Items

• 
  2020-06-09

  George Floyd protest

  “This is from a protest on June 9th, 2020 I went to, which was in protest of the police and George Floyd’s death. The sign spoke to me and it’s the only picture I have from that day. But I feel like I was part of history that day. It was the first thing I went to with my friends or people since the lockdown started. Before that, I was alone with my family and my thoughts. And so it marked the beginning of a new world of change that we embarked upon.”
• 
  2020-06-05

  Staten Island during the Covid-19 Pandemic

  Photos depicting Staten Island Protest during Covid-19
• 2020-04-08

  Impressive experience

  When the Covid-19 outbreak first started in New York, it was unfortunate that all of my family was positive. In March 2020, after someone in New York was diagnosed positive, my family did not want me to go out and during that time I was in high school and working part-time. My family including most relatives also started not to work and quarantined at home. One day, one of my aunts came to my house with a cold and a cough, but we didn't think much of it because she just got the flu shot so we figured it might be the aftermath of the shot. After two or three days, we started to have different symptoms. I remember I started with a sore throat, a headache, a fever, and then lost my sense of taste and smell. My relatives also showed different degrees of symptoms, and my grandma had the most severe symptoms. She first had a sore throat, a cold, and a low-grade fever, and then she kept having diarrhea and couldn't eat which caused her to lose almost 10 pounds in just one week. During that time, one of my aunts came to take care of my grandma. Throughout the duration of my grandma being ill my aunt was running on only a few hours of sleep per day since she had to keep an eye over my grandma. I remember that the hospitals in New York were full at that time, many patients died without receiving treatment, and refrigerated trucks were parked outside the hospital to store the dead bodies of patients. The TV news also showed that many people were protesting against the announcement of masks being mandatory when going out. None of them believed that Covid-19 would be serious enough to kill people, and this frustrated me, making me feel the urge to express my feelings towards how serious this virus is. I saw that my grandma's condition was getting worse and worse. We also thought about calling an ambulance to take her to the hospital, but we were afraid that we would not get treatment and we would not be able to visit the hospital. We felt very hopeless. We were on the last straw, thus we were all discussing that if grandma didn't show any signs of improvement the next day, our last resort is to have my grandma sent to the hospital. As a result, the following day, my grandma started to eat and did not continue to have a fever, and her condition began to improve. Overall, Covid-19 has brought my family a lot of distress and I am glad that Covid-19 has started to settle and everything is slowly getting back to normal again.
• 
  2020-06-06

  History within History

  HIST30060: This photo was taken at the Melbourne Black Lives Matter protest in June of 2020, it was one amongst the wave of protests taking place across the world sparked by protests in the United States following George Floyd's death at the hands of the police. It was the second protest I had attended and the sheer number of people attending to show solidarity with people of colour in the US and shed light on police issues at home was an inspiring sight despite the harrowing reality of it all. Figures such as the Prime Minister at the time cited health risks as reason to not demonstrate, but this potential of COVID spreading however was consistently weaponised by conservative pundits (despite their consistent calls for lax restrictions). to discredit the movement.
• 
  2022-06-25

  Respecting bodily autonomy

  This is a tweet from metraux_julia. She is discussing the importance of wearing a mask for those that could be at high risk. For disabled people, they often face higher chances of getting COVID, in addition to having more complications with it. This is an advisement specifically for attending protests.
• 
  2022-04-27

  Minorities & Covid-19

  This text is about the BLM movement & how I believe Covid-19 aided the movement.
• 
  2020-08-28

  Ay Ay Aisle

  A comic strip about Covid-19
• 
  08/03/2020

  Florida Start of the Day

  A comic strip about Covid-19
• 
  2020-06-10

  Protest Love

  A comic strip about Covid-19
• 
  2020-05-03

  Protest march

  A comic strip about Covid-19
• 
  2021-04-08

  Did COVID doubters' perspective get lumped in with deniers?

