Items

• 
  2020-08-28

  A flier advertising free Covid-19 shots in Sacramento.

  This event offered Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson vaccines, free Uber rides and Spanish and Hmong interpreters. The event was sponsored by the NCNW Sacramento Valley Section and La Familia Counseling Center.
• 
  2020-06-10

  Call to Action: A virtual town hall on Black Business and Economic Development Issues in Sacramento, California

  This flier describes a virtual town hall arranged by the Observer Newspapers and the Sacramento African American Coalition on COVID-19 that focused on the issues facing Black businesses due to Covid 19. Speakers included Moderator Larry Lee, President and Publisher of Observer Newspapers; Chelsea Rae Crowder, Vice President at JP Morgan; Khalil Ferguson, Executive Fellow at California Urban Partnership; Sfensa Ari Antch Shepsuaba, Proprietor of Cleo Cartel Inc and Sankofa Workx; Mark Adams, President AHI Construction, Inc.; and Stephanie Bray, President and CEO United Way-CCR.
• 
  2020-05-19

  Sounding the Alarm

  Virtual town halls educate and empower the black community during the pandemic "In March, we began distributing food, water and face masks to unhoused people in South Sacramento and Oak Park in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. We did this as members of the Sacramento Area Black Caucus, the Sacramento Poor People’s Campaign and the Sacramento Services Not Sweeps Coalition. All three groups are focusing our collective advocacy efforts on the pandemic and how it is impacting people experiencing homelessness in our community. What we encountered alarmed us. We saw that many of the homeless were not wearing face masks and weren’t observing social distancing. They didn’t seem to understand the danger, which was even more disturbing. When we asked, they usually replied that they didn’t have a mask or couldn’t find one."
• 
  2021-07-22

  Hourly AQI Sacramento Region Thursday, July 22

  This is an animated map of air quality in the Sacramento, CA region on Thursday, July 22, 2021. The map shows the air quality in the region every twenty minutes during the day. From roughly 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM, Camp Wolfeboro is located in the "unhealthy" air quality index level. From 7:00 AM to 12:00 noon the air quality is "unhealthy for sensitive groups". The poor air quality in the region appears to originate in Alpine County based on the animation, the location of the Tamarack Fire.
• 
  2021-07-16

  A Tale of Two Regions

  Since we aren’t getting on a plane any time soon, we road tripped it up to Tahoe. Taking advantage of having our car, we decided to drive out to places we would normally never visit, such as Sutter’s Mill and Donner Pass. As my husband called it, it was the Huell Howser California Gold tour. Something that was immediately noticeable was the rarity of people wearing masks around Tahoe and through the desert. Though mask mandates were lifted in CA June 15 for the vaccinated, I’d say about 50% of people still wear them (including my family) where we live. However, out in the more rural deserts and mountain areas, there was not a mask to be seen. I thought it was extremely interesting at Sutter’s Mill, which is a state park a couple of hours from Sacramento. The Park Rangers all wore masks indoors, and signs indicated unvaccinated must wear masks indoors. However, the tour of Sutter’s is all outdoors, with the exception of going into some of the historic buildings. I was a little nervous because I worried about my unvaccinated children going on a tour with possibly unvaccinated strangers who wouldn’t have to wear masks. However, when the tour began, I noticed all the families (all strangers to us) on the tour were wearing masks. Our docent asked each family where they were from and we were all from Los Angeles or Orange County. We all remained masked the whole tour. Our docent even commented “you know you can take off your masks outside?” He said it really nicely, but everyone remained masked. This regional difference was extremely interesting to me. I suppose Southern Californians may have a different way of thinking because our case counts were so incredibly high during the winter that they built field hospitals and ambulances were unable to pick up patients. Maybe that has made us more cautious. It was a literal war zone with the enemy being an invisible virus. Or maybe it’s just that every family on our tour took the same kind of vacation we did for the same reason - wanting a vacation but wanting to be outdoors, avoiding planes, and being able to safely distance. Donner State Park also had COVID protocol still in effect, with their interactive displays turned off.
• 
  2021-07-31

