Items

• 2020-05

  Sick, Broke and Stuck at Home

  This Is a story about my being at home during covid-19 endemic May 2020. By this point, we were 2 months into lice living with a pandemic in America. Things were not progressing as people thought it should have been. And on top of going through the pandemic, there was a racial war going on. So, Not only was I dealing with being a human being and trying not to get sick Or get my mom, my little brother who is only 5 years old sick, but I was also struggling with being a black woman in America. A black woman with black parents, two black fathers, and a black mother and brother. I was scared to death every day. I hope they're dying because of the pandemic or dying because of my skin. It's still a story is still a feeling that I go through every day. It is December now, but I have a little more hope because of higher beings that I'm hoping and putting a little faith in doing what we need them to do to better our country. Now the name of my story is sick broken at home because, during May 2020, I was all of those things. I was not because of the pandemic, but because I had crazy allergy attacks, I was allergic to something I didn't know I was allergic to, and I think I was just mentally sick. My anxiety was at an all-time high. I was depressed, and on top of the fact I was home with a younger brother who is also autistic, and although he is high-functioning, there are times where he just doesn't understand like most kids don't know what they're going through and why the world is now changing so fast. And having to deal with adult anxiety while also dealing with child anxiety and having to pinch pennies because the government hadn't given me the money I had applied for and been approved for. It was all depressing, and while I am blessed to say that none of my family members who got covid died, it was so scary to know how drastic you could be. Now I know I don't know for a fact if I had to live in there was a point in February where I had gotten very sick and my stepdad had gotten very ill as well to the where we self-quarantine to not get my mother and my brother sick. I had never felt so bad in my life, and I've been very ill for four to the point where I couldn't get out of bed, and whatever flu I had was worse than that. And not three, four weeks later that our country goes through basically a state of emergency with everyone shutting down on March 13th. It was my last day of work, it was my last paycheck, it was my last everything until late May, and I still have the bills to pay. I got claimed as a dependent the year before, so I was one of the millions of college students who didn't get the stimulus check and whose parents didn't get anything for them because they were between 17 and 25. Everything in the country was being held handled during that time did nothing for me; it did nothing to help my family or me. Every day was a struggle, and every day I felt stranded like I was just a number, and nobody recognized the pain everyone was coming through on more than one level. And then you also have people who we're refusing to do what is so simple to do and call minor things like wearing a mask, slavery. How damaging that was to a fair few amount of people, and I'm talking millions of people. This pandemic is not something I'm going to look on with anger or pain because, for one, I met good people after the fact. I had many things that happened to me for the better, but the month of March through May had to be the worst months I'd had in a very long time. And as someone who's been through a lot, that's not something I say lightly. My only hope is that a lot more good will come out of this unfortunate and heartbreaking situation than bad.
• 
  November 17, 2020

  Luis Cortez Interview

  Luis "Louie" Cortez is an employee of St. Mary's University and in this quick oral history he gives us an insight into how life changed for him while working through a pandemic.
• 
  2020-04-08

  "Viktor Orbán is Using the Coronavirus Emergency to Crush Minorities" - Jacobin

  In an article for Jacobin Magazine, Imre Szijarto and Rosa Schwartzburg describe in length how the far-right government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has taken advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to pass a law to give itself emergency powers over civil society and the other branches of government. These emergency powers, which include the ability to censor journalists, attacks on LGBTQ rights, the power to grant government contracts (to Orban's cronies), and the takeover of art institutions, represents a blatant power grab that is unprecedented in Europe since the 1930s. Indeed, Orban's emergency power decree has drawn comparisons to figures as varied as Adolf Hitler and Emperor Palpatine (in Hungarian language memes), and the European Union leadership has strongly condemned Orban's decree as akin the "Enabling Act," which was passed by the Nazis in 1933. Orban's autocratic power grab and the democratic backsliding experienced by Hungary were already underway before the pandemic, but COVID-19 has allowed Orban to use a "state of exception" to effectively suspend liberally democracy in Hungary for the foreseeable future.
• 
  2020-10-05

  The Pandemic in Prisons: Covid-19, Repression, and the Carceral State

  This podcast episode is from the Revolutionary Left Radio podcast featuring show host Breht and guests.
• 
  2020-07-23

  Snap Judgment podcast episode on covid-19 in San Quentin state prison (CA)

