Items

• 
  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.
• 
  2021-04-19

  Health Equity Considerations and Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups

  The pandemic has brought the issue of health inequity in the United States, based on factors such as race and ethnicity, to the forefront. Racial and ethnic minority populations make up a disproportionate essential workers. Poverty restricts access to health care for many individuals. The country must address these issues of health equity and social justice now and continue to address it t ensure the health and safety of all those living in the United States. The website provides references, information, and data on the link between ethnicity and race and COVID-19.
• 
  2021-07-22

  Hospital staff charging $21,000 for an ICU Hospital Bed

  Hospital beds and medical supplies face enormous pressure with the ongoing pandemic. This article indicates that hospital staff were charging over $21,000 for an ICU hospital bed, a scheme that was broken up by the Peruvian police. If one hospital has been caught, how rampant could this practice be? Also, how can the average Peruvian afford such astronomical prices? The fees and the fact that people paid them show the disparity in healthcare access between Peruvians of means and those without.
• 
  2021-07-02

  HERMIT HERALD,ISSUE 119

  Intro Dr. Shelby Steele
• 
  2021-06-04

  Truth during our COVID PANDEMIC

  Through this Pandemic, I personally had to mature past the age I currently am. Now having to take on such a huge responsibility to be safe and avoid as many people as possible, it really took a toll on my social skills. Especially for someone who had problems with anxiety, I found some peace and salvation being around and talking with the people I liked. now having to avoid them? Well, that was one big change. Although it was hard at first, I encourage whoever sees and reads this to embrace change and curve it to your steering. After all, I overcame my anxiety through this quarantine. Some people may say COVID has affected them in ways they may not recover from but I just assume that it is all adults speaking. I have grown as a person and have actually realized the small little injustices that happened to students and the misleading nature of the "system'. At this time, this era, highlights of racial acts have now shown itself as if you sprayed insects with raid pesticide. Surprisingly, it was more common in Police Departments believe it or not. The people who swore to protect and serve justice were the ones who were at the epicenter of injustice. Schools no longer served students but rather misled them into thinking they were being helped. The first I would love to emphasize on is the fact that nothing they simply teach us in school relates to anyone's lifestyle. Sure if you went the technical route to want a specific occupation it was helpful, but other than that, it was absolutely useless. As a straight A student, I found myself in "unknown" territory when I was outside of school. Nothing of what we were taught is to be put in use. We don't solve x to make a U turn, we don't need to do an entire analysis on a red stop light to know that it says stop and we certainly didn't need to know that the rocks that we kick on our walks to home are sedimentary rock or igneous rocks. The education system is flawed in helping individuals learn what they need to know. Handing out 7 different subjects when your goal is to be a computer engineer? that doesn't seem right does it? I'm sure you said yes and you are now beginning to see my point. A few months back, February 14, 2021, information was leaked on the edu system. These tests that they give us, these regents and state exams.. it's all a cover up to their hunger for money. They lie to us that our performance on the tests dictates whether or not we pass but that's not the case. It actually dictates how well the school is funded and how much the teachers are paid. YOUR TESTS.. they aren't doing anything for you. The better you perform, the central host that funds schools, uses that information and says "oh wait.. this school performed well. Lets fund them more and pay the teachers better for their *HARD WORK*" These things don't help us. That is why America Continues to see their homeless individual growth rate increase every year. The people are conditioned to do good on selecting a, b , c or d but have no idea how to get a job, do their taxes, get a business loan in real life!!.This problematic system needed to be changed and for my time, it won't. I hope that someone in the future sees this and does a comparison and contrasts on how things have changed or if it has even changed at all. I apologize for the long rant on school at this time, it's just at the center of all the youths' problems currently. Back on track to injustices here present. If we were to take a step back and really look at the racial events partaking currently, we begin to see how one of the most notorious orgs that stands against racism is to be considered a terrorist org. That is the BLM foundation. Now you may have thought that they do good, but I assure you it isn't what it seems. Let's first analyze what makes an organization a terrorist foundation. 1) The people sway from the cause and place the blame on someone else 2) propaganda is at the forefront of the organization 3) they destroy and hurt lives more than they help. Let's compare al Queda to BLM. al queda, the organization that was behind the 9/11 incident is no less different from BLM. 1) Al Queda sole purpose was to send a message to the US saying that they will fight back at any US involvement in the Middle east. They swayed from that and blamed all their actions on the US including the beheading of innocents and the raping of innocent women. They blamed the US even though the US was not present in the Middle east. BLM was to stand and say that there is injustice to black lives but they swayed and pinned all their problems on the White people. 2) Al queda said they were to bring peace for the people they represented but they instead lied and used those peoples as their weapons. The BLM founder used all the funds to make a large property investment. 3) al Queda, destroyed buildings and hurt the innocent. BLM riot's and protests, destroyed small business, beat and killed innocent bystanders, robbed stores, robbed innocents of all their belongings, destroyed any from of mobile property and most importantly, went against peaceful protests and went against the law. BLM representatives also took part in Black on Asian crime. This is to evaluate the fact that COVID was not only a small problem but helped highlight the true concept of humanity and it's injustice that went on in the darkness. In many ways COVID 19 was bad indeed but in high alert, it showed us what people really are when the light is shined on them.
• 
  2003

