Items
Date is exactly
2021-04-24
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2021-04-24
Quarantine expiriences
For the last three or so years I have been deeply interested in photography. I enjoy photographing people and cars, though during the pandemic I have had less of a chance to go out and photograph people, that’s why I thought this would be a good chance for me to get back into the hobby and share some shots I had already captured during the pandemic. These photos have meaning behind them that remind me of all the parts of my life over the last year. A primary source is any document about a subject that was created by someone who was at the event or took part in whatever the subject is. The portfolio that I created is a primary source as it documents the first hand experiences I had while in the pandemic. It has the highs and the lows, and shows an account of one person's life in the United States of America during Covid-19. My experiences in the Pandemic were very mixed. Some parts stayed the same, some better, and some worse. Before Covid I had a small group of friends that I hung out with and when all the stay at home orders began I was able to still see them sometimes, and I never went out much so I had a very similar routine. Though one thing that I lost was car meets and races. Not only did mask ordinances make meets harder to plan but Eau Claire also began cracking down on car meets more and more. It was really tough missing out on the fun cameroudery of car meets. I work at a car audio shop and one great positive of the pandemic is that because of relief checks the shop has been constantly booked for the last 6-8 months. Another positive has been going on late night adventures with my friends. We are constantly repairing something or upgrading our cars and so when we get done it is usually late and in the last year we have begun to do fun things late at night when we get done with the daily project. The first photographs I chose was a representation of the many small businesses in the area that have been closed due to rough times during the pandemic. Many great local businesses have struggled to stay open or failed even failed to do so. The photo was taken at a storage facility for signs of businesses that have closed down in the last year or two. The photographs of cars are meant to represent the many new late night adventures that me and my friends have had during the pandemic. These trips were one of the main things that helped me cope with the pandemic and hold on to normal life just a little bit. The photo of the room is of my childhood room at my parents house. During this fall at UWEC I got a call from the school informing me I had possibly come into contact with someone and I had to quarantine for two weeks. At this same time my father contracted COVID and this meant that I was confined to this one room for my two weeks of waiting. The room became my very own jail cell, after just a few days and it was very difficult for me to pay attention in school during my quarantine. It was one of the roughest my mental health has been in my life -
2021-04-24
Racist attack in Edmonton
On April 16th 2020, a 14 year old 8th grade student named Pazo was brutally attacked by seven white students. This attack was entirely racially motivated, they screamed slurs at him, beat him mercilessly, taunted him. They dragged him, choked him, and recorded their actions which they posted on social media. They attacked Pazo because of the colour of his skin, Pazo has stated after the attack that this assault has "made me afraid to wear my own skin." This is more than unacceptable, this is disgusting. As the post stated, these 'kids' gave Pazo a concussion, memory loss and a blood clot in his chest; he could of easily have been killed. What's worse, is there was no action taken by the school, which called this brutal hate crime a "altercation" by the school board. Ontop of this, the post states that the Edmonton Police also refused to investigate this assault, turning away the boy's family twice. This assault would of likely been swept under the rug if it were not for the pushback of the community, and the outrage generated by the presence of the video online. With the growing pressure from the public, the Edmonton police service are being demanded to investigate this assault, which again is only made possible through the pressure of the people. Furthermore, the lack of action and attempts to nullify the significance of this assault by the principal and the school board has resulted in students and teachers pushing for the forced resignation of those accountable, such as the principal and superintendent. Other social media platforms have stated that this is not the first time the principal of the school has played down similar incidents; which has left students feeling vulnerable. This cannot continue, these students must be held accountable - Albertans need to understand that white supremacism is a very real problem, and it is not going anywhere by ignoring it. As we have seen throughout the pandemic, events such as this are a rarity - we only know of the severity of the attack and the response of our education institutions because this attack was recorded and circulated online. -
2021-04-24
JOTPY Internship Portfolio
This is my portfolio from my experience of working as an intern with the Journal of the Plague Year Public Archive. -
2021-04-24
The Devastating Pandemic
I have been witness to some really traumatic life events. This has made me experience the pain and agony of individuals and their families during this pandemic. This has also made me grateful for keeping me and my family safe.