Items

• 2022-03-11

  Post Covid, Yay Hawaii!

  When the COVID-19 travel restrictions were lifted, our family immediately headed for Aulani, A Hawaii Disney Resort – this was already planned as a Christmas gift (‘21) for Spring Break (‘22). In fact, upon arriving, we found out that the lockdown for the island was going to be lifted the very next day. So masks and other PPE were not necessary when moving about the exterior hotel. In fact, events around Oahu (Polynesian Cultural Center) were also relaxing C-19 measures for tourists and all guests. Small precautions were still in place, like one family in the elevators at a time, no character meet and greets (with full contact), and masking indoors. Due to Hawaii being landlocked, the importance of C-19 measures meant we all had to do our part to stay covid free. We were happy to do whatever it took. Our memories of this trip were refreshing. It was nice to get out of the house and to the islands (not the desert where we are from), experience and learn the culture of Hawaii, take in a little dose of Disney, and be mask-free, even with precautions being taken in some areas (which we were okay with).
• 
  04/16/2020

  Greg Schell Oral History, 2020/04/16

• 
  12/01/2021

  Rosa Gomez Oral History, 2021/12/01

  Rosa Gomez is a third-year student at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She/they are double majoring in journalism and political science with a minor in. Rosa shared her experiences on the pandemic, school, news, and media, as well as her thoughts and feelings on Covid-19. Her hometown is Minneapolis which allowed them to have two different perspectives on how these states dealt with the outbreak. Closing with why she got the vaccine and what she has learned during this period of their life.
• 
  12/01/2021

  Jillian Schemenauer Oral History, 2021/12/01

  Jillian Schemenauer was born and raised in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. From there she went on the receive her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Minnesota-Mankato. She is now working on her Doctorate degree at UW-Milwaukee. In her interview, she discusses moving to Milwaukee in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. She also discusses the increase in mental illnesses in her students and colleagues and the reasons behind the increase.
• 
  12/10/2021

  Jason Trzebiatowski Oral History, 2021/12/10

  In this interview, Jason Trzebiatowski, an EMT and Resident Assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, discusses some of the challenges and concerns facing first responders and other care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. He highlights the changes within the medical industry as it pertains to first responders, challenges he has faced as an RA with concerns from his residents, and the impact that the media has played in altering people’s perception of this virus and the institutions erected to fight it, including how much people’s perceptions of institutions like the CDC and the government, in general, have shifted over the past few years.
• 
  12/03/2021

  Wendy Vorpahl Oral History, 2021/12/03

  Wendy Vorpahl is from Gillett, Wisconsin which is a small town near Green Bay. She has four boys: Matthew, Mark, Aaron, and Adam who all fall on the Autism Spectrum with Mark and Aaron having classic/severe Autism. In this interview, Wendy talks about the impact the pandemic had on her small business and the small business around her, her family’s experience with all getting Covid at the end of 2020, as well as her thoughts and feelings about the vaccine and the handling of the pandemic. Matthew and Aaron also come into the conversation at a few points as Matthew answers some questions and Aaron can be seen and heard in the background.
• 
  12/12/2021

  Cheryl Oral History, 2021/12/12

  Cheryl is just one of my many Eau Claire County residents who have been experiencing the many issues of COVID in the nursing home environment. But what makes Cheryl’s story unique is that throughout this pandemic she has seen three different outbreaks within her facility and just recently experienced Covid for the first time earlier this month. However, Cheryl claims that thanks to COVID nursing homes, especially her current facility, will never resort back to normal. Much like her potential to engage in therapy, COVID has halted many aspects of Health care’s motivational tone and instead turned into an isolation facility. Through her limited experiences with staff and her few conversations with family and her roommates, Cheryl has hit rock bottom a few times. Yet through her love of the holidays and association with such a supportive family, Cheryl continues through, what she predicts, to be the next major virus that will never leave.
• 
  2021-04-18