  Indigenous POV: Indigenous Rights Radio discusses COVID-19 in 145 languages

  Indigenous Rights Radio has posted interviews with Indigenous Peoples around the globe discussing COVID-19.
• 2021-04-15

  Differing Vaccine Outcomes by Country

  For the past few months, vaccines for Covid have been rolling out to Americans despite some setbacks. As of right now, a huge chunk of America has or is in the process of getting vaccinated, hopefully putting an end to this once and for all. Unfortunately, other countries without the same industrial capacity to produce the vaccine have been struggling. My sister, who lives in the Netherlands, won't be able to get a vaccine until May, and even that is tenuous at best. It is even worse for many countries in the global South, which will have to wait until well after richer capitalist countries finish vaccinating their people. The dirty secret here is that each company who developed the vaccine is not sharing for free how they made this life-saving material, forcing almost the entire world to be beholden to companies like Moderna. There will not be an equitable distribution of the vaccine, that is clear already. When countries like the US and the Netherlands do finish vaccinations by at least the end of this year, the world will still be forced to reckon with Covid still spreading in places like Sub-Saharan Africa and potentially back to the global North. If the world wants to truly deal with Covid and any future disease of a similar nature, it needs to figure out how to get vaccines quickly without a profit motive, something that is nearly impossible within a capitalist structure.
• 
  2021-04-06

  A People's Recovery

  This is a screenshot of a post from the official Communist Party of Canada’s Instagram account. This post calls for the introduction of a $23/hr minimum wage, 14 paid sick leave for all on behalf of the employers, and a cut to the work week to 32 hours with 40 hours of take-home pay. These reforms are more than needed, and will help alleviate struggles which have been exaggerated by the pandemic on everyday people. As strategies of austerity, and cutting of social security/benefits, empowering the private sector has not been working; rather these strategies have only brought suffering to the people, who are already struggling with a global pandemic. The Communist Party of Canada calls for united action in this post, stating that these reforms will not be freely given by the bourgeois ruling class as history has shown. Only through direction action and the mobilization of the worker will the just rewards of our labor be secured – as these interests are directly opposed to the interests of the capitalist ruling class. I feel this item in particular would be useful in documenting radical history during the pandemic, how left wing politics/activism functioned in a digitally quarantined setting. As primarily Instagram and Twitter were used to mobilize advocacy for direct action and to generate class consciousness amongst Canadians in this time of pandemic; which has seen the growth of income inequality and a shocking lack of federal support for Canadians.
• 2021-04-09

  Prince Phillip just Died

  Prince Phillip died after many jokes of him dying due to his last hospital visit at the drop of a hat. Well today, as of 4/9/2021, he has been pronounced dead, and my favorite thing about it all is how people are just now realizing that he and Queen Elizabeth were related, I thought it was more known but in hindsight, I guess that being more public would not be a very good image for the Royal Family. As someone who disagrees with the concept of the Royal Family probably knows too much about their transgressions and issues than the average person.
• 
  2021-03-30

  Landlording During the Pandemic

  This article discusses how despite initial assumptions that landlords may have been harmed during the Coronavirus they have actually been seeing large profits. Understanding that landlords are still earning money and turning a profit. This idea is in direct violation of the narrative that these eviction moratoriums are harmful to landlords. I wanted to include this article because I think to understand homelessness you also have to understand property ownership and landlording. I'll use the article to provide examples about how the homelessness experienced during the pandemic was preventable and how the pandemic has been kinder to landlords than to homeless people.
• 
  2020-04-30