  Podcast episode produced by Snap Judgment in which they look at covid-19 outbreaks in San Quentin prison
• 
  2020-07-14

  International Students Fear Deportation For Taking Online Classes

  The article is titled "In reversal, federal government will allow international students to stay in the U.S. while taking only online classes," published by The Texas Tribune and written by Raga Justin. The article covers a huge issue that impacted international students as U.S. universities were making final decisions having whether they were conducting virtual or in-person classes in response to the pandemic. In the summer of 2020, the Trump administration had announced that international college and university students would be deported if they were enrolled in only online classes for the fall 2020 semester. The potential for international students to be deported for the fall semester was frightening as many students faced uncertainty about how the upcoming semester would go. This terrifying for schools like St. Mary's, with a large international student population from all over the world. Fortunately, in early July, Federal officials reversed the policy so international students could stay in the U.S. while taking online courses for safety.
• 
  2020-10-08

  "The Nightmarish Challenge of Trying to Get an Abortion in a Pandemic"

  The article describes the recent challenges to obtaining an abortion in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic due to several states attempting to add further restrictions on abortion rights. It is important to understand that while it was already difficult for many to obtain abortions to begin with, the pandemic has added even more challenges for those seeking reproductive healthcare as well as more opportunities for anti-choice lawmakers to restrict abortion care.
• 
  2020-11-12

  Don't Defund the Police

  In this article, author Paul Boyer discusses the lack of logic behind the Defund the Police movement and asks who really would benefit from a decreased police presence. The article makes some sound points and raises important questions that many might not have even considered.
• 
  2020-11-12

  COVID-19 Law Enforcement Deaths

  Throughout the year, Law Enforcement has been under the microscope, more so than every before. With all the negative attention being heaped on officers, police, troopers, and deputies, it can be hard to remember that they too are being affected by this pandemic and that no one is safe or immune. The current statistics (as of Nov 2020) show that the #1 killer of law enforcement officers is COVID-19. Hopefully, the new year will bring smaller numbers and a brighter outlook for Law Enforcement.
• 
  2020-11-09

  Elderly COVID-19 survivors with no home find warmth at Hyderabad hospital

  There are many older people who don't really have family connections in the world. It's interesting to see cases of people who were living in adult care facilities and contracted Covid. They end up in the hospital to be treated but then there is nowhere to send them after. It's interesting to see stories like this and I wonder how it will end for Ms. Nagendramma.
• 
  2020-10-25

  Trapped at the Border: Asylum seekers protest Matamoros camp conditions

  On October 25, 2020, over fifty of 1000+ people in the Matamoros Border Camp gathered along the barbed-wire fence to protest their living conditions. The Migrant Protection Protocols (M.P.P.), a Trump Executive Order, requires many Spanish-speaking asylum seekers to stay in Northern Mexico until granted a court date. In March 2020, the administration sealed U.S. borders and closed immigration courts as part of the COVID-19 emergency response. Many asylum seekers trapped in the camps may never get a full hearing. Although protests could provoke retaliation from Mexican and U.S. immigration officials, these families demonstrated because they felt desperate. As in much of the southern border, cartels plague the Brownsville-Matamoros region. Many South and Central American migrants have experienced kidnapping, theft, extortion, and rape on their journeys through Mexico. In the camps, bounded by a fifteen-foot fence and heavily armed security forces, they face daily threats from poisonous snakes, hurricanes, flooding, and unsanitary conditions. Because the Mexican government does not give camp occupants sufficient resources, nonprofit organizations like Catholic Charities and Team Brownsville provide food, water, and medical care. On the day of the protest, two U.S. citizens from a Methodist ministry stood with demonstrators inside the camp. The asylum seeker who organized this demonstration sent her two daughters (ages 9 and 11) across the Rio Grande, accompanied only by a cartel-affiliated coyote (guide), to turn themselves into Customs and Border Protection (CBP). While she misses her daughters every day, she believes that separation is safer for them than remaining in Mexico or returning to Honduras. She trusts that God will protect everyone in the Matamoros camp because their cause is just. After the protest, I held her hand through the gate’s wire diamonds and promised to pray. Some protesters held signs with Bible verses like Matthew 25:35-40, while others called for the protection of LGBTQ+ migrants and an end to MPP. Many protesters addressed the U.S. presidential election. Voten inteligentemente, one sign reads – vote intelligently. Joe Biden promised that, if elected, he would repeal M.P.P. within the first hundred days of his presidency. Asylum seekers realize that without a leadership change, they have very little chance of entering the U.S. I witnessed this reality while I stood in an hour-long customs line, waiting to cross the International Bridge back into Brownsville. The line held a mix of Mexican and U.S. citizens, including a family carrying spider-shaped piñatas and orange-frosted cupcakes for a Halloween party. A group of two adults and three children passed me in line. I watched them approach CBP officers, a journalist following close behind. Five minutes later, a security officer was escorting the family back to Matamoros. The journalist noticed me watching and stopped to explain: “They asked for asylum, but CBP said no. They have to wait in Mexico.” “No somos malas personas. Solo queremos vivir.” The mother repeated this phrase like a mantra as she passed us, holding her six-year-old daughter’s hand. We are not bad people. We just want to live. *This is a photograph that I took on my cell phone outside the Matamoros, Mexico border camp on Sunday, October 25, 2020. Faces are blurred to protect their privacy.
• 
  2020-03-23