  Edinburgh and Northumberland, "Post Pandemic" Historical Tourism

  I had been dreaming of this trip since 1996 when I went to England on a high school theatre and literature trip and fell in love with the UK. Specifically, I fell in love with Scotland and its history, becoming a British History enthusiast. In August, 2021, I completed my BA in History at ASU, then changed careers from Film/tv costuming to a special education teaching position. During the peak age of Covid-19, I worked full time, completed full time undergraduate studies, interned in politics and not-for-profit law, and started over in a new career and life in a new state. All of 2020-2021 was a non-stop adrenaline rush of constantly moving, getting Covid, and burning out mentally along the way. In 2021, I was halfway through a teaching contract and gravely unhappy, longing to just... escape. I kept dreaming of one photo of Edinburgh that was on my vision board. The picture, from Pinterest, was of a narrow Close in Old Town, Edinburgh, the historic "original" city that squeezed so much history and magic in about a mile. Old Edinburgh held tens of thousands of people in one square mile with their Closes serving as narrow alleyways between buildings of both stone and wood, both affluent and poor societal classes. After creating this vision board, I started working a ridiculous amount of overtime in the school's residences for special needs students and saving money. I was used to already working over 60 hours a week, so I didn't see the problem yet. The short staffing crisis of special education staff provided the opportunity to earn $40/ hour plus $1000 monthly bonus for anyone willing to work and be okay with less support for challenging behavior or emergency resources. I was willing to work hard to be free for just a short time over the Easter/Passover School break. Flight and accommodation prices were incredibly low at the start of 2021, encouraging tourists to travel. British Airways and other airlines offered incredible fares! These discounts still enabled me to book more affordable fare into 2023. My flight from Boston to Edinburgh was just over $400, with 7 nights stay in two 4 and 5 star hotels plus one castle for a total of less than $1000. My dream trip was planned to every detail and paid in advance or booked for free with historical memberships. The pandemic and rising popularity of Airbnb and Verbo created the perfect discounts for hotels and upgrades to better suites. Pre-pandemic, I got bed bugs from an Airbnb and had a nightmare of an experience, so it was out of the question for accomodation moving forward. While in planning stages, I booked historical tours and entry into sites like Edinburgh Castle, Mary Kings Close, Ghost Tours of the Vaults, Sterling Castle, then in England, Alnwick Castle and Chillingham Castle's paranormal investigation. I already had memberships to multiple British historical and public sites like the Alnwick Gardens (site of the famous Poison Garden) and Historical Scotland. From Edinburgh Castle to Chillingham Castle, I finally got to see the gallows, dungeons, and artifacts that were in my undergraduate classes. Finances and waiting for a travel companion to finally find "the time" to go held me back from going previously, but I was there, alone, at this particular time for a reason. I got to hold Witches Collars and touch an Iron Maiden that tortured so many innocent "witches". I sat in castle common areas alone with a glass of Whisky and venison sausage while hunting ghosts. Museum staff showed me witches charms and introduced me to folklore that secretly told tales of history in starkly lit archival research rooms. It was this trip that solidified by decision to continue onto graduate studies in history at ASU. It was this trip that made me question, "Why are we so fascinated by death and folklore?" It would be remiss to mention that during my historical tourism of Edinburgh and the Scottish-English Borderlands, the stories of historically significant pandemics and major moments of medical and scientific struggle or discovery were always present- It was..."everything, everywhere, all at once", if you will. The comparisons between Black Death to Cholera to Spanish Flu were ever-present while exploring Mary Kings Close, places of Surgical and Medical History interest, The Vaults, the Grass Market Gallows. I stepped into a cramped spaces that were once the homes of a families who all died of The Plague. White rags hung out the windows of these tourist destinations to remind visitors that it was the way leather beak masked Plague Doctors identified the infected and quarantined. "Haunted" Vaults served as reminders to modern tourists that the poor and disenfranchised once stayed here. If you want to go anywhere in the world to see a pandemic being held with an engrained fear and solemn respect for medical research, it's Scotland. In England, Chillingham Castle and Alnwick Castle allow visitors close proximity to places where prisoners carved each imprisoned day before their deaths into the walls. In Edinbugh, if it isn't a Harry Potter tour, it is a ghost tour. These ghosts are explored with light-hearted entertainment or found during paranormal investigations with high-tech gizmos and Ouiji Boards in this new age when we don't want to talk about how many people died of Covid-19 or a lack of health resources, but pre-modern history when people don't currently hold memory of the dead... One late morning, I went to a pub on the Royal Mile for a proper Scottish breakfast of sausages, haggis, bacon, eggs, tomato, and toast... and a pint. Bagpipes echoed in the air, passers-by spoke different languages and carried their cameras and I (Heart) Scotland t shirts and Whisky. As I sat outside, just taking everything in, a group of domestic tourists sat at my table. We laughed because we were all uncertain of "Mask? no Mask? What does 'optional Mask mean?' Were we bad people for NOT wearing a mask inside the pub to get another beer?" "Is it appropriate to sit so 'close'?" That particular day was the lifting of the Scottish masks in public places mandate. My mates-for-the-day spoke of their quarantines and experiences with Covid-19 and quarantine with both humor and sombre memories. The photo attached to this story was from this day where masks were no longer a must. It is also the same scene from my vision board. On my camera and iPhone camera reels, before this moment and after are dozens of photos of castle chambers, countryside fog, tourist photo ops of High Tea or plain ol Costa Coffee at [Insert Tourist Destination]. My photos are visited with gratitude and inspiration. Not only do I have a renewed desire to travel, but I have a spark of motivation to keep learning. I would never have been able to afford this trip at the level of luxury and privilege I experienced it without the Covid-19 pandemic's aftermath of needed promotional discounts. Misery was everywhere, yes, but joy and purpose were found for me. I hope there were others that experienced incredible change and revelation during this time.
• 
  2022-05-10