  53% of Americans Say the Internet Has Been Essential During the COVID-19 Outbreak

  This Pew Research article discusses how different socioeconomic status and political preference influences how Americans believe schools should provide technology for their students. More importantly, the article goes into detail about how parents with lower incomes are more likely to struggle to provide some sort of adequate situation for their children, especially when the majority of Americans view technology and the internet as an essential tool during the pandemic. Besides student access to technology, economic class is also having an impact on how some individuals can afford their own internet connections and phone plans, thereby limiting their access.
• 
  2020-06-16

  The Digital Divide Among Students During COVID-19: Who Has Access? Who Doesn't?

  The article goes into detail, drawing from multiple survey sources on the internet to discuss how geographical location and economic class has affected the way that some students have been able to adapt to online instruction. Sources like the Pew Research Center show information from parents about their children's access to technology and how it has affected their capacity to complete their schoolwork, and compares that information to different school districts' capabilities to provide reliable sources of internet/other technology during school shutdowns. The article concludes by questioning how public education is a right in the US, but due to access with technology, and even basic technological issues for those who already had access to sufficient technology, has questioned how America's students are struggling to gain what they should be ensured.
• 
  2020-05-28

  Covid-19 highlights lack of connectivity in first nations communities

  This article speak about the ‘digital divide’ in Canada; a reality in Canada where rural and First Nations communities don’t have access to the sufficient technology or infrastructure to use online platforms, or just the internet in general. This particular article tackles how the pandemic has exacerbated this divide, and has shown the need to give these communities access to high-speed internet. These communities often are left to ask private enterprises to provide these services, and these corporations which are profit oriented as all telecommunications giants often ignores these calls, as they would not see a financial return. Essentially, profits are being placed over people, which in turn breaks apart the social solidarity of these communities and complicates communication between First Nations communities and the Canadian state, as well as community organization at large. However, this article states that the government will be actively attempting to incentivize these private corporations to build telecommunications infrastructure as a means to abide by the UN’s declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples. While progress is being made, this article nevertheless identifies the material and logistical disparities between First Nations communities throughout the nation; which have been highlighted by the pandemic.
• 
  2021-03-28

  Arizona Department of Housing

  The two main parts of this website are eviction protection and foreclosure protection. The eviction and foreclosure programs have become more robust as a result of the pandemic and the way that it has put more strain on people's housing situations. The site also has a specific section regarding assistance specific to the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID health focuses on mortgage assistance for homeowners. There seem to be some gaps on this site for renters who typically have closer proximity to housing instability and would need more assistance ensuring that they don't experience homelessness. I want to specifically examine the gaps that this site has and the specific type of assistance that it does offer.
• 
  2021-03-18

  Disparities in Healthcare during Covid-19

  This article is about the disparities in populations that have been impacted by Covid-19. The CDC found that American Indian, Alaska Native, African American, and Latino people were almost three times higher than non-Hispanic white people in hospitalizations during the pandemic so far. These numbers are, unfortunately, more a reflection on our healthcare system as a whole, not just specific to Covid. Dr. Felicia Collins, a distinguished graduate of Harvard Medical School, is the keynote speaker at the 2021 Alvin F. Poussaint, MD Visiting Lecture and will be discussing these healthcare inequalities. On top of having an MD, Dr. Collins also has a Master's in Public Health (also from Harvard), which gives her a unique perspective into healthcare at the individual and population levels. Analyzing healthcare data through the lens of a physician must give her the ability to contextualize healthcare disparities in a way that others would not. This sounds like it will be an interesting lecture on a very important topic, and will of course be held over zoom.
• 
  2020-08-17

  Community Paramedics Help Protect Homeless Populations from Covid

  This article discusses the use of community paramedics in the Covid-19 prevention efforts for San Diego's homeless population. Community paramedics are specifically trained paramedics that shift their focus from the treatment/transport to the hospital model, to a home-care model where the patient receives treatment and stays at home. In this case, they are being used to staff clinics at homeless shelters to provide care and Covid testing to their homeless population. The article references a 2017 hepatitis A outbreak in their homeless population and how that event has influenced the efforts during Covid to prevent a major homeless population Covid-19 outbreak. The article also explains the complexities of running these clinics but that it is worthwhile to aid a community that is among the most vulnerable to Covid.
• 
  2021-03-21

  hermit HERALD, ISSUE 105

  $1.9 trillion stimulus relief package
• 
  2020-07-15

  The screenshot says it all...