  I believe we all know someone during the worst days of the pandemic who doubted that it was as serious as it really was. Perhaps they willingly discussed their perspective, reluctantly talked about it if pressed, or just did not even want to talk about it. I am not talking about the people seen in the attached article that were out protesting masks or vaccines, pushing conspiracy theories on 5G and Bill Gates' love of vaccines. I am thinking of the people we work with, are friends with, or very likely are in our families that just really just wanted life back to normal and did not think the global reaction was justified. A casual search of the internet for the perspectives of COVID doubters, or those who thought that the reaction to the pandemic was over-the-top, immediately sends you to articles and stories about the horrors and idiocy of the COVID deniers who pushed crazy theories about world dominance. Wouldn't it be nice to understand how the middle ground of the pandemic felt, lived, and reacted to the reality of the pandemic, if at all? We owe it to future generations to not only highlight the worst in the deniers, as seen in the attached article, but to also illustrate the everyday people who just were not sure who to believe, fake news or science. One thing is for sure, it is not fair to lump everyone in the middle into the far right. I would like to hear the stories of people who doubtfully lived in the pandemic, their trials, frustrations, and tribulations and if they had any change of heart or ideals. Their perspective will give a further understanding of the sociological impact of the pandemic.
• 
  2022-03-21

  In Hanover, the anti-LGBTQ school board needs discipline, not protesting students

  This story is about the school board of Hanover County in Virginia needing discipline instead of letting it's students protest and participate in walk-outs during school hours because of the policies against their transgender students. The school board is accused of having no intentions of supporting the non-binary and transgender students of Hanover. This is important because it is once again showing discriminatory policies that the school board keeps bringing up against transgender students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 2020-09-01

  Seattle's 2020 summer, school, and kids

  At the end of 2020, I was completing my student teaching online for my BA in Secondary Education. I was placed in a school in Seattle. Student teaching during this time is something that was incredibly difficult. Looking at faces through blurry webcams, and seeing the black tiles in zoom from students who wouldn't or couldn't turn on cameras. I will never know what a lot of the students looked like, or what their voices sounded like, but getting to read their work, and see their messages in emails and chats is something that I will always remember and will always hold a place in my heart. The 12-14-year-olds I was teaching had just been the last 3 1/2 months watching the BLM protests and marches in their city take place. A few students told us that they lived just streets away from the main events. Some students had been active in the BLM marches and protests that had taken place during the summer before, some stayed at home and watched on social media live streams and the news, some had parents who were heavily involved. They watched their friends, their family, their community, and strangers get tear-gassed, hit with "blast balls", and be subject to other physical violence. The levels at which they understood the what and why varied. Some had such an amazing level of nuance that some adults I knew couldn't comprehend. Others had an extremely base understanding of why people were protesting and marching. But all understood that it was a monumental event and would be something remembered in history. These children were scared, concerned, confused for a variety of reasons. Yet, overwhelmingly there was a sense of urgency for justice from these kids. My lead teacher and I knew that we had to pivot lessons in order to keep them engaged and meet their needs. Focusing on how the concepts they needed to learn could be applied to material that would interest them, and using homeroom activities to try to calm nerves, create a sense of community and answer questions about everything from Covid, to the protests, to the current election. They wanted to write and read about what was important to them, what they saw around them, and they wanted to read about different perspectives and lives from their own. We honored that. For the final writing assignment of the semester, we gave them some guidelines and standards that needed to be met within their writing, but gave them some freedom on how they wanted to meet those standards. I won't get into the specifics of the assignment, but I will say it worked well and was adapted to best serve students at all levels, and those with IEP/504 plans. We were met with everything from songs and poetry, letters to the mayor and the governor, essays about our anchor text, to reports about youth activists that they researched. I don't think the impact of the events of summer 2020 in Seattle on children is thought about. The events that a child experiences and is around affects them for the rest of their lives. Most don't have the skills yet to emotionally process fully what they see. Their thinking didn't stop when the marches and protests did, they wanted to learn and talk about it in order to process. The compounding factors of the summer and prior to that Seattle was essentially ground zero for Covid in the U.S. left most kids spinning. School became a safe place for a lot of these kids, and I hope that it has continued to be one.
• 
  2022-02-16

  Destruction of COVID signage/safety equipment

  This email chain documents a series of incidents in my workplace where an anonymous individual has engaged in acts of vandalism against COVID safety signage.
• 
  02/22/2021