  My covid Story

  just writing about life since it started in late 2020
• 
  2020-11-11

  Pandemic Street Art: I VOTE

  On November 11, 2020, my middle child and I went for an art walk in midtown Sacramento to celebrate her birthday. Amongst the murals, many of which were put up during Wide Open Walls events of the past few years, we came across a new collection on the WEAVE building. The mural collection commemorates 100 years of the 19th amendment. WEAVE (Women Escaping a Violent Environment) is "the primary provider of crisis intervention services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Sacramento County." The artist of these murals is Maren Conrad, a Sacramento artist. She put these up during the pandemic, in October 2020.
• 
  2021-02-21

  Living through COVID-19 pandemic through the eyes of a young 75 year old

  Never thought I’d live through a quasi twilight experience in my life time. From being totally free to roam around to try my hand at different social, educational, and faith filled interactions to staying home, sheltering, social distancing, sanitizing, and using technology for daily living within one year was a marathon of changes. I’ve lived an exciting and challenging 75 years. There have been many twists and turns in my life which is what makes me think is the reason for my young can do spirit. The Covid 19 experience is yet another one of those twists that I never imagined. In a matter of weeks our country was practically shut down. The challenge of not being sure who to believe regarding the pandemic was disconcerting. I had just lost my husband and went from living in a beautiful neighborhood, El Dorado Hills, with lots of friends and a wonderful husband at my side who could always help me keep things in perspective. I sold my house and went to live with my daughter in Sacramento. My daughter, Monica, was so generous and tried to make me feel at home and never complained about my “intrusion”. Then when things were getting a tiny bit better for me, Covid rears its ugly head. The news media reported how the Covid pandemic started. But wait, then the news reported the way it started was not the way it was reported. No one knew the best way to protect anyone. It was new and devastating. People were getting the virus from mild to severe symptoms. Many people were in need of respirators and many died regardless. Conspiracy theories were popping up. With all of this confusion people were getting more and more angry. Watching, hearing, or reading about the events around our country were discouraging. Protests and riots were happening. My immediate neighborhood was never in danger of rioters but the down town area in Sacramento was affected. Were we ever going to heal as a nation? Would we be able to trust again? What could I do about anything? I kept my eyes and ears open to whatever I could do to improve our situation. I could no longer visit the elderly in the rest homes by bringing them spiritual comfort and friendship. The rest homes were one of the first hardest hit with Covid. I used to take Holy Communion once a week and would try to make conversation with the patients. It was good for them but it was also good for me to be in a position to bring a little joy into their boring lives. Service to others is a value I cherish. A friend of mine said she started to help making the mandated masks that we are to wear whenever we go outside. It was a great opportunity to help others, keep myself busy, and feel I was contributing to fellow man. The Sacramento Face Mask Project gave me the opportunity to serve again. A group of people donated the materials. Other groups cut the material to standard sizes, while another group delivered and picked up the finished masks. I was able to sew about 200 masks (see pictures). I never met with a person to show me how to sew the masks so I looked on line (something new to me) and figured out how to fold, sew, and press the masks. These masks were put into plastic bags, left outside my door, and picked up by another person. That person would also leave me another supply of materials to make more masks. The finished masks were given at no cost to organizations like the Veterans Administration and other institutions. Our project ended early January since masks are now available for purchase almost everywhere. Wearing face masks is essential but so is hand sanitizing, and social distancing. As a practicing Catholic I went to Mass every day. We social distanced, 6 feet apart, sanitized as we walked into the church building and signed in so that if there were someone infected we could be informed to quarantine ourselves or even get tested. The governor of California eventually closed all churches. We eventually opened for a small limited number of persons in the church building together with the protocol of social distancing, sanitation, mask wearing, and signing in. Opening up for indoor Mass or services again was prohibited. A federal mandate was given in January so places of worship are now able to resume as long as the protocols are followed and a certain percentage of the capacity is enforced. To live my faith and receiving Holy Communion on a daily basis is a privilege I hold dear. It does for my soul what food does for my body. Going to church is important to me but so is being part of a community. Zoom enters my world. I resolved to be “techy”, learn more about how to use technology. It was a steep learning curve but I approached it valiantly. My daughter, granddaughters, and other family members help me navigate the web. The trick for me was to “just do it”. I experiment and did not give up pushing buttons, or keys. Zoom is now a part of my life. I meet with friends and relatives about five times a week through Zoom, Duo, telephone conferencing, internet, email, messaging. I do most of my bill paying by phone or internet. I buy products and gifts through Amazon. Almost all business is conducted by phone or internet. If I don’t know how to do it I just “do it” by calling the company or by asking my daughter, son, or friends how to do it. They walk me through it and it gets done. It’s not always easy or smooth. Scheduling a Covid 19 Vaccination was a long process. After the first targeted group, first responders, was met the next tier was the 75+ yr olds. I’m obviously in that category. Kaiser Permanently got their share of vaccines but not enough. I called several times but they were no longer taking appointments until they got another batch of vaccines. “Don’t call us, we’ll call you” seemed to be the message. I tried two counties and other hospitals that were providing the vaccines. I couldn’t get an appointment for different reasons. Finally my doctor gave me the link to be able to sign up for an appointment. I am one of the people who welcomes the vaccine but there are those who are not comfortable with the vaccine and oppose it. Respecting differences is something I think we are learning to do or at least realizing that it must remain optional. Flexibility of mind is as important as elasticity is for the body if we want to stay young. Greatly limiting our family interaction is heartbreaking. Visiting, hugging, and just hanging out together whenever we want is almost impossible without great risks. Our holiday gatherings and birthday celebrations are kept very small or non existent. Not being able to see our elderly and/or sick family and friends is very sad for all of us. I’ve always been a part of my three eldest granddaughter’s lives. They range from 8-17. I have not been able to visit my fourth granddaughter who is now two years old. She doesn’t know me except through video and Duo phone calls. I am almost a stranger to my youngest granddaughter. I have the hope that after I get vaccinated and our situation improves I can fly safely to visit her in Idaho. We never stop growing. Things are not just black and white. Finding the truth or the best solution for a community takes flexibility. We hear each other. We work together. We take chances. We risk. We admit our failings but we don’t give up. It’s never too late to improve. This world wide pandemic experience has allowed many of us to discoverer our priorities. There are so many aspects in our lives that have been affected by the pandemic that it would take books to describe how deep and wide this affects us all. My immediate surroundings that I’ve described here in this little essay is not all that has affected me. I have friends in other countries that have even less ability to help themselves. I am connected to them. I grieve for them and for us, but I won’t give up.
• 
  2020-04-27