  The screenshot says it all...
• 
  2021

  Tens of millions of American's are out of work.

  Tens of millions of American's are out of work. Half our people are living paycheck to paycheck.
• 
  2021-03-21

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

  Verified When workers stand together in collective bargaining, there's power. Every benefit, from the minimum wage to the 5-day work week, was earned when people organized. It’s never easy. But workers at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama are standing together right now and if they win, it will send a shockwave throughout this country.
• 
  2021-03-19

  Stop AAPI Hate

  Nearly 3,800 anti-Asian racist incidents occurred in America last year, mostly against women, based on data by Stop AAPI Hate. Yesterday, Asian Americans and allies called for solidarity and condemned discrimination and racist violence in Minnesota. They also honored the lives of Delaina Ashley Yaun, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Julie Park, and Hyeon Jeong Park -- employees of an Atlanta-area spa who were killed on Tuesday by a gunman.
• 
  2021-03-22

  Activists are Showing Solidarity for Victims of Police Violence

  As the Derek Chauvin murder trial is underway, outside the courthouse activists are showing solidarity for victims of police violence by placing 'locks for love ones lost' on fences and barbed wire. For the second week, National Guardsman and Minn. State Police removed these locks. Through Friday, there are six people of color and seven white people among the 13 jurors chosen for the trial. There are two remaining jurors to be selected.
• 
  2020-09-24

  Tech Struggles During COVID-19 Hurting Students’ Ability to Learn, Educators Say

  This article comes from the perspective of educators who struggled with teaching students remotely, and includes statistics referring to students who had technology/situational issues that affected their work.
• 
  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.
• 
  2020-05-27

  Community Solidarity Creates Resiliency

  Community solidarity creates resiliency. Fed up and want to get involved? Follow these local orgs for updates and latest actions: @blackvisionscollective, @reclaimtheblock, @mpd_150, @mnfreedomfund
• 
  2021-03-20

  Deb Haaland Sworn in as the First Native American Cabinet Head

  Photos of Deb Haaland proudly wearing the ribbon skirt I designed for her brings me so many emotions that are difficult to describe.It is such an honor to see an Indigenous woman be sworn in as the first Native American Cabinet head. Deb Haaland is such a gracious, humble, and compassionate leader who exemplifies all the teachings that are pretty universal for Indigenous Peoples. The teachings of love, kindness, humility, honesty, truthfulness and courage can be felt every time someone meets Deb or each time we see her speak. Today not just as a ribbon skirt maker but as an Indigenous woman….I feel SO SEEN. I know that feeling echoes tremendously with relatives all across Turtle Island. I am so proud to have been a part of this historic moment in some way. Thank you and shoutout to my friends Margaret Gonzalez and Shane Balkowitsch for asking me to make her a ribbonskirt. ✨✨✨✨✨✨ The ribbon skirt reminds us of the matriarchal power we carry as Indigenous women. They carry stories of survival, resilience, adaption, and sacredness. As survivors of genocide we wear our ribbon skirts to stay grounded in our teachings, to stay connected to the earth and our ancestors. ✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽 Wearing it in this day and age is an act of self empowerment and reclamation of who we are and that gives us the opportunity to proudly make bold statements in front of others who sometimes refuse to see us. It allows us to be our authentic selves unapologetically. This is extremely important to me because when I was a little girl, the hate and racism I experienced as a First Nations person left me feeling shame. As the daughter of a Residential school survivor and a Sixties scoop survivor, sewing ribbon skirts has brought so much healing to my life. Expressing myself in a cultural and creative way that allows me to feel the strength of my ancestors has given me the space I needed to shed that shame I carried. Sewing is my love language. Extremely honored ~ Agnes Woodward @agneswoodward #ribbonskirts #ribbonskirt #IndigenouswomenEmpowered #DebHaaland #MatriarchalPower
• 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.
• 2020-08-21