  Bryan Gilbert Oral HIstory, 2020/10/05

  HIndiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis student Shanda Nicole Gladden interviews Bryan Gilbert for the COVID 19 project in hopes of collecting stories about racial justice movements in the context of COVID 19. In this interview they discuss noticeable changes in his neighborhood and work place. The reputation of the Eastside of Indianapolis and personal concerns surrounding COVID. The interviewee spoke about his personal concerns surrounding COVID as well as politics, the importance of voting and rising racial tensions. They spoke about the Black Lives Matter movements, protests and demonstrations and art installations that have followed that. They also spoke about hopes for the future, predictions on how COVID will impact the future. How COVID might change relationships (family, friends, community and society as a whole). The interviewee also touched topics of the LGBT+ community, getting married during a pandemic and the hopes he has for the progression of the community in the future.
• 
  2020-06-03

  Protests During COVID

  A few months into the quarantining period, protests for the Black Lives Matter movement began all across America in response to the recent unjust violence against African Americans. From my apartment balcony I was able to see the protests in action as they went through my neighborhood, capturing a moment that I thought would be relevant in history for years to come.
• 
  10/06/2020

  Sa'Ra Skipper Oral History, 2020/10/06

• 2020-06-19

  What Do You Do When the World Is Ending?

  If you were around on May 30, 2020, you would know that it really did feel like the world was ending. Cities across the country were ablaze with rebellious fire, police and military covered the streets, bridges were lifted. All this during a global pandemic. To be there to be a part of it all, it felt like the world was ending. So, what do you do when the world is ending? There are many answers to this question and while I chose to answer it in multiple ways, one of the primary answers was this: documentation. I documented what felt like the end of the world. Through words, videos, photographs, tweets. Any way I could. But through documenting the end of the world, I encountered some of the most beautiful moments. Moments of peace, of beauty, of love, of collective and mutual care. One of those moments is pictured here.
• 
  2021-11-16

  Hermit HERALD, ISSUE 132

  Wokeness, big Democrat problem
• 
  2021-09-19

  HIST30060 Misinformation

  This image I took down the St. Kilda pier. Someone had left various stickers that spread misinformation about covid, lockdowns and the vaccine. My friends and I decided it was best to remove these stickers as they are quite harmful. Living in Melbourne it has been so tiring watching ‘freedom protestors’ and people from far-right groups constantly spread misinformation and attend protests during stage 4 lockdowns (where we can only leave the house for the essentials). The fear-mongering these groups do its quite upsetting as I’ve seen my friends and some distant family members share their information on social media. The ‘anti-vaxxers’ and covid deniers even compare wearing a mask, getting vaccinated and being in lockdown to the Holocaust, which is so harmful and upsetting
• 
  2021-09-21

  HIST30060 Footage of smoke on the Westgate Bridge during anti-lockdown protests in Melbourne

  This video was taken on 21 September 2021, capturing the view of the Westgate Bridge from Williamstown, Melbourne, as anti-lockdown protestors fill several lanes and disrupt traffic. The footage shows smoke coming from the bridge and all traffic brought to a standstill. There were also helicopters hovering and police car lights joining the scene later on. I was on a walk with a friend along the Esplanade at the time this footage was taken. It felt quite scary to be seeing aggressive, violent attitudes manifest so close to home. We knew what was going because of news updates coming through our phones. After the initial shock and fear at witnessing this happening on a few kilometres away, my friend and I walked the rest of the way in silence, too appalled by the behaviour to do more than shake our heads in dismay.
• 
  2021-09-21

  (HIST30060) CFMEU Protests

  HIST30060. Following a state-wide construction vaccine mandate on the 20st of September, 2021, the CFMEU headquarters was violently ransacked. 'Tradies' or construction workers believed the CFMEU had not stood up for their rights. Violent scenes erupted between CFMEU leaders inside the headquarters and union members who had turned up to protest the vaccine mandate. Many Victorians watched the events unfold on livestream via Facebook and YouTube. Commentators noted that these protests were hijacked by far-right agitators attempting to destabilize the state through protests, especially during a pandemic where large gatherings are considered dangerous and illegal. Ultimately, the Andrews Government responded to the event by shutting down the entire construction sector for two weeks. This functioned as catalyst that pushed thousands of construction workers to protest for many days in the CBD. Ugly clashes between protestors and Victoria Police removed any validity or standing they may have had. Most people in the community heavily criticised those present, especially when other sectors (e.g. retail, hospitality, entertainment) had not been able to work for over 18 months.
• 
  2020-05