  Anasitasia Viatele Oral History, 2022/05/15

  Anasitasia Viatele is from Kent, Washington. She recounts her life during the pandemic and the struggles she has faced during that time. She discusses her family in American Samoa and touches on their struggles as well.
• 
  2022-05-11

  Fact Checkers

  This is an Instagram post by covid_antivax. This post is in criticism of social media removing posts deemed "misinformation" about COVID and the vaccine. The tags from this user, like #depopulation, suggest that the goal of COVID and the vaccines is to reduce the population size. The censoring of information regarding the virus and the vaccine has been troublesome for myself. I do not think it is the right of social media to dictate what can and cannot be said, barring anything illegal, like death threats. I think it is a dangerous trajectory when these multinational companies start deciding what governing bodies and people should think. It brings into question people's actual rights to speech. People should have the right to voice their opinion on subjects like this. If people are prevented from speaking out as much on social media, they will get driven to more niche websites and forums to discuss things, which in turn help create more echo chambers. The great thing about free speech is the ability to bounce ideas off with other people and be given the opportunity to decide for myself what is right with more information available. Taking this away will make it harder to really test ideas and make them more refined. This is more my criticism of social media in general, but the talk on the virus and the vaccines has noticeably made it worse for any side to reconcile.
• 
  2022-05-07

  Ashlee Harper Oral History, 2022/05/07

  Ashlee Harper is a single mother and high school history teacher in Phoenix Arizona. Ashlee recounts the struggles of adapting to the Covid-19 pandemic, the hardships of teaching virtually, and the acclimation back to in-person teaching. She also describes how Covid-19 affected interactions within her personal life as well as how it greatly impacted the development of her students.
• 
  2022-04-18

  Interviewee 2022/04/18

  This audio interview discusses life as a college athlete during the covid-19 pandemic.
• 
  2022-04-11

  Stratford Literary Festival

  This is an Instagram post by stratfordlitfest. The caption says that masks are not compulsory, but they are encouraged for the safety of others attending. These types of policies are more of the norm in some places, as opposed to full-on mandates like there was in 2020 and parts of 2021. As time has gone on, more places have lifted restrictions, but are not entirely okay with everyone being mask-free. Though, this message to me does not make it out to be like wearing a mask is entirely of one's free will. They say "we encourage audiences to wear a mask, unless exempt." The "unless exempt" part makes me believe that masks will be encouraged fairly more than in other places, as only those that would qualify as exempt would not be encouraged to do so. For me, I find this to be a bit wishy-washy with how it is worded, and it would be better if it were more straightforward by saying "masks requried", or "masks not required, but encouraged." The exemption status makes me think masks are more compulsory than what it might be trying to give off.
• 
  2020-04-14

  Live free or die

  A comic strip about Covid-19
• 
  2021-02-07

  At-home test

  We ordered and received our free at-home COVID-19 test this Monday. My husband complained about not feeling well so I made him take one. He’s sick, but it’s not COVID.
• 
  2020-03-28