  Casual Racism Towards Ethnic Asian Diaspora

  This is a short video where I asked my friend Nikko Guan to share her experiences with casual racism toward ethnic Asians at the beginning of the pandemic here in Melbourne, Australia. There was a lot of panic and misinformation surrounding the coronavirus, and a lot of people attributed the origin of the virus (Wuhan China) with the cause of the virus and harboured distrust toward anyone who looked remotely foreign or Asian. Some of my friends and acquaintances who were Asian but not even Chinese also reported similar experiences. It's especially pertinent as this also affected Asian diaspora who were born in Australia and may have never even been overseas, but are judged purely on their appearance. My friend in the interview had not been to China, or anywhere internationally, for many years. It's important that a global disaster that is the result of natural catastrophe isn't judged on malice for political or racial prejudices.
• 
  2020-11-08

  Thank you Phoenix PD!

  These cards were sent to the Phoenix Police Department by children to thank them for keeping their community safe. Its nice to see that there is still a lot of support for officers. Law Enforcement is a hard job and sometimes it can be hard to remember that people still care about and support those who protect and serve.
• 
  2020-11-07

  Boston Celebrated Joe Biden's Victory in the 2020 election

  This moment is an important moment in American history, as it marks the end of a tyrant. However, it's important to me because it will hopefully represent a shift in the handling of this pandemic, meaning we can get back to a regular life sooner. Donald Trump has not handled this pandemic very well, giving our country the highest one-day increase of any country and the deaths of nearly 250,000 people. I hope that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris's inauguration will America get back on the right track. Their current plan for handling the pandemic looks very promising, and I cannot wait for them to work I also think that its really cool that my sister now has a role model that she can look up to in the White House, and while Ms. Harris may be the first, I am sure that she won't be the last.
• 
  2020-11-08

  COVID-19 Hotspot Counties: March 2020 - July 2020

  The map shows how serious this pandemic is in the United States and how widespread COVID-19 really is. This is important to me because it will remind me of the time living during this pandemic.
• 
  2020-03-17T18:07

  Shutdown

  The story of the photograph is one that many small businesses will no doubt have experienced. That is one of a thriving business faced with the threat of shutdown. The photograph is one of a small business being forced to face the threat of impending financial threat.
• 
  2020-09-27

  How Corona Affected Me

  Over 60% of Nevada's revenue comes from Gaming Taxes and Sales Taxes so when everything was shutdown because of the virus our revenue became unstable so large budget cuts were made to education as well as other areas. The education cuts are what concern me the most; not only am I directly affected but so is my community. Nevada is 45th in the U.S. for education so it shows that we will only be going down from that point. Those large breaks in education are significantly impactful for younger children whose brains are still developing.
• 
  2020-11-05

  St. Mary's Humanitarians' Effort for Hurricane Eta Relief

  Hurricane Eta created catastrophic damage in Honduras. St. Mary's University's Humanitarians have created an go-fund me account in effort to provide relief for the people affected. This shows how the university comes together to serve others on a global scale, even when it faces its own local challenges during the Covid19 pandemic. Because St. Mary's University has students of diverse backgrounds, and international students from Honduras this effort is symbolic of the unconditional support that the St. Mary's community aims to offer these students.
• 
  2020-03-30

  Teen Vogue’s Advice for Social Justice.

