Items

• 
  2020-10-27

  Let 1,000 coronavirus flowers bloom

  A medical lab technologist in New York City has started making art out of biohazard labels. He calls his art "The Biohazard Collection" and plans to donate it to the New-York Historical Society.
• 
  2020-10-01

  Marcellus Morris, Community Organizer and Diversion Counselor

  Marcellus Morris is a community organizer and diversion counselor in Hempstead, NY. Through Reign 4 Life and other initiatives, he works with at-risk youth toward
• 
  2020-10-01

  Performing Arts Lives On

  With permission from the original poster I wanted to share my friends’ story. Being in the Performing arts has been tough for him since COVID hit, he had a show that was supposed to run right in the midst of COVID and in perfect artistic manner they found a way to make it happen. They held their show in a park and everyone (including the performers) wore masks. In his post he shares the magic of performing arts.
• 
  1918-10-18

  Historical Artifact from 1918

  I used the announcement from the article to create a comparison between the situation with the Spanish flu in 1918 and our current situation with the pandemic
• 
  2020-09-26

  Elderly Man Killed after Confronting Man Without a Mask

  This incident happened in a neighborhood near my own. An elderly man was concerned when he saw a patron in the same bar as him without a mask. In New York State, masks are required inside all buildings open to the public by Governor Andrew Cuomo's order. The elderly man, Rocco Sapienza, confronted the anti-masker, Donald Lewinski, asking him why he wasn't wearing a mask and suggesting he put one on. Lewinski shoved Sapienza to the ground where he hit his head and never regained consciousness. Sapienza subsequently died in the hospital. Lewinski has been arrested. This comes 5 months after an elderly #BLM protestor was shoved to the ground by Buffalo police. His head smashed on the concrete and he was hospitalized for weeks. The news spread over the national news and the #BLM protestor was accused of being a hired crisis actor by conspiracy theorists. These incidences of inter-personal violence are perhaps nothing new- police brutality and bar brawls unfortunately happen all the time. But they appear to have taken on a new political significance in 2020. mask, Buffalo, New York, #BLM, anti-masker, Governor Andrew Cuomo, mask mandate, violence
• 
  2020-03-17

  “Life in the Time of Covid19 in a Hyper-Super-Gentrified Neighborhood: Making Things Visible”

  What did my neighborhood looked like during the first phase of the New York State lockdown. How my neighbors responded to the crisis
• 
  2020-04-01

  Surviving the Front-Line of Covid-19

  This story is about my experience working in a NYC hospital - being on the front-line as the pandemic hits NYC. It is important for me to tell, so that everyone is aware of how unprepared we were. Had we prepared, we could have saved lives.
• 
  2020-03

  The Poster

  I am submitting my experience with learning about the truth behind environmental racism, how Covid 19 amplified these injustices, and how I got involved.
• 2020-03-15

  A very COVID year.

  My nightmare began in March when the government announced that most businesses would be closed due to the pandemic. The day before, I went to a party and I enjoyed myself. Little did I know that things would begin to change drastically. I heard very few things about COVID-19 before the lockdown, all I knew was that it was a respiratory illness and that the first case was found in China. I never thought that it would’ve made its way to America so quickly. As time went on, the days got even more scary. Schools, malls, stores and even supermarkets were closed. Reality hit when I saw how the cases were spiking in NYC. My job was temporarily closed so I was at home whilst doing my remote learning studies for nearly 3 months. I was so overwhelmed and exhausted mentally. Even though I did not leave my house, my mother and sister did everyday because they were essential workers. Every morning they left, I would panic, I was scared that they would catch the virus in the hospital and bring it home to me. My thoughts began to consume me, especially being home alone all day and watching the news. Hundreds of people were dying and the hospitals were full. Nurses and doctors were also dying. I remember watching the news and hearing about how many bodies there were. The morgues were full and they had to use freezer trucks to temporarily store the bodies. Watching the news every day made me anxious and sick to my stomach. Every night I would pray that the cases would decrease so that we could return to normal life. This pandemic is simply the most mind-racking experience of my life. I learned to appreciate life. Even though we are technically still in a pandemic, the cases are dropping and businesses are slowly opening. I just hope that we can soon resume life without masks and worry.
• 2020-09-24