  What to do when stuck at home

  Once the world shut down and everyone had to quarantine, I found that I had a lot of new found free time to deal with. Over the first few days I thought it was awesome, because I was able to relax at home and basically do nothing. After those beginning days, things started to get boring. I didn’t know what to do with myself. It took me a few days, but I began to look for more things I could do with my life. As a music major, I practice my instrument about 3-4 hours every day. I took advantage of my free time by putting in a lot of work on the horn which greatly helped my development. I have also been very interested in learning new languages. I decided to start learning German. So far I’ve been studying German everyday on my own since then. It has been very fun to read stories and news articles in German. I have also found a great podcast and YouTube channel that does an awesome job teaching German. I had also begun to exercise more during the pandemic. My friends and I would go on runs outside together. It was a great way to meet up with friends and be healthy. The pandemic was a very difficult time when it first broke out. Most people did not know what to do with themselves. There was a lot of sitting at home, watching television, or playing video games. I didn’t want to remember the time of the pandemic as a time where I didn’t improve as a person. I had decided to make these changes or improvements to better myself for when the pandemic was over. It has been a great lesson for me as the pandemic is still going on today. I have learned how to deal with difficult situations and also how to make the most out of them
• 
  08/10/2020

  Helen Brechlin, Oral History, 2020/08/10

  Alex Brice interviews Helen Brechlin, who is an administrative supervisor at the Boston Institutes Contemporary Art Museum. The interview begins with Helen discussing the onset of quarantine and the transition to working from home. She explains the intricacies of managing a team digitally. Additionally, Helen goes into how living with a partner who also works from home, you have to develop a new routine and learning to balance time and space. Helen then explains some things she did teleworking to keep her team strong, including having weekly communications and diving deeper into some of the artists displayed at the museum. Then Helen is asked about the George Floyd incident and how it impacted her and she expressed the importance of community, advocating change, and separately the importance of real communication over social media. Lastly, Helen talked about the differences after reopening the museum and making it safe and comfortable for visitors.
• 
  05/09/2021

  Josh Miller Oral History, 2021/05/07

  Josh Miller is from Eau Claire, Wisconsin and he is a police officer. We discuss how Covid 19 has impacted his work, family, and community and how he feels about the pandemic.
• 
  05/05/2021

  Catherine Lee Oral History, 2021/05/05

  Catherine Lee may have been born in Maine, but she currently lives in Eau Claire, Wisconsin with her husband and two kids. She works at the Center for International Education at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and discusses how COVID-19 has affected that job, along with her family life and mental health. She shares how living through the pandemic with her family has changed her views on what is important and how she sees the future of her job. She also talks about her children in school and why she was glad to see her daughter go to kindergarten. Catherine shares that she urges more people to get vaccinated.
• 
  12/11/2020

  Anthony Wallace Oral History, 2020/12/11

  C19OH
• 
  02/19/2021

  Alexis Cheatham Oral History, 2021/02/19

  C19OH
• 
  09/23/2020

  Marla McCartney Oral History, 2020/09/23

  Marla McCartney, former Chief Executive of an unnamed charitable organization, is interviewed by Marion Lougheed as part of an oral history project. The interviewee is asked about her experiences in the workplace and at home during the pandemic, and about her personal opinions on the handling of the pandemic by the public and government.
• 
  12/16/2020

  The Bulgarian Oral History, 2020/12/16

  In this interview the interviewee wished to be anonymous. In the interview we will be interviews a gentleman from Bulgaria in Eastern Europe. He works in a for a tech company and had to move into the city to find the job away from his small hometown. He tells us what it like in the city and why he would rather be in his hometown. As well he talks how COVID-19 has affected his job and family life and life around the city. In addition, he gives on interesting perspective on how the Bulgarian government is handling the pandemic. As well as what many people in Bulgaria think of the virus such as conspiracy theories and protests not things he personally believes but what citizens around him think at times.
• 
  05/26/2020

  Michael Mike Michalski Oral History, 2020/05/26

  In this oral history interview, Alexander Michalski interviews Mike Michalski in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. Mike discusses his job and how it was affected by covid, the impact the virus has had on his friends and family, and home life. He touches on media and how the news is covering the virus. He also discusses local and federal government responses to the virus as well as his hopes for the future.
• 
  2020-05-28

  Gomez_Elizabeth

  C19OH
• 
  2021-11-21

  Andrea Moreno Oral History, 2021/11/21

  The covid-19 pandemic has changed the college experience for all students. It changed the way we work, study, socialize, etc. How we adapt and adjust to attending university during the pandemic differs per person and their previous experience. For Andrea Moreno, an experienced resident assistant, the pandemic still left things uncertain. However, her unique experience and “normal” first year experience allowed her to remain as a resource for residents. Despite the move to online during Spring 2020, Moreno still reached out to students to check-in. Andrea Moreno also said that the Office of Residence Life even served as a resource for student staff like herself. Although the pandemic changed many things about the college experience, St. Mary’s University office of Residence Life and student staff (resident assistants) still manage to serve the campus community.
• 
  2021-10-14T19:40