  How Indonesia's Education System Is Faring

  "Since March 2020, students, parents, and teachers in Indonesia have been grappling with school closures affecting 62.5 million students from pre-primary to higher education." With such a socioeconomically diverse population, it's difficult to gauge just how accessible isolated learning would really be during the pandemic. The Ministry of Education and Culture had to move quickly to assure that there was some structure and guidelines set in place for educational institutions to follow. Unfortunately, as internet access isn't quite the common luxury many households have, the ministry sought partnership with television programming stations. This was to, at least, provide educational material to those who have access to televisions but not internet. The article goes on to provide four ways in which they hoped would assist in the growing education deficiency. 1) Develop more solutions to reach students without internet access; 2) Increase connectivity and train teachers to deliver more effective and interactive online learning; 3) Identify and support those falling behind with differentiated instruction; 4) Support disadvantaged students to return to school.
• 
  2021-01-26

  The 2021 Social Justice Outlook

  NEW YEAR. NEW SOCIAL JUSTICE OUTLOOK. 2020 will be remembered for the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide civil unrest spurred by killings of unarmed Black men and women by police officers. With a new president in office, what will social justice look like in 2021? Get your questions ready and join the conversation tonight at 7:30 p.m. on NBC 6 Voices with Jawan Strader on the NBC 6 Facebook and YouTube pages.
• 
  2020-05-06

  Zoom Meeting/ Social Justice During the Pandemic

  Join us for a dynamic discussion on how organizing and social movement tactics and methods are changing in the COVID-19 era of physical distancing. Participants will learn what the priorities of social justice networks and organizations are, and how they have changed in the time of Coronavirus. We will also discuss what leaders in the field have been learning about power building in light of these changes. Participants include: LaTosha Brown, Founder, Black Voters Matter Fund (https://www.blackvotersmatterfund.org...​) George Goehl, Director, People’s Action (peoplesaction.org) Michelle Miller, Co-Founder and Co-Director, coworker.org (info@coworker.org) Archon Fung, Harvard Kennedy School (Moderator) This event is part of the Democracy and Justice During Pandemic virtual series.
• 
  2020-08-18

  Reparations in America

  "Reparations is very important. Here in America, Black women are saddled with the highest amount of student debt in the country. For Black women in Boston, their median net worth is $8. In Los Angeles, the median value of assets for Black families is $200. In St. Paul, according to ISIAH, Blacks are 120% more unemployed than their white counterparts." - Trahern Crews Protestors gathered at the Minnesota Governor's Residence on August 16th to demand the United States government pay reparations to American Descendants of Slavery for 400 years of slavery, redlining, lynching, mass incarceration, and discrimination in education, housing, and employment. Photos from Reparations Rally In Honor of George Floyd, August 16, 2020
• 
  2020-11-16

  Militarization of Police

  The militarization of America's police first came in reaction to riots occurring in cities during the 1960s. These events were often in reaction to discrimination, poverty, high unemployment, inadequate schools, poor healthcare, limited housing options, and police brutality. In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. The Act created the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, which made available grants to local governments to develop and purchase military-type resources to suppress riots. The money expedited the development of SWAT and other heavily armored police forces in cities to counteract uprisings.
• 
  2021-01-12

  Activists Give St. Paul Mayor List of Demands

  On Sunday, activists and community members hand-delivered a letter to St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter's home signed by over 500 constituents and 25 local organizations demanding the city stop evicting people from encampments during inclement weather and the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter is asking city officials to meet these requests: ➡️ Convene an emergency St. Paul City Council meeting to address these issues ➡️ Place a moratorium on enforcement of any illegal camping ordinance, to last the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic ➡️ Halt the clearing and disposal of tents and other sheltering materials to ensure that unhoused people do not lose what may be their only present means to self-quarantine and practice social distancing ➡️ Adhere to the existing statewide eviction moratorium ➡️ Follow best practices outlined by the National Homelessness Law Center
• 
  2021-02-05

  Across The South, COVID-19 Vaccine Sites Missing From Black And Hispanic Neighborhoods

  An article and short podcast discussing how difficult it is to get vaccinated in Black neighborhoods, mostly due to lack of vaccinations and locations.
• 
  2021-02-28

  CovidWhileBlack - A Twitter post about Housing Instability

  The twitter page CovidWhileBlack shared a story, which I have linked, titled "COVID-19 Exposes the Black Community's Long History of Housing Instability." The struggle to keep a roof over one's head had been even more difficult through this pandemic, but even more so for many Black people. This article describes the shocking statistics of the inequalities. With many people losing their jobs, and with only 47% of the Black US population owning their own homes, the pandemic had caused many Black Americans to face evictions. These are sad statistics showing the state of inequality against Black citizens, especially during this pandemic. Real change needs to be made.
• 
  2021-02-14

