Items

• 2020-07-01

  The hidden costs of the pandemic

  Covid-19 was a surprising event that has shaken how many view the world. I am here now retelling my story on behalf of HNSC 2100, Fall 2020, M. Horlyck-Romanovsky. The pandemic has brought the worst in many. People were selfish, people took advantage of those who were desperate, and there were countless fights for small things in stores when it wasn't a big necessity. It brought me to think that humanity is really that selfish. But in a turn of things, it also brought together many people. Those who cared for one another were always there to talk to, sharing what they could and giving helpful advice to handle this pandemic. This leads me to my family and friends. When it first began, I was scared and felt all alone. My friends were the first ones I'd contact and first hear from. Worry washed over me when I realized there were certain friends I rarely talked to, making me want to go through who I had contact with and those I didn't. Time felt short and precious as you see many people's lives ending too soon because of this virus. In a sense, it made me value life more. While this opened my eyes to one side of life, it also opened my views to another part of life. When there is a more significant issue, those in power still refuse to do what is for the greater good, but instead for profits. What could have been a perfect time to provide resources and funds to marginalized and those in poverty communities they desperately need to prepare for a foreseeable shutdown? Instead, nothing was done for a while, and jobs were taken away to keep everyone at home. There was money to use, especially in bigger businesses and the Government, but it needed to be seen as profitable. What was worse about this was that I actually worried that the Government wouldn't have money in general, but looking into how more prominent corporations asked for millions, if not billions, in compensation for lost revenue, which they did receive in the end, made me extremely upset at the priorities of where our society is. Not only first losing faith in humanity but also in our own governmental structures. I wanted to grow up to work at these more prominent corporations due to their fame and how they represent themselves. But seeing this and the lack of giving back for the greater good, I have lost interest in even being associated with these types of corporations. One big thing that did come from all this chaos was the need to advocate for the smaller groups of people who can't or are afraid to speak up. I now want to work in a place where we can easily provide feedback/assistance to communities that are being impacted but not cared for. I take inspiration from my friends who have been there by my side, taking time when they could and always showing their support. Without them, I couldn't have gone through the pandemic with my sanity intact. While on the topic of sanity, the ways that the cost of living and prices of food went up at such a dire time of need were the most insane part of this pandemic. No one can afford food; it is clear no one is willing to spend on higher quality foods, and it's going to waste, so in turn, the prices would go down, right? No. The entire industry would rather destroy their own crops than give them away at dirt-cheap prices when it would have benefited everyone. Getting rid of the excess waste while making some money for selling it cheaply and the people can actually eat healthily as the prices plummet due to an abundance of this resource. Being a good defense against the virus if your immune system is at its peak! It infuriates me that this did not occur. My family struggled to make ends meet and put food on the table. It was the first time I had to reach out to food pantries, and I saw such long lines. It was a saddening sight to see. Every day, week, month, you'd see a line. Just how many really needed help, but no one could provide it. And when help did arrive, it was a measly couple hundred dollars or close to a thousand after half a year of suffering. If only food prices would have gone down as the entire world was going down, too, that would have been a blessing in itself. Even today, it is hard not to find myself using a food pantry. I wish I wasn't and didn't require these services, but it has become a regular occurrence ever since the pandemic. Now that it has quieted down while still occurring around the states and the world, the virus has taught us one thing. We must be ready to fend for ourselves; it is a sad truth, but it has become an untrustable and helpful place for the Government. I hoped we could move toward a better future, but this wasn't true. But that is what I took from this, and I plan to do work to combat and help others. The one good thing I see that came from this is my experience.
• 
  2023-05-15

  What we need to learn from Covid

  This is based off of what I have seen and heard throughout the pandemic. I have decided to post this because we need more awareness of the issues in education.
• 
  2021-04-15

  COVID-19 Changed Education in America

  The pandemic has completely changed education. Students' views and attitudes towards school has changed, as well as been impacted by trauma and lack of normal school routine. School districts and teachers have been scrambling to accommodate to the new change while also trying to maintain a feeling of being "normal" during a pandemic.
• 
  2022-04-27

  Poverty and the Pandemic

  My story touches on the importance of who holds the power over your life. Ultimately it is written to give an account to future generations so we never go back there again.
• 
  2021-12-10

  Lauren Leonard and Ryan BreucknerOral History, 2021/12/10

  A discussion with a peer about what we have learned about the COVID-19 pandemic through learning about other pandemics.
• 
  2021-11-16

  Hermit HERALD, ISSUE 132

  Wokeness, big Democrat problem
• 
  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.
• 
  2020-04-16

  Infographic: 8 Big Ways Coronavirus Impacts Latinos

  This infographic and the accompanying articles discuss the disproportionate impact that coronavirus has on Latino communities.
• 
  2021-07-19