  The Clonky Helmet

  I personally worked as a COVID 19 screener for South Texas Veterans Affairs. During that time we as COVID screeners were required to wear face shields and masks on our face for more than eight hours a day. After reading the article I posted from the CDC -- it now does not seem like it was a requirement at all for health workers to wear the face shields. I preferred to wear the ones that were much lighter. They were also face shields, but they were not in a shape of a helmet, they were lighter, and easier to handle as we screeners went from one job station to another. During the pandemic, while employed as a COVID 19 screener-- if we were caught without wearing the helmet (face shield) our jobs were threatened. We were only allowed to take the face shields off intermittently, for example, while at lunch.
• 
  2020-12-27

  Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds

  Despite most activities being cancelled due to restrictions, I was lucky enough to score four free tickets to the Boxing Day Test cricket match in Melbourne at the MCG, and I brought three of my friends to the match. It was actually my first time at a live sporting event, so it was particularly memorable for me. Rather scarily, we soon found out a few days later that one of the spectators on that day would later test positive for COVID-19, leading me to take a COVID test myself, which thankfully turned out to be negative.
• 
  2021-09-16

  Melissa Amante, Arina Konovalova, and Elisabeth Knott Oral History, 2021/09/16

  We described the social and emotional challenges that we faced when the lockdown first began. This included the topics of education, social media, and mental health.
• 
  2021-06-03

  Free Haircuts!

  In the early days of the pandemic, like many others, I needed a haircut so badly. Again, like many others, I took to cutting my own hair. Instead of just chopping at my hair, I closely followed a youtube video posted by celebrity hairdresser Brad Mondo. Since I have given myself three or four haircuts in this same style. It works! I always get compliments and no one ever suspects that I did it myself. I have long and thick hair so this method is saving me a lot money each time I need a haircut!!
• 
  2021-05-18

  Staying Connected

  For my primary source, I selected a video/ photo that shows my discord community watching a movie together. As for the movie we were watching Justice League Snyder Cut. A movie that caused a lot of problems and controversy back in 2017. Due to Zack Snyder having to step down from the movie and Joss Whedon not a lot of people liked Whedon version. Years later Snyder released his version on HBO MAX. I created the discord server due to the COVID-19 pandemic when it started. The community has over 300 members from all over the world. With discord friends can connect directly through many ways such as voice call, video call, or text on Discord, and they can also enter servers where wider groups can connect. Discord is free to download and use just like you would use zoom or skype, but it has more to offer. Discord for me is a home. Discord allows you to establish your own sense of belonging. A discord server is your personal space, shared only with the individuals you want to invite. When I created my community on discord it was so bring people together. I started with around 10 or so friends. Anyone who joined with in the discord and wanted to invite a friend or a family member was welcomed to due so. It felt like every day we would get more and more people from all over the U.S, the UK, South America, and many places. Within my discord we help people with Homework, assignments, we host game nights as well as movies night and if some need to talk we always have people on to connect and talk to if they want someone to just listen. AS well we have text channels for memes, a place to introduce yourself when people join for everyone to read. Common games that people play and want to talk about or even just chill with some music together. With my discord community I decided to make the community because I had some free time on with school and with not working, I wanted a way to connect with my friends and family while still being under lockdown. Discord seems the best option. Anyone can connect via phone, laptop, or any web browser. I honestly did not think it would last this long or even grow this big. But then again, we did not think about that with covid-19 we thought the lock down was going to be two weeks, four weeks tops.
• 
  2021-05-02

  Charlotte Botenhagen Oral History, 2021/05/02

  This was an interview from Jennifer Botenhagen who is a preschool teacher living in a tiny mountain town. This interview details her experience adapting to teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 
  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.
• 
  2021-04-15

  News Article: The Mother Road welcomes Route 66 Bike Week: Event aims to boost small businesses