  Essential vs. Expendable Workers

  When the pandemic broke out, I was caught in the whirlwind of being an essential worker. I was a manager at my local McDonalds, so I've seen just how cruel people can be, and how corporations have continued to neglected their workers. Many people are minimum wage workers, and its frightening to know that such a large population is suffering so much, only to receive little appreciation and change. Through my personal story, I hope to have readers step in the shoes of a minimum wage worker than a pandemic, so when they step out, they'll raise awareness on the issue of lack of support and care for minimum wage workers.
• 
  2021-02-18

  Black Doctors Consortium 24hr Philadelphia Vaxathon Feb 19 - Feb 20

  The Black Doctors Consortium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania planned to administer vaccines at the Liacouras Center at Temple University. It was to last 24 hours from Feb 19 12PM to Feb 20 12PM. It aimed to serve those who "live[d] in the hardest hit zip codes." No appointments were necessary. The original poster, handle @dralastanford, posted a series of photographs that helped answer some of the most frequently asked questions. These included the zip codes they were aiming for. These zip codes were specifically chosen as African Americans had "more than 50% of [the] death[s] related to COVID-19." With so much confusion over the vaccine and how to get it, this organization tried to make it an easy process. They assured that there would be designated lines for those who pre-registered and those who didn't.
• 
  2021-02-19

  Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium’s 24-hour Walk-Up Vaccination Site @ The Liacouras Center

  The original poster updated their social media feed (Twitter), in the form of a thread, about the vaccination site at the Liacouras Center at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The vaccines were administered by the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium (https://blackdoctorsconsortium.com/). The poster shared videos and photos of the people lining up to get their vaccines, which lasted hours. Since the mission was to get people vaccinated, there were some who had pre-registered for it. Unfortunately, even some of those people still had to wait a long time. It's really saddening to see how everyone waiting had to wait in freezing weather, and it seems that if they left for food, the restroom, or otherwise, their spot would just be taken. As written in the last screenshot, there were thousands of doses still left to give at that point, and they weren't sure how long it would take to do so.
• 
  2021-02-20

  8 Reasons Why BIPOC Are Not Getting Vaccinated Fast Enough

  The following social media post on Instagram by handle @lauraberthlima is an infographic of 8 reasons why BIPOC are not getting vaccinated fast enough. The original poster made it clear that it’s a myth how BIPOC aren’t getting vaccinated due to their distrust, and that it’s actually the difficulty in getting the vaccine. There are a few reasons that are easily guessed, such as inaccessibility and plain racism. However, the graphic and caption explain the reasons a bit more. That includes how the BIPOC-designated sites for vaccinations are being booked by non-BIPOC folks; leaving the BIPOC population without a place to get vaccinated. Many of the posts on this archive can tell you about the vaccine rollout, how there are goals for herd immunity, and that some people have been getting vaccinated by now. This social media post tells me that BIPOC are not being considered for vaccination, and that the system of vaccine rollout right now is less than ideal. It’s as if the people in charge of the rollout are actively assuring that BIPOC folks do not get the COVID-19 vaccine, and are keeping them at risk by doing so. It’s dangerous and irresponsible, and such posts should be shared to as many people as possible.
• 
  2021-02-18

  Vaccine-gate in Peru

  Peru's president, wife, and other well-connected politicians were getting the COVID-19 vaccine back in October, provided by the Chinese company Sinopharm. The vaccines were distributed before the vaccine was publically available, and some high-level officials have resigned.
• 
  2020-08-05

  Social Justice and Public Health in 2020

  From the article: The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus, has created an unexpected and unprecedented lifestyle shift for many people across the globe. Several months into the pandemic, the public has been exposed to a number of issues they might not have previously considered or thought possible, from hospitals rapidly reaching capacity and the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the mental and social challenges of physical distancing and being quarantined.
• 
  2020-11-10