  Erie County Health Equity

  This Buffalo News article discusses the racial disparities impacting the residents of Erie County during the pandemic. The article claims that the pandemic shined a light on the racial disparities as more African American community members were becoming infected and dying from COVID.
• 
  2021-04-18

  Gardening: Feeding the Planet and Ourselves

  Gardening is something I learned I loved in the spring of 2019, and I noticed many differences during the pandemic. The garden centers were always busy, much busier than the year before. And often, they would be sold out of things such as vegetables. The article I have shared here I found while researching food insecurity. I have long thought that growing your own food is something that should be more widespread, especially among places of poverty. Of course, this article does not mention the fact that people living in extreme poverty barely have enough water to survive, let alone grow crops with. Regardless, this article makes good points about our soil, our diets, and the future of our planet and species. I think one good consequence of the pandemic is more people will turn to gardening, which opens up many more aspects of life.
• 
  2021-04-04

  COVID Impacts

  This article by the World Health Organization (WHO) talks about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s livelihoods. The article says “tens of millions of people are at risk of falling into extreme poverty.” As a human living in a two story house that is food secure, this may just seem like a number. But extreme poverty is a human rights violation, and it is already clear the pandemic’s ripples are affecting people in serious ways. Further in the article, it starts to talk about the effects on the food and trade industry, which includes issues with closed borders, farmers being able to sell their food, and even people accessing healthy foods. The article ends by acknowledging the opportunity we have to rebuild a better world, and I find comfort in this thought.
• 
  2021

  The Lives and Livelihoods of Many in the LGBTQ Community are at Risk Amidst COVID-19 Crisis

  The story speaks about how many people in the LGBTQ community are at risk while the COVID-19 crisis is occurring. The study shows that people within the community have less access to healthcare, a greater risk of health complications due to COVID-19, and do not have paid leave.
• 
  2020-05-19

  COVID-19, Technology, and Implications for Educational Equity (Sociology of Education)

  This article addresses the divide between students who had easy access to technology/digital skills during the pandemic, and how it came into play in regards to grades
• 
  2021-01-19

  How does the pandemic affect children?

  This link provided explains how the pandemic is affecting the development of children.
• 
  2020-09-22

  Unintended Consequences Part II

  This article, "From Equality to Global Poverty: How Covid-19 is Affecting Societies and Economies," includes much information. It covers things like the fact that millions of kids may not ever go back to school after this. The article talks about how poverty has increased since the outbreak and how clean energy progress has stalled. The article ends by talking about the investments needed. But all in all there is a lot of important information here on unintended consequences.
• 
  2020-08-26

  Unintended Consequences

  Devi Sridhar from the London School of Economics covers some things we don't think about when we think about consequences of the pandemic. She compares outbreaks to black holes, as society focuses attention to the pandemic, other priorities are put to the side. Juliet Bedford talks about the vulnerabilities of poorer communities. This interview covers lots of unintended consequences and outcomes of the pandemic.
• 
  2020

  COVID-19 - Racial Equity and Social Justice Resources

  The Fundamental Equity Tools website has resources and tools for people looking to get involved with social justice issues surrounding Covid-19.
• 
  2020-06-09

  Why Social Justice Is Central to Treating COVID-19

  From article: Racism and classism create conditions where people of color, those living in poverty, and other marginalized groups have limited access to resources that affect health
• 
  2020-11-19

  Why America Gives 2020: How the COVID-19 Pandemic and Social Justice Movement Have Changed Giving [REPORT]

  From the article: In previous years, Classy’s Why America Gives report has focused on consumer giving trends, what motivates donors to give, and their plans for Giving Tuesday and year-end giving. In our third-annual edition of Why America Gives, the 2020 report measures these year-over-year changes in giving sentiments and behaviors; in addition, it also analyzes how current events—specifically the COVID-19 pandemic and the social justice movement—have altered giving trends.
• 2021-01-12

  The Cause of Covid

  In my own opinion, I believe that due to the lack of money and help from the government the Chinese had to resort to extreme means to feed themselves and their families. This is in no way their fault and probably is our fault as America and richer countries to not help and aid them. So from the lack of money in the slums of China, I think they had to eat not clean and weird things to stay alive which transmitted the virus from an animal to a human.
• 
  2020-12-11

  Heightened grocery store sales in Nunavut highlight food insecurity.