  Doctor Appointment, COVID- 19, and the MTA

  During this Pandemic I have noticed how hard it is to travel in the city. In the beginning my doctor appointments were online and were more uncomfortable than being there in person. Going there in person is even more tricky since they can not let anyone go in to their offices .what is even worse is the traveling to the doctors appointments. I haven't really used the train in such a long time but since my doctors was in Manhattan I had to go on the train. Being in a compact space with people in a not really well ventilated area in a pandemic is not the safest things to do. I feel like COVID has caused me to have new anxiety because I have tried my best to stay away from people. Even before I got on the train my stomach was turning as if I was walking into new territory. I am Brooklyn born and have basically traveled by train everyday and now the idea of going into one was making me feel uneasy. I have also noticed that there were not a lot of people that were scared on the train while I tried to breathe through two masks people were not even wearing them properly . I have noticed that the MTA has put in the new penalty for people that do not wear a mask they will be fined $50, but to be honest it there was a few people in most of the subway stations that I was on with no masks and yet no fines were being placed. Not only was I scared of COVID but there has been a rise of violence in Stations and that scared me even more. Coronavirus has really changed the way that I view traveling when it comes to trains and buses and yet in New York City public transportation is the only way mode of transportation there is to get from one place to another effectively .
• 2020-03-13

  "The Carona revolution"

  This passed year has been a journey for everybody all over the world.We each were forced to figure out what to do,how to deal with our problems and adjust to it.The Carona pandemic changed everybody's lives with out a choice as well as some permanent changes.The carona virus also did change my personal perspectives on life and towards how I feel.When the carona virus began I lost my job,I wasnt able to see my friends ,I was forced to do things I never done and I felt miserable,Now looking back this journey was super important and itopened my eyes to the idea of change and to be grateful.The carona virus allowed me to work and change many of the habbits I didnt like about myself like my eating habbits.The carona virus forced me to try to figure out how to use a computer better.The carona virus also allowed me to understand the importance of what patience.Another thing I gained was realizing how important family is especially in a miserable time and why support is needed.Overall we can say go bad and how much damage there is or we can look at the greater picture and look at many of the changes we went through and look at that as an opportunity to be grateful like appreciating health and coming out of this alive and well!
• 2020-03-31

  Hate Speech: Community and Family

  The covid-19 pandemic has shaken the world in an unexpected way including myself. Several Americans have been affected by the pandemic losing jobs with panic wreaking havoc across the nation. My family was also affected with the pandemic as they operated a family owned restaurant. Many customers started to slowly disappear until my family was forced to close the restaurant from quarantine. Everyone that I knew was affected mentally as they did not know what to do indoors and eventually broke down. During this time, I was also in my second semester of my freshmen year looking forward to interacting with new people and professors. My first semester was enjoyable as it was a whole new experience that I was exploring. The pandemic made all classes remote and the atmosphere just did not feel the same as being in person. I was overwhelmed as most of my family lost their jobs including myself and the transition to online was unexpected. I lost all motivation to even focus on schoolwork as I was also affected mentally, but I managed to get through. The reopening phase of New York slowly recovered my family as they were able to open back their restaurants, but there was still a decrease of customers. The pandemic was not the only cause of the decrease of customers, but also my family being Asian was a factor. Many people engaged in targeting Asians around my area as the form of hate speech grew more severe as time passed by. My family did not feel safe operating their restaurant as they would not know what would happen to them. The community around me were mostly Asians and there was an increase of violence around my area. The community used to be lively with neighbors interacting with their kids constantly with everyone knowing each other. However, everything changed as everyone is staying indoors and is afraid to walk out in fear of being victims of the pandemic and hate speech. This story is important to me as the pandemic not only affected my family, but the community I live in. family, hate speech, restaurant, job, college, community, Asian
• 
  2020-09-20

  Mary Grace Arents Covid-19 Interview

  This is an interview of my friend Grace who lives in Sarasota Florida, and her experience during the Covid-19 Pandemic
• 
  2020-09-19

  9/19/20 COVID-19 Interview With College Freashman

  This is an interview of a college freshman detailing the effects COVID-19 has had on both the end of their senior of high school and the start of college. It focuses on education and more generally the response of national, local and educational institutions to COVID-19.
• 
  2020-09-20