  By Travis Rains, Kingman Daily Miner, 15 April 2021 Communities and businesses along and near the Mother Road wanted in on the action that is Route 66 Bike Week – five days of activities, games, discounts, scenic biking and more set for April 21-25 along the historic highway from Needles, California to Seligman. Event organizer Rob Borden is no stranger to motorcycle rallies as the owner of Saddle Sore Ranch, located between mile markers 36 and 37 on Route 66, approximately 17 miles from Kingman. But this is the first year for Route 66 Bike Week, which has seen the expansion of what has been dubbed the “Laughlin Loop.” “It kind of started by accident,” Borden said, noting the loop includes Route 66, going through Oatman and down over highways 95 and 68. “It’s just a nice, scenic ride for motorcycle enthusiasts. With the Laughlin River Run not happening, at least not in the past two years, I got a call from Needles, California from their tourism center asking if they could be included in this Laughlin Loop and I said ‘absolutely.’” Borden then received a call from the chamber of commerce in Oatman seeking to be included in the event. Then the City of Kingman and its visitor’s center wanted on board, followed by Seligman. “So then I’m looking at it and I’m like ‘wow, Needles to Seligman,’” Borden said. “I said ‘why don’t I just do a Route 66 Bike Week,’ and that’s how it happened. That way we can promote all these small businesses down Route 66 that even in normal times they struggle. Now with COVID, of course, they’ve been struggling even more.” So Borden began reaching out to businesses along Route 66 to see if they would be interested in participating by way of deals and discounts for event participants. “They loved the idea and wanted to be a part of it,” he said. “Basically, the idea is rather than just have a stationary event that’s confined to some big parking lot, let’s kind of highlight these businesses up and down Route 66 and get them involved. They’ve put together special offers and discounts, maybe extra effort for bands for bars. Those are different stops on the rally.” Registration for bike week can be completed by going to http://route66bikeweek.com/, with prices ranging from $45 to $48 depending on the package chosen. Borden said there is associated costs for the event that include T-shirts, bike week wristbands and dissemination of the Route 66 Passport, the latter two providing participants with access to discounts from businesses and drawings for prizes, respectively. “So when you show up with your bike week wristband, you’ll get freebies and discounts,” Borden explained. “We’ve got about 20 free drawing stops.” A scavenger hunt is planned as well utilizing the Route 66 Passport. Borden said there will be five different stops along Route 66 at which participants can have their passports stamped. Upon getting all the stamps and presenting them at Rally Central, which is Saddle Sore Ranch, they will receive a free ticket for yet another drawing. Borden also said those wishing to cruise Route 66 during bike week don’t have to register, but that they will not receive access to discounts and more. “The intent there is obviously to bring exposure to Route 66 and all these businesses, and make a big financial impact right here to the area as opposed to some of the big corporate vendors that would come into big motorcycle events,” Borden said. “When they leave, they take the money with them.” Saddle Sore Ranch will play host to biker games and activities throughout Route 66 Bike Week. Those will include poker runs, live music and popular biker contests like a big belly contest. Biker games such as slow races, barrel races, lean-your-bike and more are scheduled as well, as is a blue collar build-off judging and awards ceremony sponsored in part by Cycle Source Magazine. The build-off is a low-budget motorcycle building competition where teams from all over the country had $1,500 and 30 days to build a bike. After the sun goes down, live music will continue, vendors will open up shop and a campfire party will commence. “It’s a lot different than what people are used to with previous motorcycle rallies in the area,” Borden said of Saddle Sore Ranch. “Our venue is more reminiscent of a ‘60s or ‘70s style, easy rider rodeo kind of venue. It’s more of a traditional, old-school biker venue as opposed to the neon lights and things like that of Laughlin. It’s a completely different kind of feel and a breath of fresh air for bikers in the area to give them something to do and something different.” Route 66 Bike Week starts at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 21 and runs until 10 p.m. Sunday, April 25. For more information on Route 66 Bike Week, go to http://route66bikeweek.com/.
• 
  2021-04-01

  Transgender Day of Visibility

  Today on #TransDayOfVisibility, we are in solidarity with all trans and nonbinary folks, whether they choose to be visible or not. Visibility does not equal protection and safety, and it does not guarantee basic rights. Currently there are at least 44 anti-trans bills being introduced by lawmakers in the US, a record number that primarily targets children and prohibits them from accessing medical care and limits their ability to participate in school sports. With visibility comes the need to be even louder. No one is free until we are all free, and with the disproportional rate our Black, Brown, and Indigenous trans siblings experience violence, both physically and judicially, we must commit to ending the systems that allow the systemic barriers and hatred to endure. For more resources, actionable steps and donations, follow: @raquel_willis @chasestrangio @glits_inc @mpjinstitute @transjusticefp @intransitive.ar @tko_alabama @mattxiv @jmaseiii #transdayofvisibility #tdov2021
• 
  2020-07-07

  2020 can feel like a nonstop spectacle of grief and exhaustion led by a menacing villain.