  Relief funding for the COVID-19 pandemic has been effective in increasing access to food in remote northern communities — but it's also revealed the true extent of food insecurity that Nunavut households face.
• 
  2020-11-23

  COVID and Montana High Schools

  The contributor of this item did not include verbal or written consent. We attempted to contact contributor (or interviewee if possible) to get consent, but got no response or had incomplete contact information. We can not allow this interview to be listened to without consent but felt the metadata is important. The recording and transcript are retained by the archive and not public. Should you wish to listen to audio file reach out to the archive and we will attempt to get consent.
• 
  2020-06-23

  Online Learning Leaves Students in Poverty Behind

  This article puts in perspective the effects of distance learning on families at or below the poverty line. Many students in poverty with food insecurity, family instability, and even homelessness are also lacking a quality education due to the pandemic and virtual learning. Along with these already existing problems, these students also lack some of the necessary requirements to learn at all including internet access and availability of technology. This is leading them to fall farther behind than they already were.
• 
  2020-03-16

  As Coronavirus Deepens Inequality, Inequality Worsens its Spread

  The main point of the news article is to explain why people with lower incomes and people who live in poverty are at higher risk of contracting COVID 19. Additionally, the article highlights the struggles that people who have to work during the pandemic face, like their company not taking enough safety precautions for their workers. I chose this article because it is important that people are aware of the communities that are the most at risk and most impacted by the pandemic. It is important that each country addresses this issue and makes steps to protect and help these people with their situation, especially during a pandemic. This news article reveals the communities of people that were at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. It shows how this pandemic impacted and further harmed impoverished communities. This news article is important because it highlights a large group of people who are being put at risk. The article calls attention to all countries that people that are impoverished or have a lower income are more likely now to struggle. Additionally the article warns that there could be a larger set back in these communities, since it is more likely that these people will contract COVID-19. The article is very non-bias. I was surprised when reading this article that it was not biased, because this article could have easily included an opinion about the U.S. government's stance on free health care and how that could improve the situation for those at risk, but it did not. The responsibility of the media during the COVID-19 pandemic is to inform the public on ways to stay safe, new updates (deaths, infected, vaccine, etc), state and country precautions being taken, and ways to help. Especially during a pandemic the public turns to the media to stay informed, so it is important that the media provides the public with a lot of information to ease their minds possibly.
• 
  2020-10-13

  Covid Affects Kids All Over The World

  Covid-19 has been affecting schooling around the world. It has shifted mainly online, with most kids attending via virtual schooling. Mix this with poverty and inability to access online school it has been affecting childrens mental health.
• 
  2020-09-30

  Geneva to Introduce a monthly 4,086 Swiss francs minimum wage due to Covid-19

  Geneva, considered one of the most expensive cities in the world, is going to be introducing a minimum wage of 4,086 Swiss francs (around $4500 USD at the time of posting) in order to help citizens prevent sinking below the poverty level. This is, according to the article, the highest minimum wage in the world.
• 
  2020-07-02

  Yemen Covid in A Time Of War

  Yemen is a country in a state of war. The Saudi coalition vs the Houthi Rebels. Saudi bombing raids have been destroying hospitals in a country with an already weak healthcare system. Humanitarian aid had been dwindiling since the Covid pandemic started. Now with a Covid crisis and humanitarian crisis how can the Yemeni people cope.
• 
  2020-09-01

  American Values

  This essay was produced as a part of the American Studies program at California High School in San Ramon, California. The essay is in response to the prompt "Is America currently living up to its core values?" This essay argues equal rights in America. It also includes references to the following modern events BLM.
• 
  2020-05-30

  “The Top U.S. Coronavirus Hot Spots Are All Indian Lands”

  “If Native American tribes were counted as states, the five most infected states in the country would all be native tribes, with New York dropping to No. 6, according to a compilation by the American Indian Studies Center at U.C.L.A.”
• 
  2020-05-20

  9 Ways Indigenous Rights Are At Risk During the COVID-19 Crisis

  “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated existing inequalities and human rights abuses that affect Indigenous Peoples around the world. At the same time, governments are taking advantage of the attention that is directed to virus response in order to proceed with projects and policies that further violate Indigenous rights.” Examples provided include: deepening health disparities, lack of access to information, violence against Indigenous peoples takes advantage of global attention on COVID-19, extractive industries greenlighted to continue operations despite threats to health and safety, government responses to COVID-19 exacerbate bad policing, exacerbation of poverty, increased food insecurity, increased land grabs, and mistreatment of migrants.
• 
  2020-04-03

  Malaysia's indigenous people flee into forests to escape coronavirus

  "After blocking the entrance to their village with logs, half the people of Jemeri fled into the surrounding forest in fear as the coronavirus spread in Malaysia, infecting the first indigenous 'Orang Asli' person."
• 
  2020-05-08

  The Resilience and Resistance of the Nahuat Pipil Peoples of El Salvador

  "in most cases Indigenous Peoples find or create ways to continue their languages, their culture, spirituality, worldview, and to successfully achieve autonomy by standing up to the state. This is due to the existence of a system of communally held lands which permits them to put together a way of life."
• 
  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.
• 
  2020-05-27

  Keep Your Rent Poster: 'Didn't Pay Your Rent? What Comes Next?"