  Covid-19 Archive Interview with Radika Barot

  It is the experience the average high school senior had during the Corona Virus Pandemic.
• 
  2020-09-19

  Jacob Frisch Oral History, 2020/09/19

  I interviewed Jacob Frisch about his experiences from Covid 19 and how it impacted his life.
• 
  2020-09-18

  Sophia Press

  Sophia Press, a freshman at Northeastern University, shares her experience with Covid-19.
• 
  2020-09-18

  Emma Clifford Oral History 9/18/2020

  I am interviewing Emma Clifford from my HIST1215 class at Northeastern University on pandemics. Emma is from New Jersey so I asked about life and how she adapted to the Covid-19 pandemic.
• 
  2020-09-17

  The Hands of Our Mothers: The Survival of Black Motherhood Through COVID-19 & the Uprisings

  My project sought to examine and understand the historical resilience of Black motherhood and its relation to the life altering pandemic, COVID-19 and racially driven uprisings against systematic oppression; How Black motherhood and resistance through Black motherhood adapted, how it’s changed and what new radical resistance through motherhood was conjured in face of the pandemic and race clarity. As an autoethnographic account this research project was centered around my experience of motherhood and communal connections, as well as the experiences of Black mothers and birth workers. The political positioning of Black mothers was considered through essays and poetry written, as well as photos during the lockdowns in relation to the concepts of birth and death, the idea of radical mothering and activism, and the umbrella term of community.
• 
  2020-08

  The Real Pandemic: How America Believed The Coronavirus Proved the Existence of Educational Inequity

  Several articles seek to expand the conversation of educational inequity during the pandemic in New York City public schools, however many exclude key aspects of inequality that predate the pandemic. This narrative acknowledges and challenges notions that use the pandemic to explain the inequality. It is not only my personal experience throughout the pandemic, but also the experiences around public education of me, my students, and co-workers. Amplifying the necessity for leadership, mental health, and technology to combat the concerns of racial and class retraumatization, the aspiration and achievement gap, and other aspects of inequity. In this analysis, we transform ideas about inequality in relation to [rather than caused by] the pandemic and challenge readers to think about solutions in a different way.
• 2020-09-11

  The Struggle of a Small Business Owner

  Throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic and my time in quarantine, I struggled with a multitude of things. I was distraught over my senior year being taken away, lonely from the lack of human connection and interaction, and full of anxiety and fear because everything about this virus and the future was still very much unknown. But none of this compared to my biggest and most upsetting struggle. Coincidently this struggle of mine wasn’t even my own, it happened to be my father’s. My father owns a vintage bowling alley named; The Fox Bowling Center located in a small town in Upstate New York. For over 25 years my father has owned and operated this bowling alley, and he has been involved with this business since he was 9 years old when his parents bought it in the early seventies. This bowling alley has been an integral part of my father’s life for almost 50 years, and during March of this year he had to shut down business due to the Covid-19 pandemic. My father was absolutely distraught and shattered over this news. He was worrying constantly over the future and when things might take a turn for the better so he could open back up. He also struggled severely with trying to pay bills and manage the money in a time when he had zero income. I think seeing my father struggle with money issues really hit home for me the most. The bowling alley never really made a lot of money to begin with, and when this happened he had nothing to fall back on. He worked tirelessly on trying to secure any type of loan that would help him just pay the bills and keep the business afloat. Seeing him go through this each day was torture. I just wanted to help in some way and tell him that everything was going to be okay, but I had no money to offer him and in total honesty I had no idea what the future held for small business owners like my father. Even though watching my father go through all this pain and sadness was one of the worst things I ever witnessed, he still managed to teach me some amazing life lessons I will cherish forever. He showed me to always persevere and look towards the future, and he also showed me that you can’t give up on the things you love and hold dear. I’m happy to also share that because of his hard work and perseverance with financial issues, he is able to reopen now that bowling alleys are allowed to open back up in New York. My father is overjoyed and can’t wait to have his loyal customers and friends bowling once again, even if it is a little different. I will never forget his struggle to keep the business open and when I think about those long months in the future I will always remember his hard work and dedication.
• 
  2020-05-13