  Images from George Floyd Protests and BLM Demonstrations in New York City

  Images taken of signs held while listening to speeches from BLM activists. Another image shows a cluster of police during a demonstration in Midtown Manhattan.
• 
  2021-09-30

  I hope you wear your orange shirt

  A post on Instagram about the need for continual support for Indigenous peoples when it comes to protecting their sovereignty; and in resisting colonialism.
• 
  2020-06-04

  Small Town, Big Affairs

  The challenges of both COVID-19 and the lockdown illuminated the disproportionate burden black and brown communities have been facing with jobs, communities, and police. In the midst of the profound trauma of George Floyd's death, many communities had to come together to address what parameters were they enforcing for both the health and safety for its member. Many protest like the one shown in Anderson, South Carolina took place May-August of 2020 to demonstrate how a growing pandemic forced individuals to think about others' vulnerabilities--specifically those inflicted from police brutality.
• 
  2021-09-07

  Alabama Nurses Protest Wages, COVID Working Conditions: 'We Don't Feel Appreciated'

  Nurses in Birmingham, Alabama protested unequal compensation and poor working conditions at UAB Hospital by refusing to clock-in for the night shift.
• 
  2020-06

  Pandemic Protests

  These images from June 2020 were captured during Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests in New York City following the killing of George Floyd. The first image shows City Hall the morning after BLM protests. In this image of a landmark building covered in spray painted cries for change, graffiti depicts the frustrations over the cruel injustices institutions place on people of color. The second image depicts one of many protests during summer in quarantine when New Yorkers came together on avenues, bridges, and squares. Citizens marched and chanted as police followed alongside to ensure protests remained peaceful. These images capture uniquely complex dynamics when people were forced to pursue creative avenues, reinventing social justice movements to come. My time in quarantine was not solely spent on COVID related activities, I also educated myself on how and why many US institutions remain racist, discovering ways that structural change can address unjust attitudes. I read articles written by advocates for the BLM movement and also by conservatives opposing it. In exposing myself to differing mindsets, I was better prepared to engage in conversations with others opposed to change in the hope of educating them on the pressing need for progress. Furthermore, my high school friends and I frequently Zoomed to discuss how our alma mater contributes to racism in both subtle and overt ways. These conversations allowed us to work with fellow alumni, as well as current students, to create a document clearly listing racial inequities within the student body, the faculty, and the curriculum. For each issue that we highlighted, we provided multiple alternatives for how the school could fix the matter in question. While these conversations were unexpected before the BLM protests occurred, they became productive and fulfilling conversations that in and of themselves began to address long held biases, racist representations and undercurrents of injustice within our alma mater’s community and programs.
• 
  2021-08-14

  One person stabbed as COVID anti-vaxxers and counterdemonstrators clash in front of L.A. City Hall

  The title of this article quickly caught my attention and then I immediately felt saddened by the reality that this pandemic has been politicized from the beginning. People have become so passionate that they have lost all reason. There are always two sides to every story but I find it so hard to understand who oppose vaccinations and reject science. Its not at all surprising that the anti-vax side of this particular story showed up in MAGA hats, its further proof of the political foundation of their argument to "fight for their rights". I understand that people want the right to decide, but then those same people refuse to get tested regularly. This issue has been a messy and passionate one from the beginning and its really hard not to blame Donald Trump for the misinformation that is still being used by the anti-vax community.
• 
  2021-07-24

  Joseph Dopkin, Oral History 2021/07/24

  Ashley Tibollo sits down with Joseph John Dobkin to discuss how his life has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this interview his discusses how his life at school as a University student has changed. He also discusses how the dynamics in his dorm room and life at home with his family were impacted. At the end of this interview Dobkin touches on political topics, his views on how the pandemic was handled by local and state governments. He also discusses his views on both anti-mask and BLM protests.
• 
  2021-07-14