  Pandemic Street Art: Cross-country Corona Chalk Project

  A group of chalk artists connected remotely to create a piece of chalk art to honor frontline workers. The artists were Naomi Haverland from Seattle, Washington, Jolene Russell from Sacramento, California, Anat Ronen from Houston, Texas, Jessi Queen from Atlanta, Georgia, Shelly and Dave Brenner from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dave photographed his wife Shelly, who is also a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, for a collaborative chalk art piece with each artist making their part in their hometown.
• 
  2021-01-16

  Guard troops deployed throughout downtown Sacramento in advance of expected violence

  California National Guard troops were deployed throughout downtown Sacramento early Saturday in advance of expected protests and violence that the FBI warns could last through Inauguration Day. At the state Capitol — which is expected to be the site of protests Sunday and Wednesday as well as unrest between supporters of President Trump and antifacist groups — armed soldiers, Guard trucks and armored Humvees were stationed on streets around the building. Soliders and vehicles were positioned around other buildings, including the federal courthouse and the Superior Court building, as well as the Leland Stanford Mansion and buildings along Capitol Mall.
• 
  2021-03-04

  Sacramento artist, David Smith's display of COVID-19

  I heard about David Smith's COVID tree from the interwebs and set out to find it "in the wild" on Sunday, March 7th. The initial article says he created a total of seven giant viruses, and I was able to snap this photo of one in the tree, along with a giant Pfizer vaccine syringe, and a sign at ground-level that reads, "WEAR YOUR MASK."
• 
  2021-03-01

  Former Sacramento Firefighter Accuses Department Of Hostile Work Environment

  From the article: Jaymes Butler is one of two African-American captains within the Sacramento Fire Department. He says he’s not surprised by Lewis’s allegations. “Do I believe it? Yes, I do believe it. Because this is what happens when you don’t recruit a diverse department,” Butler said. The Sacramento Fire Department is made up of roughly 700 personnel and nearly 70% of them are white men. “Once the experiences he shared became known to the administration they started an investigation with the city’s Equal Opportunity Employment officers. We strive to have a department the mirrors the community we serve. Knowing that we can do better,” department spokesperson Keith Wade said.
• 
  2021-03-03