  David Chang Permanently Closes Momofuku CCDC Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic

  This article covers what is happening in the fine dining industry during Covid-19. All restaurants are dealing with the pandemic and the loss of revenue. Many fine dining restaurants are closing because the cost margins are so narrow and for these restaurants to stay in business they need a full house. It also highlights the decision making that David Chang had to process and look out for the well-being of his employees if they did take-out and delivery. #foodislife, #davidchang #momofuku, #covid19 (Arizona State University, HST 580)
• 
  2020-05

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World: New York Sunset with a Mask

  This image captures a raw New York COVID moment. This is on a roof in Washington Heights with a gorgeous view of the George Washington bridge. We asked a masked stranger to take this photo and immediately sanitized the phone afterwards.
• 
  2020-06

  Political Activism in the Midst of a Pandemic: BLM March Columbus Circle

  A Black Lives Matter Protest is disbanded early due to the city curfew. I left this particular protest at 7pm to get home by 8pm but many people chose to stay. The NYPD started mass arresting groups of people who were out protesting after curfew.
• 
  2020-06

  Political Activism in the Midst of a Pandemic: Fordham Neighborhood Clean-Up

  People gather on Fordham Road after the night of the looting to clean up the streets. It was amazing to see how many people were eager to get involved and help to clean up our neighborhood. I arrived at noon to help and there was barely anything left to do. This truly shows how much can be accomplished when everyone comes together and lends a hand.
• 
  2020-06

  Political Activism in the Midst of a Pandemic: Aftermath of the Looting in the Bronx

  I took this particular photo because I found it interesting that these already struggling, local shops were looted and were tied to the protests by the media. I did not feel as though these specific actions were tied to the protests however, I do see looting as a valid form of protest when they are targeting big/chain brands and businesses. It was sad to see my neighborhood in this condition. These photos were taken in early June 2020.
• 
  2020-06

  Political Activism in the Midst of a Pandemic: Curfew is Moved to 8pm

  On June 2nd, Mayor De Blasio changed the already established curfew from 11pm-5am to 8pm-5am. This was a very historical moment in New York, as there has never been any curfew enforced on the city in my lifetime and 8pm seemed very early. I worried for essential workers and anyone who had to rely on public transportation to get home for work, as they were arresting people who were out after 8pm if they did not have a valid excuse or explanation. Photo retrieved from the New York Times.
• 
  2020-08-16

  A Lucky Star Adventure

  Victoria Lee-Brewer Professor Dominguez Politics in a Global Pandemic 08/15/2020 Moakley Visual Memory: New York I went to New York for a day, which not only showed me how serious some states are taking this but how officials in certain states are not enforcing some of the policies causing more problems. From the Boston Lucky Star Train terminal, is where I started my adventure to Manhattan, New York. As we got on board, they checked our temperatures I noticed the mandatory mask wearing sign on our way there inside of the bus but not on the way back. I stayed at the Courtyard Marriot in Midtown Manhattan on 34th street which not only had the best stores but the best sales as well. As I walked down the strip shopping with my boyfriend we notice, how all of the police officers are not wearing a mask while 75% of the civilians had on a mask. Which creates answers to questions like, why is the virus still spreading? Officials are not following the CDC and Health guidelines themselves, which explains why the spread in New York is continuous. I even rode the train to the Bronx and observed how Hospitals are not making sure their Sanitizers are staying full and officers once again were not wearing a protective face mask. Why should the citizens in New York wear a mask if the officers are not going to? Police officers are supposed to set examples and protect the public, instead they seem like a danger to public health.
• 
  2020-08-10

  The nature got some rest.

