potential infection. Instead, they bought an entire fire pit off Amazon, and through the trees each Saturday night we continued our Saturday night bonfires together, just not next to each other. This was honestly a beautiful experience because no matter what we found a way to continue to connect with each other in a safe and timely manner! We still keep in contact to this day and reminisce on our old memories as neighbors.
• 
  11/15/2020

  Retail Worker Oral History, 2020/11/15

  C19OH
• 
  05/06/2021

  Linda White Oral History, 2021/05/04

  This interview conducted with Linda White talks about how her job in the financial sector changed and the many challenges presented from working from home. The interview also talks about the challenges of being a mom and having multiple kids returning home under one roof and how the family adapted. The interview also gives an interesting perspective into the life of a mother who has a child working in the health care field at this time. Finally, the interview also talks about other new experiences and hobbies developed and how staying positive was important. This interview ended by talking about the vaccine and looking to the future.
• 
  05/05/2021

  Jocelyn Penagos Oral History, 2021/05/05

  Jocelyn Penagos was born and raised in Columbia until the age of eight when she finally followed her older brother's footsteps and moved with her family to Florida. Leaving Colombia was a callous but necessary thing that she felt she had to do. Upon arrival in America, she began watching a movie and listening to music to better learn English. After being fluent in both languages and graduating High School, Jocelyn joined the armed services and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. She is still currently enrolled in the Marine Corps and is going on her ninth consecutive year. Jocelyn shares her experiences with covid from a military point of view. She offers great insight into what had changed or been created because of the lockdown and the virus. Jocelyn also shares with us her struggles to see her mother in Columbia because of fears that she could be the reason for her death.
• 2021-10-09

  Working at Amazon 2020

  When things started to slowly open back up, I had decided to work at a nearby Amazon warehouse. While working there, it was difficult to perform the different tasks since everyone was required to wear a mask and maintain social distance from another coworker. In hearing instructions from people or someone to ask you a question, it was hard to hear someone while having to wear a mask in the work field.
• 
  2021-03-21

  When Workers Stand Together in Collecive Bargaining, There's Power.

  Verified When workers stand together in collective bargaining, there's power. Every benefit, from the minimum wage to the 5-day work week, was earned when people organized. It’s never easy. But workers at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama are standing together right now and if they win, it will send a shockwave throughout this country.
• 2021-03-10

  Doing my Part

  In March of 2020 I am sure basically everyone's life took a spin and changed in some sort. With much fear around the Covid-19 virus going around and with little to no information and data behind it, many people throughout the world were very fearful of the virus. With basically everything shut down I lost the job that I had since I was 16. Being in college, I needed to make some sort of income. With everyone using delivery services such as FedEx, UPS, and Amazon to get their supplies, I decided that I could do my part in giving a hand to our fellow Americans during the pandemic. In my hometown, Amazon opened up a new distribution center shortly before the pandemic started. With the surge of everyone using amazon to get supplies the demand for jobs at amazon was high. Being a 21-year-old healthy man I decided to do my part and pick up a part-time job while still in school. This was a great experience for me because I was able to see how the operations behind such an impactful business work and do my part to help my fellow Americans get through the pandemic.
• 2021-01-14T08:53:10

  Covid routine

  routines before Covid were easy because they where every day. routines during covid were different because. the world closed down most off the sports programs, and restaurants and even grocer stores. people had to stay ind=side other wise they would be fined a lot of money. our family had to shop from Amazon for the first couple months. I play a lot of sports, like baseball, football, tennis, golf, and swimming sports. all those sports were canceled due to covid. then after that you have nothing to do.
• 
  2020-12-12

  Unfinished Projects Part 453.

  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.
• 
  2020-12-10

  In a COVID-19 world, Amazon made our lives a little less miserable

  Article about online retailers
• 
  10/17/2020

  Emily Tyler Oral History, 2020/10/17

  Transcription only: In this oral history interview, I sat down and interviewed Emily with a range of topics including: her background, employment, family, household, community, health, information sources, government, and the future. This interview was conducted at Emily’s apartment in Cincinnati, Ohio. Informed Consent was obtained previously before the interview.
• 
  2020-10-30

  Shopping Online

  With the ongoing pandemic, it has become safer to stay indoors rather than venture out into public often. Because of this many people elect to do their grocery shopping online and have their food delivered to avoid the crowds of the stores.
• 
  2020-07-17