  Protests in France against COVID-19 'health pass' rules

  Police in Paris clashed with protesters railing against President Emmanuel Macron's plan to require a COVID-19 vaccine certificate or negative PCR test to gain entry to bars, restaurants and cinemas from next month. Macron this week announced sweeping measures to fight a rapid surge in new coronavirus infections, including the mandatory vaccination of health workers and new health pass rules for the wider public. In doing so, he went further than most other European nations have done as the highly contagious Delta variant fans a new wave of cases, and other governments are watching carefully to see how the French public responds.
• 
  2021-06-23

  HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 118

  Portland promotion
• 
  2020-06-23

  SRVUSD Budget and Reopening Protest Photographs

  These are unpublished photographs I took while reporting for my school's newspaper, The Californian. These photographs show the people who attended the protest, including a mixture of students and parents. There are also a variety of signs showing various motivations for protesting. This entry is connected to the "San Ramon community protests SRVUSD spending and issues with remote learning" submission.
• 
  2020-06-27

  San Ramon community protests SRVUSD spending and issues with remote learning

  This is a news article I wrote about a protest for my school newspaper. The protest was convened to support the ability for students in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District to be able to return to school for the 2020-21 school year, and to oppose raises for district management and certain purchases made by the district. The protest occurred on June 23, 2020, at the SRVUSD offices in Danville, California.
• 
  2020-06-01

  June 1st 2020 Chicago Lincoln Park Protest

  This was during the middle of the pandemic and I took a picture showing how not even a pandemic could stop people from uniting to protest against injustices. People can be seen wearing masks and keeping a bit of distance from one another considering.
• 
  2020-05-02

  On A Knee

  The photo highlights a peaceful protest that involved the participation of medical faculty. The health care workers included in this photograph included doctors, nurses, admin, security guards and handful of maintenance. This was demonstration to support the Black Lives Matter Movement after the killing of a George Floyd at the hands of a police officer. The individuals in this photo can all be seen taking a knee similar to the protest method used by Colin Kaepernick. National Football League, player Colin Kaepernick took his first knee on September 1, 2016. The taking of the knee went against the tradition of standing during the signing of the National Anthem. Kaepernick said at the time: “I am not going up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color”. The people in this picture felt the same exact sentiments as Kaepernick. I chose this source because I wanted historians to understand the impact of the pandemic and the unity it created amongst individuals of different races. As a health care worker, I faced the challenges of Covid-19 directly. The fear of transmitting COVID-19 led to months of isolation from my loved ones. This feeling of loneliness contributed to the decline of mental health for me and many of my co-workers. On May 25, 2021, when George was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer over a suspicion of a counterfeit $20 bill my feeling of loneliness grew tremendously. Being an African American man in the united states was now just as dangerous as the virus killing thousands in New York. When the members of my staff came up the idea of protesting for the rights of African Americans, my feeling of loneliness begin to fade. Kneeling on the ground next to coworkers of all different races reminded of the inclusiveness and unity that we all needed in life. This was a moment in a history that will never be forgotten.
• 
  2020-06-02

  Mayhem at Fordham Road

  A video of the riots that took place in Fordham Road during summer of 2020.
• 
  2020-05-30