  We have all heard the phrase "a pictures tells a thousand words". This is a picture of a park I visit in Jersey City, NJ, USA every day in the evening. When the pandemic began the parks were shut down due to the geographical location of Jersey City, NJ so close to New York City, NY, being the city with the most cases in the US. Slowly but surely NYC started going into the reopening phases. This photograph was taken in phase 2 of reopening. People can be seen coming back out to enjoy the sun. But, the most intriguing part of the picture is how nature has had a chance to recuperate from human impact. I am a 3rd year medical student, was doing clinical rotations, when the COVID-19 pandemic closed down the whole world. I was forced to be confined to my home. I could not just sit by while all healthcare workers were being overworked with little to no sleep at all. 3 weeks into the lockdown I decided to use my acquired knowledge and get a job as a medical assistant/Scribe. I wanted to contribute anything and everything I could to save lives. After saving my first paycheck and receiving my second check, I decided to spend it all $798.00 on buying masks and gloves from wholesalers. Because of shortages of these supplies was so critical to all essential workers. I was able to donate the supplies to hospitals, clinics, religious institutions and homeless people (that are forgotten through these times). When I started going back to the park for my evening runs, I had to take a photograph of how beautiful the nature is and how we take it for granted on a daily basis. I am still working at my job and still donating all my earnings towards supplies that I can buy so we can all stop the spread of the virus, and come back out of our homes to really enjoy the nature that we had taken for granted in the past.
• 
  2020-07

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World

  I thought I would upload these photos to share how I found beauty this summer despite everything happening right now in the US. It serves as a reminder that although things are not normal and probably won't be for a long time, there is such immense beauty that exists in this world. If it weren't for COVID and losing my job I would not have experienced many of these moments that I captured in these pictures. Perhaps the silver lining of COVID is that for a lot of us, it has forced us to literally sit back and reflect and these photos illustrate the "COVID -friendly" activities I chose to do this summer with all my free time. Some of these photos are some scenic landscapes in NYC, where I live. The rest of these images are from various scenic places throughout the country, mostly in the west, where I began my roadtrip back to NYC a few weeks ago.
• March 31, 2020

  COVID Share Your Story #RITtigers #21, Accounting Major's Point of view

  It has been very difficult. I just finished moving into a new housing assignment after dealing with a demon roommate, then less than a week later RIT made us all leave. Two times in a week I had to move all my things by myself. My family lives in Los Angeles and all my friends were home so I had no one to help me. I've been fighting with both the California and New York DMVs to get my car registered for the last year, so my car is unregistered and I couldn't go anywhere. Luckily my aunt rented me a car so I could drive to St. Louis to stay with my grandfather. My mom didn't want me to drive to LA by myself, even though I've driven from LA to Rochester twice, but with my mom. My cat Poppy and I drove the 12 hours from Rochester to St. Louis in two days. I don't really like St. Louis or LA, I'd so much rather just be in Rochester, mostly because I've never been able to get a job there and I have a job on campus. In terms of classes being all online, I think it will be helpful for me. None of my professors are doing synchronized zoom meetings so I don't have to get up for class anymore. This is good because I didn't go to class all the time anyway. I can do the coursework more on my own terms now. I'm retaking a class I failed last semester and I think I'll pass this time not only because the class is exactly the same, but because the tests are open book and aren't under a time limit because they're online. If I could give a message to myself at the start of this semester, what would I say? Be ready for challenges and approach them creatively. Adapt to the situations at hand.
• 
  2022-04-13

  Wegmans’ Social Distancing Policy 04/2020

  Wegmans’ grocery store has pieces of tape on the ground to help enforce the social distancing rules. They also have signs on the ground to explain the meaning of the tape.
• 
  March 24, 2020

  My medicine barely works anymore and I keep forgetting to take it

  Because of my situation and the new amount of stress and separation from people my medicine isn’t necessarily working now so stuff like memory loss and loss of focus has increased for me. My new hobby is staring off into space.
• 
  April 16, 2020

  My Package Delivery time (on top of the month it took for it to get to the US)

  I had a package forwarded from the RIT campus post office and with the postal delays it’s taking even longer to get to me. I honestly don’t even know what the package is for anymore because things that I ordered back in December still haven’t shipped yet.
• 
  April 11, 2020

  Total Number of Confirmed Deaths in U.S. Surpasses Italy

  This is a news article stating how Coronavirus deaths in the US have reached 20,229, greater than Italy’s death toll which stood at around 19,000. Almost half of the deaths in the US are from New York at around 9,385. As someone who lives down in Long Island, which is where most of these deaths are located, it’s very concerning.
• 
  April 16, 2020

  Animal Crossing

  I’m just… just tired. I’ve been playing Animal Crossing because it’s the one thing I can control and also the one thing keeping me from shaving all my hair off on impulse.
• 
  March 16, 2020