  I found this article on Facebook at the beginning of quarantine in the United States. This article explains how to be an ally and stand up for social justice during a pandemic. At the beginning of COVID-19 spreading to the United States, there were an abundance of stories discussing how Asian people were targeted and harassed for the spread of COVID-19. This article, from Teen Vogue urges young adults and teenagers to stand against social injustice and gives advice on ten ways people can help
• 
  2020-06-09

  Social Justice and COVID-19

  This article discusses how racism and classism conditions are just as important to fight for during COVID-19. Individuals of minority or impoverished backgrounds are disproportionately affected by COVID-19. This is due to lack of resources and opportunities. This article continues to explain how “social justice and human rights are at the center of COVID-19.”
• 
  2020-10-28

  Protests in Poland

  The government in Poland is trying to rule abortion as illigal. Poland is predominantly a Catholic country which is causing a divide between the government and the younger generation. Thousands of individuals are against this action and are taking to the streets to protest during the pandemic. The government in Poland is getting involved with the protests with tanks and police in riot gear.
• 
  2020-06-15

  Censored Children

  This photo and article are about the Black Lives Matter movement; specifically which places in the world are experiencing high levels of protests. The event is occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating the importance of social justice during a pandemic. I censored the face of the children as an assignment regarding privacy and ethics.
• 
  2020-03-28

  Future History Teachers

  I am hoping to become a high school history teacher and this meme rang true for me. I cannot wait to teach 2020 to future students, it will probably be a class in itself!
• 
  2020-11

  Chef Serigne Mbaye Collaboration with New Orleans restaurant Turkey and the Wolf

  Sergine Mbaye a popup chef who owns Darak in New Orleans, collaborated with a famous restaurant, Turkey and the Wolf. He was able to share his knowledge of Senegalese cooking and history.
• 
  2020-07-07

  Roy Choi’s Locol is Reborn, Thanks to New Black-Owned Delivery Start Up

  Chef Roy Choi has set up a food delivery system that has helped to put money in the city of Watts. It has helped create jobs and opportunities for residents of the community.
• 
  2020-10-01

  Marcellus Morris, Community Organizer and Diversion Counselor

  Marcellus Morris is a community organizer and diversion counselor in Hempstead, NY. Through Reign 4 Life and other initiatives, he works with at-risk youth toward
• 
  2020-10-28

  Social Justice, Time Changes with Support

  The video from PBS News Hour is an interview with Professor Peniel Joseph, University of Texas at Austin. The interview is about the comparison from 1960s Civil Rights protests for Social Justice to todays. Specifically Joseph references the height of 1963 protests and involvement to this year's protests and involvement. This year's protests even during pandemic standards have outdone 1963 protests in numbers. The agreeance for Social Justice has also changed drastically. Joseph mentions that white people supporting Social Justice have increased and most protests are nonviolent. White people supporting these Social Justice movements have helped and the awareness for Social Justice reform has grown more popular throughout the United States. Joseph ends with the importance of the United States coming to almost half of the country supporting the Social Justice protests. The video is a progression comparison for Social Justice protests and how the support has brought the movements closer to reform.
• 
  2020-10-27

  Green Bay Packers tackle Social Justice

  The Green Bay Packers have pledged to help Social Justice within their local community. The rise from organizations to help social inequality measures have continued throughout the year of the COVID-19 pandemic and it seems the influence from Social Justice protests (like Black Lives Matters) have influenced recognition in all places in the United States. The Green Bay Packers are another organization that recognizes these Social Justice inequalities and have donated $250,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations that will help develop education and economic structures for minority communities. The outreach from an NFL organization has increased the effort towards Social Justice reform.
• 
  2020-09-26

  Summer Activism

  During the summer there were many Black Lives Matter protests around the country. These protests drew large amounts of participants and brought attention to a conversation the country is long overdue on having.
• 
  2020-06-18

  St. Mary's Response to Racial Injustice: Email from President Thomas Mengler

  The object is an email from St. Mary's University President Thomas Mengler recognized Juneteenth stating that campus will be closed that Friday, June 19th, 2020, for prayer and reflection on racial justice and racism in the U.S. In the email, President Mengler acknowledges the murder of George Floyd to reflect on during the summer of mass protests and the Black Lives Matter movement. The campus community is also called to action with upcoming initiatives to create an "anti-racist" university. Dialogue and action are said to occur and relate to the Mariniast belief and tradition to act for the common good. The email represents a significant time within our pandemic year, which was the death of George Floyd that influenced mass protests and greater momentum for the existing Black Lives Matter, demanding the police be defunded. The email portrays how St.Mary's as an institution has reflected on the national issue and its influence on Marianist culture and call to action.
• 
  2020-06-02