  Civil Discourse During A Pandemic

  I assume like many New Yorkers, March 13th through 18th was when things really changed. It did for me on the 15th of March 2020 or the ides of March as I like to remember it. My store shut down for what seemed like 2 weeks. Of course, soon I would be given the news we would be shut down completely. I already knew where things were going, at the time I worked at an Asian restaurant, so I was hearing many of the conversations about China then. But I could not have predicted what would happen next. As slow and dreadful as 2020 was, things were moving at lightning speed for the situation we experienced. It felt like every few days something new would arise and test our nation. I selected these pictures because it shows how tired everyone is, the blank faces of people who are following orders, while the other side expresses their hardships all the while wearing masks, the bane of 2020. I want the historian of the future to know that no matter the situation at hand, many of us will still protest for what was wrong even if they got sick. It didn’t matter because we needed to send a message. The two images that you see in the beginning were taken by my friend, Emilio Lopez, who documented the protests, riots, and clashes between police in the summer of 2020. I did not go to the early protests because of covid and the violence/looting wasn’t the things I wanted to be a part of. I remember face-timing my friend to make sure if he was alright as I did not go with him. What he described to me that was happening in the parts of Fordham, and Union Square areas. Emilio had said many of the protesters were young men who were bored of the lockdowns and needed to do something exciting. There were fires, baton exchanges with the cops, and then the looting started. It all got a little too ugly for the whole week of George Floyd protests in New York. One of my close friend’s stores in Fordham was destroyed as a result. The images were taken right before things took a violent turn at Union Square. Where many of my friends were tear-gassed and beaten by cops to disperse when the first lockdown was getting implemented. Those two images, I feel like the body language of the subjects conveys how I felt about the lockdowns, the social injustice, in general about 2020. These were the first few weeks of protests that took place in the wake of George Fyold murder. I was shocked and scared when the masses went on to the streets because of the sheer amount while the pandemic was still going on. I hope the historians of the future can understand us even if they have to go through a cluster of memes from this era, real pictures with real human emotions will always speak louder I believe, and that civil rights in this country still have ways to go.
• 
  2020-07-15

  PSC-CUNY Protest at BCC

  For my primary source, I selected a photograph I took at a protest held in front of the Bronx Community College campus on July 15, 2021. The Professional Staff Union of CUNY (PSC-CUNY), the union for the faculty and much of the staff throughout CUNY, organized the event to protest the BCC administration June 26 decision to lay off 36 experienced adjunct professors at the end of their 3-year contracts, even though that their departments recommended that they be rehired. People in the picture include BCC Faculty, staff, and students, as well as those from as well as people from Hostos Community College, who came to support the BCC community and were facing similar cuts. The day was very hot, but I was nervous to the subway because of COVID, so I rode my bike from my home (about 24 miles roundtrip). I was pretty sweaty and probably stinky when I arrived. It was the first time I had been to campus since March 10, when, on my way home from school on the subway, I learned CUNY was moving online. (The campus itself was locked, but we stood in front of the gate on University.) It was also the first time I people from school in person since March; I was so happy to talk to them. It was weird to be with a group people, after months of isolation, but we all wore masks and stood six feet apart. Cars honked their support as they drove by. I selected this source because I want historians of the future to understand how the pandemic hit higher education and the connections among the COVID crisis, social justice movements, and education. Although I went to larger marches after the murder of George Floyd, I believe funding for CUNY is a form of social justice. I was angry that politicians and school administrators were giving lip-service to the phrase Black Live Manners, while cutting funding and jobs from CUNY. BCC’s students are overwhelmingly Black and Latinx, and many studies show that a CUNY education is one of the best schools for supporting social mobility, helping people support themselves and their families. Firing the adjuncts not only meant the teachers lost their income, and, sometimes, their health insurance, but that BCC students would be in larger classes; larger classes mean faculty have less time to devote to each student, which can make it harder to for students to succeed. While I understood enrollment was down and the budget from the city and state would likely be smaller because of the economic toll of the pandemic, I thought there were other places the administration could cut costs. (Such as their own salaries). I want historians to see that the faculty and staff of CUNY fought for what their students deserved and the connections among CUNY, social justice, and New York’s economic recovery. I also want them to see how people approached protests, which require gathering together with other people and often chanting or shouting, while in the middle of a pandemic that required people to stay apart and cover their mouths.
• 
  2020-05-12

  Anti-immigrant protest outside of hotel that is housing migrant families

  I was driving back from the library and saw this protest with no masks outside of a hotel that ICE is holding migrant families. They were waving American flags and had signs that said things like "America First", "Biden = Cartel", etc.
• 
  2020

  Anti-Maskers, Covid Disbelievers, and Anti-Quarantine Memes

  COVID-19 quickly became a political rather than a health issue. Conservatives tended to deny COVID's existence as well as the value of vaccines, quarantine and wearing masks.
• 
  2021-04-26

  Image Submission for LE Collection Call

  [1] This copyright-free image, courtesy of pexels.com, shows Corporal S. Brantley from the Wheeling (West Virginia) Police Department monitoring a protest. [2] This copyright-free image, courtesy of pexels.com, shows officers from the New York City Police Department, some of whom wear COVID face masks, beneath scaffolding on a sidewalk.
• 
  2021-03-03