  Closing of bars and restaurants in New York State 03/16/2020

  New York state closed all in-person restaurants and bars. This has affected me because this is a fun activity I will not be able to do with my friends. This also affects my friends who are waitresses.
• 
  2020-03-12

  Screenshot of Tig Notaro Tour Dates

  My father and I had bought tickets to see comedian Tig Notaro’s show in Ithaca, NY, originally scheduled for March 14th. It was rescheduled and pushed back to October 3rd. Tour dates may be pushed back even further in the future, depending on how long the stay-at-home orders are in effect.
• 
  2020-04-12

  Take-Out Menus for Local Restaurants

  Usually, my family tries not to order take-out too often, opting to cook something instead. However, to minimize trips to the grocery store we have been ordering food from local places like End Zone, Dom’s, and Bubbles. Aside from visiting grocery stores less frequently, ordering from local restaurants helps support them financially as well.
• 
  2020-04-11

  Elementary School Distance Learning Homework Assignment

  My town’s school is currently closed, so my little brother has been home for a few weeks. The school sent him a folder of homework to complete, which continues the curriculum they were working on but able to be learned from home.
• 
  2020-04-02

  Screenshot of Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the Nintendo Switch

  Since my friends and I aren’t able to visit each other in face-to-face, we have been playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons together online. Pictured are our three avatars hanging out in the game, similar to what we would be doing if we weren’t quarantined.
• 
  2020-03-18

  Dancing Through The Chaos

  This is a beautiful and haunting image of a ballerina dancer in a deserted Time Square in New York City. It shows the emptiness of the city as a result of the disease and the toxic environment with the gasmask she wears.
• 
  2020-04-04

  Discarded Mask

  I was walking through Highland Park when I noticed a mask on the ground. It seemed oddly poetic in this social climate; A dirty, discarded mask in a beautiful park.
• 
  2020-04-12

  An app that’s like Discord but made by a Chinese company

  Due to quarantine, the Chinese government have pretty much shut down the borders. In order to stay in touch with family and friends, this app is the only source to communicate with them. Although there are apps that are accessible for Chinese International students to get in touch with their friends, there are many harsh requirements in order to use it. Due to the relationship between China and the U.S., the app is no longer available for people in the U.S to use. You must have a VPN to bypass your ip address back to China in order to use it. During times like this, I hope both countries can put down any conflict they have and provide a better source for their citizens to access.
• 
  2020-03-20

  A Local Theater Cares for Its Community

  Betsy Garthwaite, facilities manager at the Ulster Performing Arts Center in Midtown Kingston, NY, puts a positive message about the coronavirus outbreak on the marquee outside the theater. Amidst the turmoil and uncertainties facing the world, this uplifting message reminds community members that they are not alone.
• 
  2020-03-30

  Central Park Field Hospital

  The grassy, open areas of New York City’s Central Park are being turned into makeshift field hospitals to accommodate the growing number of people diagnosed with Coronavirus.
• 
  2020-04-08

  My mom prepares lots of medical supplies to prevent getting COVID-19

  Due to the COVID-19, we didn't go out. Every time we did, we had to do lots of preparation, such as using disinfection spray, taking shower when we come back, wearing mask and gloves. COVID-19 had a great impact on my world. To keep distancing, I never go out, and even staying at home, we will wash our hands frequently.
• 
  2020-03-28

  Penn Station

  The photo was taken when I went back to Brooklyn. The number of travelers was fewer than 10 people. Lots of homeless people were staying inside. Most of the exits were closes. Very empty inside the train station.
• 
  2020-03-12

  Email from RIT about the switch to online classes.

  Changing courses to online had a significant change to my life. Everything is reorganized. I have to be careful with time management. It is very easy to forget to do homework or to prepare for the exam date. I have to spend more time outside of the class on school work because I have to understand the materials by myself. Need more self-control.
• 
  2020-03-23

  RIT students test positive for COVID-19 Email sent to Faculty and Students at RIT

  This email was sent the same day I took a walk around the campus (March 23, 2020). It is both a surprise and shocking to me to know there is a case in RIT. Even though no one (expect these two students) is affected on campus as far as I know, it still makes me understand how dangerous this virus can be, especially since I am on campus.