  Nurses Cry for Help

  This is a cry for help that my sister and her manager posted on Facebook. This came at a time when nurses were running on empty as far as supplies were concerned. They needed anything they could get their hands on. The panic caused by the virus led to people hoarding PPE and essentially taking it from the hands of the people that really needed it. Because of that, the nurses needed to reach out to anyone that would listen. They sent a message to the community asking for help and putting the list of items they were short of in the amazon wish list. Thankfully within days they were able to get enough supplies to last them a few weeks but they are still reliant on the community. The pandemic has asked a lot from the frontline workers and the stress they've endured isn't something I'd wish on my worst enemy. If their is any way to make their jobs a bit easier, I think we owe it to them to do it.
• 
  2020-08-10

  Staying Active during Quarantine

  This photograph shows how different the time is compared to before the pandemic. I used to go to a gym called Orange Theory a few times a week to do HIIT workouts, however during quarantine they were closed and I had to find a way to still stay fit while not being able to actually go to the gym. I ordered some dumbbells and resistance bands on Amazon and would set up a space outside to do my workouts after running outside. It was different for me because I like having a coach present to give me workouts to do and to push me harder so it took some adjusting. Overall, this picture represents quarantine because it shows how we much adapt in order to keep going with our daily routines.
• 
  2020-03

  COVID-19 story

  Around the date that this image was taken was when the initial wave of COVID-19 began. I chose this image to best reflect my experience with COVID-19 because this was also around the time with the George Floyd shootings. As such, this document was handy for various reasons. For one, being an African-American male was a very unique experience at the time, since Floyd’s shooting brought about both people who supported either the BLM movement or was against it. The connection with COVID-19 was that during that point in time during the Floyd shooting, COVID-19 was not the main headline. However, as a consequence to the protests and COVID, curfews were put in place in various states nationwide. This image helped protect me from any unnecessary confrontation that could occur after curfew hours. During a time where there was already enough tension between African-Americans and law enforcement, I did not want to put myself in a situation where I could be compromised. In addition, this image will go down in history for future generations to see of the overall impact that COVID-19 had globally. This pandemic made drastic changes to the way of life in which we lived – from curfews to furloughing employees, to food and toilet paper shortages. This image reminds me of my experience with COVID-19. Around the date that this image was taken was when the initial wave of COVID-19 began. I chose this image to best reflect my experience with COVID-19 because this was also around the time with the George Floyd shootings. As such, this document was handy for various reasons. For one, being an African-American male was a very unique experience at the time, since Floyd’s shooting brought about both people who supported either the BLM movement or was against it. The connection with COVID-19 was that during that point in time during the Floyd shooting, COVID-19 was not the main headline. However, as a consequence to the protests and COVID, curfews were put in place in various states nationwide. This image helped protect me from any unnecessary confrontation that could occur after curfew hours. During a time where there was already enough tension between African-Americans and law enforcement, I did not want to put myself in a situation where I could be compromised. In addition, this image will go down in history for future generations to see of the overall impact that COVID-19 had globally. This pandemic made drastic changes to the way of life in which we lived – from curfews to furloughing employees, to food and toilet paper shortages. This image reminds me of my experience with COVID-19. #REL101
• 
  2020-04-02

  Totem of the Stitches by Natalia A.B.

  I began writing this book at the end of eight grade. I worked on it for two years until just this last April, and self published it completely independently at age 15. This book is about the hardships of a teenager's life, the darkness of existence. It focuses a lot on questioning society, it's structure and the way we function, as well as the darkness of an adolescent's life that we don't all get to see or experience. Publishing this book during quarantine was something I was as initially doubtful about seeing as the situation of our present is severe throughout the entire world. However, this book helped me personally through hard times in my life, and I felt as if publishing this book might help other people feel less alone in a time of fear and sadness. Thus, I published this book amidst the pandemic, and hope to provide a bit more light in a time of darkness.
• 
  2020-04-02

  Screenshot of Amazon Order for Face Masks

  My mother recently ordered a supply of face masks for our family to wear when we are out in public. The order states that they have already shipped, but tracking the package shows it has not yet left California. Note: These are not N95 face masks, which is the type of medical face mask in short supply right now and needed by those who work in the medical and first responder fields.
• 
  2020-04-10

  Amazon Delivery

  I was ordering masks on Amazon for my family and I saw this message. I noticed while shopping that there were either massive delays or that there was none in stock.
• 
  April 11, 2020

  Amazon Delivery Delays 04/11/2020

  I have been ordering more from Amazon and instead of two day shipping there have been delays up to two weeks.
• 
  2020-06-19