  Blackout Tuesday

  HIST30060 Despite the global pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement saw a resurgence after the murder of American George Floyd in May of this year. Protests were sparked all over the world, pushing for the action to end the systematic racism experienced by people of colour (POC) and indigenous people all around the globe. I took this screen recording on my phone when, on June 2nd of this year, people all over the world participated in what was called ‘Blackout Tuesday’, where they would post black squares to their instagram account in an effort to project the voices of those who experience the systematic racism. I follow many celebrities on instagram, which you can see in this video many participated in the movement. However, the effort was quickly criticised, as the masses of posts featuring the black square began to dominate the Black Lives Matter (BLM) hashtag on all social media, an important tool that had been used by many to organise and publicise protests all over the world. Instead of the intended goal of projecting black voices over their white counterparts, the black squares instead silenced the important information that was being spread through the hashtag, doing the opposite of the intended effect.
• 
  2020-07-26

  Presenting a speech for the Australia-Cuba Friendship Society (social activist group), via Zoom - commemoration of 26th of July Revolutionary movement

  HIST30060
• 
  2020-10-30

  Black Lives Matter and Covid-19

  The protests have a lot going on without the added stress of the pandemic. In many photographs of the protests, even the riots, there is a lot of masks. Some groups appear to social distance, but others like in this picture do not. People are trying their best to support the cause and be careful at the same time.
• 2020-10-30

  The Defunding Police Idea

  I wanted to talk about the part of the BLM movement where people mention defunding the police. I found an article that talks about what the idea is.
• 
  2020-06-08

  When Restaurants Become the First Line of Support

  During the BLM protests this past summer, many restaurants supported the protestors by providing free food, and acknowledging that the damage to their property was less important than the damage being done to Black people by police. They also performed support tasks such as hosting makeshift medic tents for the protestors.
• 
  2020-05-29

  Rioting in the streets of Eugene, Oregon

  On May 29th, 2020, a strip mall in Eugene, OR was vandalized by protestors of George Floyd’s death.
• 2020-10-30

  The Black Lives Matter Movement

  I wanted to talk about the Black Lives Matter movement. I figured what better source than the actual website.
• 
  2020-07-29

  Elk Horn Vows Not To 'Let Up' After Weekend Riot

  A restaurant in Eugene, Oregon, was vandalized during the initial protests over the death of George Floyd. The damage was in excess of $500,000. The restaurant owner claims that the Black Lives Matter movement is being undermined by violent agitators. The owner has been criticized in the past for anti-homeless views.
• 
  2020-10-30

  University of Pittsburgh Active for Social Justice

  This article demonstrates the active voice of Black students to access diversity and social justice at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt). The website's creation is a way for students to actively notify Pitt of any kind of social bias shown. Protests for social justice across the nation have acted as a catalyst for Universities to become more aware of social justice reforms within their institutions.
• 
  2020-10-30

  NBA for Social Justice

  The photograph on the right shows Trae Young, a Atlanta Hawks player, protesting at a Black Lives Matter event in June of 2020. I choose this picture because I am an Atlanta Hawks fan but more importantly because of the support provided by the NBA for social justice. Since the protests have started the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) have fully committed in supporting the social justice movement. Even with the NBA season over with now the spotlight to fight social justice has still continued. The NBA will continue to donate and provide support for education to minority communities. The NBA and NBPA have also made it their mission to address the lack of diversity in team management. Finally they have also made it their mission to help address police and criminal justice change in America. Protests are a bigger influence than people think and it is good to see big associations willing to make a difference for social justice.
• 
  2020-10-22