  ‘Just a beginning’: Black Lives Matter sign to be installed in Sacramento’s Oak Park

  From the Article: It’s a simple sign for a clear message, backed by the city of Sacramento: Black lives matter. A wooden structure spelling the words “Black Lives Matter,” the movement and global rallying cry for racial justice, will be installed at McClatchy Park, located in one of Sacramento’s historically Black neighborhoods. Unanimously approved by the City Council during its Tuesday meeting, the sign is covered in hundreds of names memorializing unarmed Black people killed by law enforcement. Community advocates say they hope the sign will be a symbol of a commitment from city officials to improve the lives of Black residents in Sacramento.
• 
  2020-06-17

  Street Art - freedom, social justice

  This article explores how street art expresses community sentiment in a public arena, as expressions of emotion, desire, creativity, and human rights.
• 
  2020-12-29

  Mural to honor front-line workers in Sacramento, California

  News outlet KCRA3 has shared a new mural called "Essential Heroes" by local artist Madelyne J. Templeton. The mural located at 12th and G Streets in Sacramento, California. The mural represents community sentiment of respect and honor for medical workers during the pandemic.
• 
  2020

  Community Connections: addressing food scarcity in Sacramento, California

  This website is a rallying point for Community Connections 95820, a community organization that works to provide food to families in need in the South Oak Park neighborhood of Sacramento, California. This organization is picking up where food banks are leaving off as many of the food banks in this neighborhood have closed due to the pandemic, and families have been lacking food for a variety of reasons. This highlights food scarcity issues during the pandemic and efforts of community members to make sure their neighbors are still able to get food. The “About Us” page says Community Connections was inspired by a project called Invisible Hands, in New York City. Community Connections highlights their commitment to safety, dignity, and anonymity for the families, sponsors, and volunteers.
• 
  2020-12-10

  Baby born to Sacramento mother in ICU, on ventilator with COVID-19

  A pregnant mother, and nurse, living in Sacramento, California contracts COVID-19 in her seventh month of pregnancy and delivers her third child. This news article captures some of the emotional struggles she went through from being diagnosed while pregnant and delivering her child. Through this woman’s story, we gain some insight into a mother’s experience of both being sick with COVID-19 and delivering a child during the pandemic.
• 2020-12-25

  The first Christmas of Covid

  Christmas throughout this Pandemic was slightly different from what I would consider normal, mainly because I did not travel to my grandparent's house, which is closer to Sacramento. Otherwise, we got bagels from a local bakery, we opened presents and called our family, so there was no real difference from the normal Christmas that I have come to expect.
• 
  2020-07-12

  California becomes the second state with more than 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases

  California became the second state to reach one million known COVID-19 cases on Thursday. On Wednesday, Texas became the first state to reach this milestone. The US in total has surpassed 10 million infections.
• 2020-05-01

  Untitled

  Crowd control presses forward to end the assembly before it escalates further. A woman stayed seated as the world moved around her, and she nursed the child in her arms as her form of protest to the world happening around her as she knew it. Strangers joined her, seating themselves and protecting her and her child from being trampled by the swelling crowd. Twenty two people were arrested. The woman with her child walked home free. A surreal contrast in the beauty and innocence of children and chaos.
• 
  2020-08-14

  Amador County Report Major Coronavirus Surge

  An article reporting on the surge of COVID-19 cases in a rural California county close to Sacramento, Amador County.
• 
  2020-05-13

  A letter to the Coronavirus

  This has been something similar to a journal entry for me, in how I have been feeling about the virus as a Sophomore in College. #CSUS #HIST15H
• 
  2020-04-20