  A flyer/poster stapled to an electrical/telephone pole at the corner of McArthur Avenue and the Vanier Parkway, next to a now well known mural in support of frontline workers and across the street from a large grocery store. The area around this pole hosts several apartment tours and the Vanier neighbourhood has a reputation as an area which, in some part, hosts numerous impoverished individuals. The poster is promoting the movement for non payment of rent if circumstances are such that it is impossible during the pandemic, and the prevention of eviction during the pandemic. This is a contensious issue; there are those who feel landlords are profiting from misery and the basic need for shelter while others do not feel depriving landlords of income is the answer and that the renting of properties is a perfectly legitimate method of earning a living. The sign reads "DIDN'T PAY YOUR RENT?/ WHAT COMES NEXT?/ Jobs lost./ Hours cut./ Bills to pay./ Families to feed./ CONNECT WITH YOUR NEIGHBOURS" followed by several different contacts
• 
  2020-05-12

  LGBTQ people face higher unemployment amid coronavirus pandemic, survey finds

  Surveys conducted by the Human Rights Campaign and PSB research demonstrate the vulnerability faced by the LGBTQ community during this crisis. LGBTQ people of color are disproportionately impacted by unemployment amid COVID-19. It's hard to process that these issues are present during an international crisis. At many times, it feels like the LGBTQ community is fighting a two front war. #ASU #HST580
• 2020-05-04

  A beautiful people

  So I am no story teller...I just wish to document an experience... Masiphumelele, affectionately known as Masi, is a township of an estimated 40 000 people in the South Peninsula of Cape Town, South Africa. If you know our townships, you'll know many of the residents live way below the poverty line at the best of times... hugely exacerbated by something like COVID-19 lockdown. So a huge initiative is feeding the people. And it is in this context that I experienced the absolute beauty of our people... Private individuals from all walks of life...many more affluent than their Masi neighbors...but not necessarily so... freely and generously giving of their time... money... energy... love...to come alongside Masi and deliver food parcels. Perhaps even more beautiful was the spirit of the Masi people. So welcoming... genuinely...not just because they may receive a food parcel. Children running alongside the vehicles, smiling, wanting to talk to the 'visitors' (not fully understanding social distancing 🤗). Residents going out of their way to help the donors find the intended recipients... they themselves not having much... but being sssssooo happy for a neighbor who might receive a parcel... even when they didn't and could well have done with one... the absolute gratitude and sadly the relief on the faces of those who did receive... just a basic parcel...but it meant meals for 2 weeks. And the heartbreak for the volunteers delivering the parcels... knowing that for every one who received, 100s more needed but wouldn't get... but not letting that sadness stop them... rather swallowing their own pain and carrying on with the work... knowing that at least a difference was made for a few people...like the story of the starfish. We often look at what COVID-19 has taken from us, and there is much lost. It has also given us so much...a glimpse into the beautiful souls of so many beautiful people...a privilege
• 
  2020-04-24

  Rural America

  This image is of an old family homestead in rural Virginia. You'll notice that there are no people in the photograph. This is because, in rural areas of America, not much has changed. The COVID-19 pandemic barley even effects places like this, as self-sustained and poverty is the way of life every singe day.
• 
  2020-04-24

  Service Learning with Suffolk University Madrid Campus

  Story by Elizabeth Finn, student of Suffolk University Madrid Campus Spring 2020
• 
  2020-04-08

  COVID-19 as a veterinary professional

  Short text
• 
  2020-04-05

  The Struggle in Rural Communities

  The COVID-19 pandemic is undoubtedly scary. We are currently faced with a time in which people are fighting for their lives, we can’t leave our homes, businesses are closed, and our lives have been completely uprooted. There is no doubt that this situation has affected every single person’s day to day life. However, from my personal experience I think that different communities are affected in different ways or perhaps hit slightly harder. Although everyone’s top priority at this time should be safety, I also think it is important to address the strain this pandemic is putting on communities like my own. The first week of March I drove 600 miles from South Carolina to Pennsylvania to go home and visit my family for spring break. Little did I know that I would end up being in Pennsylvania for the foreseeable future. My hometown is the epitome of a rural community. If you are not one of the few small business owners, a farmer, working for a natural gas company, or a factory worker in the next town over then you most likely live in poverty. Therefore, my community was already economically struggling before this pandemic hit. Once it did hit, the small businesses deemed nonessential were shut down, hours of operation for essential businesses have been cut back, and those who were already wondering how they were going to pay their bills now have absolutely no idea how they are going to survive heading into the future.
• 
  2020-03-18

  Working poor will suffer the worst health and economic effects of COVID-19

  curator notes: the author did not provide description
• 
  2020-03-18

  A Military Family

  A short text written by Caitlin Cannella-Martin.