  Bodies Needed

  This is an image of a protest blockade in support of a jailed Indigenous elder, who was arrested for protesting at the Trans Mountain pipeline construction sites in Burnaby, BC. The elder, Stacy Gallagher was arrested while preforming a smudging ceremony. This blockade was organized by the Braided Warriors, calls on their social media platforms brought more bodies to help maintain the barracade against the agents of the Canadian state and the Crown. The post's description stated, "BODIES NEEDED AT CLARK AND HASTINGS: 6:22AM, MARCH 3RD. Bodies needed ASAP to protect our Indigenous youth, elders, mothers, and children. We saw what happens when youth put a call out for support and nobody showed up - Indigenous youth, mothers, and elders were violently attacked - left with concussions and lasting injuries we are still recovering from. Numbers are low and early morning is typically when police move in. People have been holding it down here all night, and need bodies down here immediately. When our numbers dwindle, we are in danger. The Crown will not hesitate to criminalize Indigenous peoples. Your inaction is complacency, and complacency is violence. Put your body on the line. PROTECT OUR INDIGENOUS CHILDREN, YOUTH, MOTHERS, AND ELDERS. PROTECT THE SACRED FIRE." The comments of this post have messages of solidarity, people organizing for food and water, and those stating they would be arriving on the scene to help.
• 
  2021-04-12

  Solidarity with Tiny House Warriors

  An image of land defenders and their blockade on Secwepemc territory. These land defenders are calling for a cessation of the construction on the Trans Mountain Pipeline, which runs through unceded Secwepemculecw and Wet'suwet'en territories. While these piplines represent a threat to the ecology of the region, the construction represents the continuation of Canada's colonial reality into the years of pandemic. Furthermore, the construction of this pipeline has resulted in the creation of several work camps for transient labourers which have been called 'man camps.' These camps have been identified as a threat to indigenous communities, with particular threat of violence against First Nations women in the areas surrounding these camps, they have also been linked to the perpetuation of one of Canada's greatest crimes, MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women). As identified by the supplementary report on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in 2019, the perpetuation of this crisis and the lack of action on behalf of the Canadian state is a genocide, according to the U.N.'s definition of genocide. In truth, it is continuation of the genocidal campaigns against First Nations peoples across North America, the pursuit and extraction of capital by exploiting the land and the peoples who walked upon it first. These Tiny House Warriors in the comments call for land back, and a general campaign to shut down Canada. As of now, construction on the TMX continues unabated, the government of Canada shows no sign of upholding the call to Truth and Reconciliation.
• 
  2020-06-08

  A Balancing Act on Fire

  Although the meme is meant to be comedic, I feel that it reflects the reality of the stressors many people faced during the pandemic. To begin, the anxiety that the coronavirus disease brought into the public severely affected the mental health of many individuals across the globe. During the mandated lockdowns, I , like many others around me, began experiencing a decline in my happy hormones. At the time the pandemic restrictions were being put into place, I was living on campus with three other roommates. With the fear of spreading the disease unintentionally, the three moved out of the dorm right away and I was left to be on my own due to personal housing issues taking place at the time. The lack of interaction with anyone took a toll on my mental health. I missed my friends and my mom, I just wanted to be around someone, but we could only have visitors if they were helping us move out. On top of personal mental health struggles, events taking place across the country were also scarring. Protests in response to racial injustice under an administration that made it hard to feel safe unless you were a white male in America only added to the helpless state of being. Watching cases upon cases of unjustifiable abuse made the environment only more threatening than it initially seemed when the pandemic was first reported. The election of November 2020 was suspenseful in terms of who would be elected could potentially determine vital living situations for people all across the United States, whether it be immigrant status, being a person of color, or not being able to afford paying for housing in general. Financial troubles took over the country and the stimulus checks were not enough to cover housing, food, home essentials, especially when some dependents and entire families were not able to receive help because of their citizenship or dependent status. Many tried to turn towards their faith, the keyword being “tried.” Although not all religions focus on gatherings or physical objects, many people were unable to get access to these common preferred forms of practice and felt that virtual gatherings seemed ingenuine or illegitimate. Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic had many more severe effects on a global scale in all aspects of life. From concerns of the health of others, oneself, finances, practice of faith, and fear of safety in your own home, the negative effects are consistent as it seems that everything continues to pose a threat to daily living. I hope that everything eventually falls back into place and that justice is put in place so that people do not have to fear their own existence.
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  2021-03-27

  Stop Asian Hate!