  A Conflicting Agenda

  This image portrays two women in downtown Sacramento in protest of the shelter-in-place lockdown that Governor Gavin Newsom implemented. One women is seen holding a sign that portrays Governor Gavin Newsom as part of the Nazi regime or compared with Adolf Hitler. Another woman is seen in the foreground carrying a child on her back with another sign declaring that “All Businesses Are Essential”. Both women are protesting against business closures, unemployment, and being unable to return to the workforce. While with some jobs work is almost guaranteed like those who work for the state, other private and small businesses are suffering. On the other hand, while having the freedom to assemble and speak openly comes with its benefits, the sign depicting Gavin Newsom as a Nazi is quite extreme. The level of ignorance present in this photograph equates its offensive demeanor and deeply undermines the experiences of Holocaust survivors and the other millions of lives lost. For me fellow Sacramentans, seeing signs and descriptions such as these make me feel less proud of the town I live in. I thought the pandemic would help us realize our insensitive words and unnecessary slurs but it’s only reminded many people of a troubled past. The pandemic has truly brought a side of the American people that I have never seen and as a young student seeing adults act with rational thought makes me wonder where our world will be in the next few decades. If the world changes, so do we. Some people have a hard time overcoming adversity and the pandemic has exposed triggers amongst the American people. One of them being economic downfall. The image clearly represents what some individuals believe to be most important and valued in life. It seems that we have reached a point through this pandemic that we no longer prioritize the lives of each other but rather how much money is in the bank. In many ways, this is a reflection of what America was built off of.
• 
  2020-05-12

  Perspective of a First Generation Pakistani American University Student: The benefits of a campus and the difficult transition to the "Virtual Classroom"

  #CSUS #HIST15H
• 
  2020-04-17

  Work From Home

  I took a screenshot during my work meeting where our boss was guiding us through the transition to online tutoring. I work as a tutor through the Advancement Via Individual Determination program all throughout K-12 schools for the Sacramento County. This is basically my boss going through how we can provide online tutoring services for our students and be able to claim those hours. So far, our services have not been needed much since teachers are mainly focused on how to transition to online classes, something K-12 public schools never experienced before. However, I am still very grateful because my work have been really helpful in finding ways to pay us through this pandemic. It also makes me feel fortunate enough to have the option to work from home whereas other people like doctors, nurses, deliverymen, grocery market employees, and other essential workers are fighting everyday in the front lines. #CSUS #HIST15H
• 
  2020-03-17

  Where is my refund?! #CSUS #HIST15H

  I was given this receipt when I returned my parking permit through an Express Parking Permit Return station in parking lot 7 of my campus. The University Transportation and Parking Services wanted to provide a quick way where students can drop off their permits without getting out of their cars. It was also a way to ease the lines that were forming in front of their office at Lassen Hall since the school announced the transition to online classes. I went on a Tuesday afternoon, during our transition period where classes were cancelled for four days. The parking lot were pretty packed and the UTAPS people were all wearing masks and gloves. I handed them my permit and they handed me a receipt. I could have completed the refund application and submitted it before school closed down but since this was a first-time occurrence, my Chemistry professor was unsure if we would still have to come in for our labs. I waited and then the chemistry department decided that it would be safer for everyone to stay at home and we would just have to do lab analysis online. This was the only refund I was worried about since parking permits cost a lot and we were about half way through the semester. However, I remembered since the announcement happened, many students were trying to push for other refunds such as lab fees, the Well facility fees, and any other expenses charged by the university. Some requests were successful while others were not. #CSUS #HIST15H
• 
  2020-04

  Life Changes

  My life experience during this pandemic and how it has changed. Though many have had the opportunity to have access to resources I have not which has become a challenge! #CSUS #HIST15H
• 
  2020-05-09

  Class of 2020 Car Processional

  With the rest of the school year canceled at Sacramento’s McClatchy High School, the school staff is making sure that the class of 2020 doesn’t leave without fanfare. Students drove slowly through William Land Park, cars decorated and horns honking, as staff members dressed in the school’s red and white attire cheered and handed out signs for students to display in front of their homes. “These kids aren’t getting a ceremony, so we wanted to make sure we still celebrated them somehow. And it’s a chance for us to say goodbye since we won’t see them again at school. It’s so heartbreaking,” said a teacher.
• 
  2020-05-07

  A Change of Pace: Life During Quarantine

  This is just a brief look into my personal adjustment to the COVID-19 quarantine and how it has affected my everyday life. I discuss what an average day looks like for me in light of the situation. I also highlight the challenges I have faced during this time, as well as the changes that have occurred in my life. #CSUS #HIST15H