  2020 can feel like a nonstop spectacle of grief and exhaustion led by a menacing villain (think of the bad guy from @disneyaladdin) . One thing that helps me break free from this is taking a moment, putting on my favorite song, and dancing like no is watching. (think of the bad guy from @disneyaladdin) . One thing that helps me break free from this is taking a moment, putting on my favorite song, and dancing like no is watching.
• 
  2020-11-07

  The People's Dancers Dance Troupe (@thepeoplesdancers) is DC-based group that uses dance as a nonviolent response technique.

  I love the bodily expression and freedom of dance. Even when choreographed, it creates space to break free from the rigid and often constraining way we're taught to move our bodies. The People's Dancers Dance Troupe (@thepeoplesdancers) is DC-based group that uses dance as a nonviolent response technique. They aim to bring joy to dark spaces with creative movement and healing.
• 
  2021-02-21T14:40

  Mini Oral History with Jennifer, 2.21.21

  Transcript of Interview with Jennifer by Sharon Hunt Interviewee: Jennifer Interviewer: Sharon Hunt Date: 2/21/21 Location (Interviewee): Tucson, Arizona Location (Interviewer): Tucson, Arizona Transcriber: Sharon Hunt Abstract: Jennifer lives in Tucson, Arizona, and spoke about a positive result of the pandemic that she has experienced. She has been able to save money and pay off debts during this time period, as she has not been able to go out and shop or go to restaurants as she did in pre-pandemic times.
• 
  2020-03-20

  Hope

  My plague year story of the covid-19 pandemic is honestly quite a normal one. For me covid was not a barrier. It was an obstacle that I learned to get around. I did not let anything hold me back from trying to make the best of my situations. Nothing was ideal in any way possible. I never imagined my final months of highschool being spent at home or starting college online. But I always remembered to take a step back. To distance myself from the chaos and most importantly enjoy my time to the best that I could. Because as humans we have limited control on what happens in our life. It all really depends on how you react to what is happening. You can let the confusion surround you and hold you back. Or you can step out and keep strolling on your path to success, happiness, and love. So like I said my situation in life at the time of the beginning of the outbreak was not ideal. I was in my final few months of highschool and looking forward to graduation, prom, and moving on to college. Unfortunately those milestones did not occur according to plan. My highschool experience was cut short. Way too short. I was forced to adjust to online schooling in very little time. The teachers were still confused on how to teach online and kids were confused on how it worked. My school did not utilize google meets or zoom at the time. So my only connection to my teachers was email. The situation was pretty sad. I missed my friends from school and I missed my teachers that used to fill my day with fun. But I adapted quickly and got my work done. I did not let the communication gap stop me from finishing school on a high note. I utilized the extra free time I was presented with by working. All the time. I work at Target. So I am considered an essential worker for an essential business. So I was desperately needed at the store all the time to help out. I was working forty hour work weeks all while still making time for friends and finishing school work. I worked later shifts, came in on off days and came in earlier to help when they needed. I will never forget the benefits of the work experience I got during the first few months of the pandemic. It taught me a lot about managing my time and money well. I also made great connections with my coworkers and customers who came into the store. These experiences will help me greatly when I move forward in my life in many ways I do not even realize yet. I worked a ton, finished highschool, enjoyed my summer; which I still found a way to make memorable and started college. I may not have gotten the experience I had hoped for when I first came to my campus. But as I’ve said many times, I did not let the obstacles stop me from enjoying my life. I built the greatest support group of friends and I could not have asked for a better outcome. My group and I made the best of college campus life. We always find ways to have fun and still get our work done. So far college has been a fun time and I am glad I came. Again, my story may not have the same hardships as a lot of people may have gone through. My story has been pretty hopeful. So here is to passing the hope on. I hope I continue to grow and thrive and if you may not have had the best experiences yet, here is to hoping you can break free from the chaos and live life to the fullest capabilities right now. Life is not about how hard things are, it is about how you are able to overcome difficulties in your path.
• 
  2020-03