  Bathroom Black Lives Matter LGBTQ+ Amazon Announcement

  In this Announcement posted above the urinal in the Amazon Warehouse bathroom, the link between Black Lives Matter, the LGBTQ+ movement, and Amazon is made explicit. Clearly Amazon is actively choosing to endorse the Black Lives Matter movement in light of the fact that protesters were risking people's lives, according to the narrative, because many were not social-distancing during their protests, thus putting the public i.e. the elderly at risk. So this stance is noteworthy.
• 
  2020-06-10

  Gay Pride Flag at Amazon Warehouse during Covid-19

  This photograph shows that despite the Covid-19 pandemic, efforts to continue the Civil Rights movement via the LGBTQ+ movement is still continuing, even in the work place.
• 
  2020-06-12

  The Coronavirus Is Spreading Through Indigenous Communities In The Amazon

  Excerpt from article: Now, nearly 2,000 people in and around Leticia are sick with COVID-19. About 70 have died. That might not sound like a colossal death toll at first. But because the surrounding state of Amazonas is sparsely populated, this amounts to the highest per-capita death rate in all of Colombia, according to figures from Colombia's Health Ministry.
• 
  2020-04-22

  Jan Fran- Text From Facebook Post

  I have included Jan Fran’s name in this only because the facebook post was public and she is an established political commentator, but I was somewhat anxious about publishing her words in this way. When I first saw this facebook post it honestly probably took me about a week to get over my sheer rage at the amount of money Jeff Bezos has personally made profiting from the pandemic, which wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for that fact that his personal wealth is so staggeringly incomprehensible already. I read the other day that he has pledged a billion dollars to charities in the wake of coronavirus, which is just under a third of his personal wealth. How is it that one man can accept brownie points for donating a billion dollars in a context when he can justify keeping nearly two billion dollars in personal wealth while income inequality is a driving force in the deaths of over a hundred thousand people in his own country alone. How can anyone can claim to have ‘earned’ or ‘deserve’ such a staggering amount of money in a world rocked by a global pandemic is just so incomprehensible. Jan’s point about this false trade-off between the health of the economy and safety, which is made on so many levels above and beyond public health in a pandemic (because funding free education is bad for the economy rather than billionaires) is so striking, and I can only hope there are enough people who are more disgusted with the two billion dollars Jeff Bezos decided to keep than there are wanting to pat him on the back for donating the one billion.
• 2020-06-04

  Stayed at home for three months

  I am an international student. I stayed in my rented house for 3 months already. I have masks, but I don't want to go to supermarkets. I purchased everything that I need online. I survived the 3 months by using Amazon and eBay. Since I can't go out, I bought a VR game set to exercise. It was not hard to stay at home, but I really want to have some meals in a restaurant.
• 
  2020-06-01

  Covid Disorientation

  This meme describes the disorientation of having the daily routine suddenly gone because of quarantine.
• 
  2020-04-29

  Stand With Striking Workers Digital Poster

  A digital poster outlining the demands of workers in the online shopping/delivery/grocery staging a one day strike to urge the public to boycott the companies involved on the day of the strike.
• 
  2020-04-22

  Isolated indigenous tribes risk extinction from coronavirus, experts say

  "The threat of COVID-19 in the Amazon to indigenous peoples and the peoples in isolation is a very real threat of possible ethnocide,"
• 
  04/06/2020

  Living through Covid-19

  Journals I wrote of ever day life being quarantined *From Creator: Rahmo Abdullahi, Dougherty family college student, HIST 115
• 
  2020-05-17

  Fourth set Diario de una cuarentena, por Andrés Edery

  Items 41-60 in Diario de una cuarentena, por Andrés Edery, a series of political cartoons hosted by El Comercio Peru's website in the Historias section.
• 
  2020-05-12

  Donations for medical supplies needed in Iquitos

  Charity run by Diana Bowie (DB Peru) seeks donations to pay for medical supplies in Iquitos.
• 
  2020-05-11

  Coronavirus shuts down economy- it's impossible to live in Lima

  N/A
• 
  05/04/2020

  Treatment of Essential Workers: Amazon VP Resigns and Makes Statement about Workers

  This project aims to document the treatment and reactions to the treatment of the essential workers during this pandemic. This is the headline of an article describing The resignation of the VP of Amazon and also detailing a statement he made about Amazon firing workers who had protested their poor treatment during the pandemic.
• 
  04/23/2020

  Treatment of Essential Workers: Amazon Protests Continue

  This project aims to document the treatment and reactions to the treatment of the essential workers during this pandemic. This is the headline of an article describing more protests against the continuing poor treatment/lack of extra protections provided to Amazon workers
• 
  2020-04-20