  Sustainable Finance Addresses Social Justice As COVID-19 Raises The Stakes

  From the article: Economic shocks from the pandemic have widened existing inequities around the world, leading to calls for greater social justice in dealing with this health threat. Poorer people, minorities, and women are suffering disproportionately from growing health, housing, income, and education gaps under measures to contain COVID-19 that could set them back for years to come. To fund programs to address the problem, governments, supranationals, and corporations, among others, have accelerated issuance of sustainable instruments--including social bonds, where issuance jumped nearly four times so far this year to US$71.9 billion from the 2019 level. We think the sustainable debt market, partly because of the rapid rise in social bond issuance, could exceed $500 billion this year.
• 
  2020-05-15

  Why Covid-19 is a Social Justice Issue

  From the article: People are like gardens: they require the right seeds to be planted, watered and nurtured in order to grow, but if neglected, will never produce the full harvest of their potential. For decades, Black people have been starved of the investments, the systems of care and quality environments that are needed for sustained, healthy growth and development as a people. For even a rose, as the writer Nikki Giovanni reminds us, can bloom from the concrete, if we give it the resources, care and love it deserves.
• 
  2020-09

  Socially Separated Sandwiches

  During the fall of 2020, a local homeless shelter was unable to offer beds to people in need during the COVID pandemic due to space and resource restrictions. It was hard to witness these organizations meant to help people also need extra love and help during the pandemic whether it be for medical, physical, or financial reasons. In response to the need, my church was able to step up to make sandwiches that the shelter could hand out to the people living on the streets that they were unable to serve at the time. We wore masks, took extra safety precautions, and socially distanced in an assembly style line outside in the church parking lot where we made packages of chips and sandwiches. While working together to make the sandwiches for the homeless shelter, I was reminded that we are still a community even when we cannot be together in the same ways we were before the pandemic. Finding pockets of community in the turbulent pandemic has been a blessing and chance for me to truly appreciate those around me and think of different ways that I can reach out to the community and be a part of it despite the circumstances. Distance did not have to mean silence and stillness. People were able to help in any way possible. If they were unable to help make the sandwiches, they prayed for the mission or donated money for the supplies. People shared what they could and came together when it mattered the most. This story highlights how even in times where we stayed apart to remain safe, we were still able to come together in another way to support each other. Communities didn't have to disappear during the pandemic, and this is just one example of their power to persevere in dark times.
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  2020-12-09

  celebrities during the holiday season

  This is a instagram post made by Hailey Bieber, who is Justin Bieber's wife. This post shows them somewhere tropical on a vacation and you can see the date is December 9th. While they may not have been traveling exactly on Christmas, this post shows that they were traveling during the holiday season during a pandemic. Nowhere does it address them being tested for covid or being covid safe, you can only hope and assume they are taking cautions. This post makes me wonder how many other celebrities are traveling and having fun but not posting about it because of the backlash they would get, and deserve. I found this post important because you always here about these huge celebrities preaching to us on how important it is to stay home and wear a mask, but then you see them traveling to these beautiful islands and all these nice places because “we have a private jet” or “ we rented out our own private resort” so they justify traveling because they have the money to do so and ‘be safe’ while doing it. In my opinion it is very hypocritical on their part. Meanwhile the majority of the world is still stuck in their homes during the holidays not able to see their families or really give gifts to one another. This post is important to show the other side of the pandemic, the rich people side. I suppose the rich and famous are immune to covid? Who knows.
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  2021-01-16

  An Eco-Socialist model for fixing the COVID-19 crisis

  Rob Wallace, an evolutionary epidemiologist with the Agroecology and Rural Economics Research Corps, reflects on the state of the US's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He lists a set of demands, per se, that outline how focusing on an environmental ethic based on the principle of meeting the needs of each person can provide a way out of the pandemic.
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  2021-02-07

  Hungry in a Pandemic - Food Banks

  The numbers of people with food insecurities in 2020 include some scary statistics. The BBC wrote that one in eight Americans didn’t have enough food in the month of November, 2020. Feeding America said one in every six Americans would face food insecurity. Some people are getting creative, like a food bank in Illinois that started out online, providing a sort of online grocery shopping, but for free. Hunger has been a world-wide problem for a long time, and is something I would like to see ended in my life time. However, during this pandemic, when many more people began facing economic hardships, we see different outcomes. Some people are trying to make changes and help more vulnerable people, like some of the stories you can find on foodbanknews.org. Unfortunately, there are still many people facing the fact that they do not know when their next meal will come from. It isn’t a food problem, it is a society problem.