  Illinois College Football Team Fights Against Racism

  The Tweet declares that the University of Illinois, The Fighting Illini, are in support of social justice. The college football team is supporting the Black Lives Matter movement by wearing black decaled insignias on their helmets with the Black Lives Matter fist symbol on the back of the helmet. The fist is a powerful gesture associated with the social justice protest. The video also states that football is just a game and social justice is a real world priority. A college football team and university realizing the fight against racism and social inequalities is more important than their institution is a significant event in the fight for social justice. Of course not all fans or comments think it is appropriate for the team to wear these symbols but all movements will have discourse in their pursuit to fight for social justice. This statement to display these images are closely related to how far the protests have come in the fight for social justice.
• 
  2020-10-30

  Food donations during the pandemic

  This tweet is from the St. Louis Area Foodbank urging people to donate food to their organization. Due to restrictions from the pandemic, the food bank offers contactless pickup, allowing citizens to drop off their donations without risk of getting sick. This allows them to help their communities without spreading the virus.
• 
  2020-06

  The Overton Window Shift

  This meme is in reference to President Ronald Reagan’s gun control measures, which are a callback to the sentiments of a large number of gun-owning former Trump supporters that have been left in the dust by the President’s increasingly authoritarian and draconian attitude towards the Second Amendment. Once he started saying things such as “I prefer to take the guns first and go through due process second” and advocating for expanded red flag laws, many libertarian-leaning conservatives realized that the Republican Party was not going to preserve or prevent infringement on their Second Amendment rights. The final nail in the coffin came with the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, when riot police across the country began abusing protestors and onlookers. When right-wing libertarian militias grabbed their kits and began protecting BLM protesters from police and protecting businesses from rioters, they were targeted by counterterrorism elements of the federal government. This meme represents the complete and total lack of faith that most gun owners now have in the Republican Party.
• 
  2020-10-28

  How social justice is affecting POC

  I interviewed my friend who has been affected by social justice issues that have been occurring in this country. He informed me how he has not been able to receive jobs he was overqualified for because of the color of his skin, how he has to fear driving by a police officer because of the color of his skin, and how he overall is not treated equally. He fully supports the movements going on in the country today and hopes for a better day.
• 
  2020-06-25

  President Trump and BLM

  This is a news article explaining how Trump has reacted to the Black Lives Matter protests. He has reacted in a negative way and posted things on the internet that were false and showed his stance on the subject. It is important to note that this is the President of the United States and this is how he reacts to protests and people wanting change.
• 
  2020-08-27

  Covid-19 Disproportionately Affects Minorities

  This article supports research findings indicating that Black and Hispanic communities have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. The research also demonstrates a link between cases in nursing homes and communities. There are some challenges to addressing the severity of Covid’s impact on communities of color. As stated in the Discussion section, “Nursing homes are now required...to report cases and deaths on a regular basis, but they are not required to report the data by race and ethnicity, and few states include such information in their own public reporting….” I think this data should be included, since it will help future historians categorize the effects of Covid-19 by communities.
• 
  2020-09-16

  After George Floyd

  From March through August, I walked through the environs of downtown Tucson to make images capturing the effect of the pandemic. After the murder of George Floyd, I also documented the aftermath of the resultant demonstrations during the end of May and June.
• 
  2020-06-04

  Health Officials Agree With Protests.

  This article is about public health officials urging people to join the fight for social justice. While the health officials state that everyone involved needs to be aware of the risks and take precautions, now is the time to demand change and join in solidarity with those affected by racial injustice. This post demonstrates that during the COVID-19 pandemic, health officials were agreeing with protests and the Black Lives Matter movement. This article is important because it demonstrates that social justice is needed yesterday, today, and tomorrow no matter what is happening.
• 2020-06

  A Difference Between Blue Lives and Black Lives.

  This experience was a phone call I had with my mother in June. My mother is a corrections officer and works in the local jail. Amidst the height of the Black Lives Matter protests, I was discussing with my mom that I value her and the work she does, yet I fully support the BLM movement and the demand for justice. The conversation shifted to white privilege and I shared my ideas on what white privilege is and how it shows up. Towards the end of the conversation, my mother stated that she should be able to wear her uniform in public without being criticized, judged, or feeling unsafe, and how it was ‘unfair’ that the BLM movement targeted police officers. My response was, “at least you have the option to take your uniform and feel safe, whereas black people do not have that option.”
• 
  2020-07-01

  Taking Action

  This post was the first story I read regarding the murder of Elijah McClain. I was shocked that I found out about it through my friend’s instagram and not the news. This post showed me the power of social media and need for social awareness. In my view, this post indicates an additional way individuals are seeking social justice amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.