  Treatment of Essential Workers: Amazon Skip Day

  This project aims to document the treatment and reactions to the treatment of the essential workers during this pandemic. This is the headline of an article describing A nationwide protest of Amazon workers where they are going to refuse to go into work, as a protest for the still poor working conditions and lacking benefits for the workers.
• 
  2020-04-14

  Treatment of Essential Workers: Amazon Employee Terminations

  This project aims to document the treatment and reactions to the treatment of the essential workers during this pandemic. This is the headline of an article describing The firing of Amazon workers who have been fired for speaking out against unfair treatment of workers during the pandemic.
• 
  04/28/2020

  Going to work at Amazon during Covid-19

  This photograph was taken at an Amazon Warehouse facility in Concord, North Carolina. In this image you are seeing all employees waiting in line 6 feet apart as they are scanned by a thermo type scanner measuring your body temperature to make sure you do not have a fever. If you have a fever an alarm is set to go off. Once you have demonstrated you do not have a fever then you are given a mask so that you can work. April 28th, 2020 9:00 EST
• 2020-05-06

  COVID on the Border: Part 1

  I won’t name the town I was in due to operational security concerns but I arrived on 9 March 2020 to a small rural community on the U.S. side of the U.S./Mexican border. I had arrived in support of one of those governmental three-letter agencies and would be spending the next few weeks in the town. For a small town it had all the services necessary to fulfill the needs of myself and my coworkers; restaurants, grocery stores, even a shopping mall. Surrounded by farms, the town was predominately blue-collar and relied heavily on cross-border migrants to assist in the fields. Spanish was the dominant language and a great opportunity for me to recall my ad hoc lessons from junior high classmates while growing up in Long Beach, California. The gig was temporary but would be a new experience in a new location. I was excited. The first night in town I enjoyed a meal at a nearby Famous Daves BBQ restaurant with my coworkers. As we ate our BBQ sandwiches finished off with draught beer we couldn’t help but notice the concerns of news anchors on a nearby television over COVID’s proliferation in the U.S. Each day from that point on the restrictions grew. First barber shops, nail salons, and other non-essential businesses. Then restaurants. A week later the Famous Daves was closed for dine-in. Our world was collapsing. In a matter of a week the town’s fragile economy had come to a screeching halt. Nearby was a large shopping mall that I visited during my first few days in town. I bought a replacement wedding ring from the mall’s JCPenny after losing mine prior to the trip. Now the giant behemoth, that monument to 1980s-90s materialism, was closed. Not a soul stirred. A recreational jog around it found a family riding bicycles in the parking lot. Aside from a few lawn care workers pruning shrubs and palms it was a ghost town. I thought of the courteous saleswoman who helped me pick out the replacement ring; how was she fairing, what was her income like, what was her struggle like now? As these thoughts permeated my mind I couldn’t help but be thankful that I was still in a job that paid. I said a quick prayer for her. Could I help? The mall was locked tight, no way to find out who she was. In just a few weeks of living in this small town during this time of COVID and observing human responses and governmental orders related to the pandemic I was shocked to learn how fragile an economy can be. What did this look like for the future of businesses? Could that large mall ever open again or was it relegated to history, to serve as a relic or memorial to past human behaviors. Amazon had become king. One’s only hope was to live near an Amazon packing plant or own a business that was sub-contracted by the online giant. The farms continued to produce, the trucks continued to drive, but there was a hole in this once tight-knit small town along the border.
• 
  2020-04-29

  Online Shopping

  Since the COVID-19 outbreak, I have not been able to leave my house and go to the store. Personally, I love to go shopping and walk around various malls and outlet centers. But, due to COVID-19, I’ve been forced to shop elsewhere. Because I haven’t been visiting traditional stores, I have been purchasing a lot more stuff online. I usually shop online occasionally, but now I’m shopping on online stores almost every day. Since I’ve been away from school, my number of online purchases has grown. In the past two weeks, I have purchased makeup, makeup brushes, a jewelry box, cleaning supplies for my Pandora bracelet, printed photos, and a photo album. Needless to say, I’ve been buying quite a lot. Shopping online can be dangerous because you can’t see the money directly leaving your account and you can forget how much you have really spent. The stress of COVID-19 and having to finish my college semester at home has pushed me to shop more. COVID-19 has not only been dangerous to everyone’s health, but also to their wallets.
• 
  2020-03-30

  Amazon Worker Walkout

  A headline of an article stating that Amazon workers are walking out over their treatment
• 
  2020-03-30

  Whole Foods Employees

  This series documents the treatment of vital workers