  The rise in Asian hate crimes has gone hand in hand with COVID. This certainly was not helped by the previous administration continually referring to COVID as “China Flu” or “Kung Flu.” One of the more horrifying things is how close to home these incidents are happening. Just this month, there were two attacks at a local park on Asian Americans. One was on a Japanese-American Olympian, who was in training. The other was on an elderly Korean-American couple. I live in Southern CA, which has the third highest proportion of the population identifying as Asian, yet even here, racism and racially motivated violent crimes are happening. If there is any positive that is coming out of this, it is the honest conversations we’re having with our children about race. In light of George Floyd and similar situations, the immigrant population at the border, and anti-Asian crimes, our kids are engaged in an active dialogue about equity, prejudice, racism and our response to it. My children are proud to be Asian-American and seeing that pride and them use their voices, even in a small way, makes me hopeful for positive change. Like their signs say, they are proud to be Asian AND American, and to love them like people love Asian food! Oh yeah, and in this pandemic year, a reminder that they are not a virus.
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  2021-03-29

  Street Art Destroy Racism – Collection of anti-racist art

  Racism is a virus, a sickness we need to fight and eradicate together! ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻 I will never understand, but I stand with you. This portrait is based on a powerful photo by @futurehackney taken during the Black Lives Matter protests in London. This mural will definitely stay for a while – a reminder that inequalities and injustices happen every day, tearing countless lives and families apart, and that the fight against racism and discriminations can never stop.⁣ ⁣⁣
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  2021-04-18

  Maxine Waters urges Minnesota BLM protesters to ‘get confrontational

  MAXINE Waters has urged an anti-police Black Lives Matter mob in Minnesota to “stay on the street” if Chauvin is acquitted in the George Floyd case. The California Democratic congresswoman also told the protesters in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, “we’ve got to get more confrontational”.
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  2021-04-21

  COVID-19, Religion, and Public Life Reflection

  Throughout this past year, COVID-19 has affected each and every person, whether emotionally or physically, but I believe that it also has taught us so much about ourselves and allowed us to empathize with those around us who may be struggling in similar ways. The object I submitted is a photograph of my best friend and myself at a Black Lives Matter protest in Downtown Phoenix on June 3rd, 2020. As the pandemic has forced us to remain at home, it has given me the time to not only focus on personal growth, but also learn more about groups of people that are being oppressed around the world. I have become a more active member in society this past year listening to Black voices by furthering my knowledge on the discriminations they continue to face, and how their experiences of COVID-19 are different from white Americans. This has really opened my eyes to see how many different races are being oppressed, either by being blamed for the occurrence of the pandemic, or by how decisions are made surrounding who deserves priority treatment over another patient on the bias of race, ethnicity, or wealth status. I am grateful to have learned so much about these topics and for being able to attend numerous Black Lives Matter protests, and wish to continue to stand up for what I believe in as an active member in my community. Throughout the pandemic, I believe that relationships within religious communities have strengthened because individuals are looking for even more hope that their loved ones will survive and that everything will be over soon. Religion has played an important role in helping many throughout this difficult time by letting people know they are not alone and have an entire community to support them. Upon working hard to become the best version of myself and really see the world in a more positive manner, I have learned so much about the need for spreading positive energy and support especially to those whose voices were particularly oppressed during this time, or to those who were directly affected by COVID-19. In the midst of this, we must look past our differences and help each other out, because violence and disagreement will not further our progress.
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  2021-04-17

  Police clash With protesters during Adam Toledo demonstrations

  Police in Chicago, Illinois, clash with protesters during demonstrations for 13-year-old Adam Toledo following the release of the police body camera footage.
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  2021-04-17

  Police clash with Adam Toledo protesters in Logan Square following peaceful march

  The march was largely peaceful, but as it came to an end around 10 p.m., a small group of protesters still lingering in the streets began scuffling with police.