  A Year Without Rowing

  The end of my freshman (2019-2020) spring semester of college was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic gradually growing more and more. Not being able to have a normal freshman year and sophomore year (2020-2021) was not what I was expecting going into college. I have always expected my college years to be full of fun times and rowing but instead they have been full of the COVID-19 pandemic and online school at home. Traveling has been cancelled due to the pandemic which is what stopped studying abroad chances in different countries around the world. Not only was my college years cut short but also my college rowing career as well. Freshman year the spring season was cancelled due to COVID-19 as well as my sophomore fall season and maybe spring. The spring break has been cancelled for the school due to the pandemic which meant the teams spring break training has been taken away which is where we get into racing sprint pieces on the water. Being able to race and perform in regattas at a collegiate level is something I have always looked forward to throughout my high school years. Not being able to have the chance to compete against other colleges especially in the main season of rowing which is spring is something that is upsetting to myself, the rest of the team, and the rowing community. Having limited rowing opportunities for practice such as small boat rowing, small group pods, and the location. Strict policies from the athletics department have been guiding what we can and cannot do for rowing. There are plans for my sophomore spring season of competing against other college rowing teams if the COVID-19 pandemic begins to decline. If the pandemic begins to decline it will lead to less policies enabling the team to practice as a whole team and in bigger boats like 8s and 4s. This will allow the teams to practice at a higher degree on and off the water to become ready to compete in the regattas. The picture that I have attached is from my fall season of freshman year when there was no pandemic going on. I picked this picture because it is special to me because my collegiate rowing season has only been a semester long. Wishing that my next two years of rowing will be COVID-19 free and full of races and regattas. Hopefully the vaccine will help fix the pandemic and move towards the future into a COVID-19 free life.
• 2020-03-13

  The Covid 19 College Experience : Procrastinators version

  My experience with Covid has been positive health wise. Mentally I feel the need to interact with my peers because that is what I enjoy doing in my free time other than sleeping. I thought I would be building memorable college relationships, talking to lifelong friends but it seems impossible and that saddens me. This pandemic has showed my how financially irresponsible I am! I have spent so much money on nonsense and now that I realized that, I see all the life altering things I could have done with it, but let's not focus on the negative. It isn't to late for change so all those things can still be achieved.
• 
  2021-01-29

  Four Wensdays in January

  This is a meme my friend shared in our discord, it recounts the absolute insanity that was January of 2021. The first image is of the failed coup attempt by enraged Trump supporters, white supremacists and fascists; who all stormed the capitol building with little to no resistance. While inside, they defaced the building, broke into offices and hunted for Vice President Mike Pence to hang for ‘betraying’ Donald Trump. The second photo came in response, depicting speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi holding the article of impeachment for Donald Trump. While it was argued that this was a pointless endeavor as Trump was virtually leaving office in a week, the main goal for impeachment was to prohibit Donald Trump from holding office ever again. The third image is the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States, this event was made possible by the presence of the national guard, where 21,000 soldiers were deployed to make sure nothing as similar as January 6th could occur. The streets were empty as roadblocks and military utility trucks cordoned off the area, massive fences were erected surrounding the structure and soldiers patrolled the area. Largely, it was believed there was going to be nationwide attacks on several capitol structures throughout the nation in response – yet nothing of substance happened. The final image, and my favorite, would be the assault on Wall Street. This is an insane story, so I’m going to be a little less formal but this is an incredibly significant event, it is an instance of effective class-warfare. I’m not going to explain stocks, but essentially what happened is hedge fund investors made a bet that GameStop would fail, they took several ‘shorts’ out on this company to profit from this bet – however, redditors on r/wallstreetbets caught wind of this and thought “what would happen if their bet was wrong,” they began investing heavily into the company, raising its value, and as a result, costing the hedge fund billionaires thousands. These thousands in losses became millions, then billions, as more and more working class and middle class people threw themselves onto the market, to eat the rich. It wasn’t about profit, about making a return, it was a message. Eventually, this fiasco showed Americans that there essentially is no such thing as the ‘free-market,’ as these large hedge funds began blocking people from purchasing stock, forcibly selling peoples stock, using their own funds to facilitate an artificial ‘scare.’ People lost so much after the initial manipulation, but it proved that the market was only free for the rich, that once anyone else began to emulate the fraudulent strategies of the wealthy elite, they would be struck down. This is currently on going, but I cannot stress enough – it is not about money, it’s about sending a message that people are done. It’d be funny if the federal government intervened on behalf of wall-street by bailing them out, before sending out those measly 2k stimulus cheques. For the archive, this photo represents the pace in which everything moved in 2021, and the absolute absurdity of where we are today. To think, when this began we were planning on a few weeks at home, we’d make sour dough bread, then we began missing our friends and family’s – then we were in the streets marching for civil rights, and the ability for people not to be murdered by police because of the colour of their skin, fascists stormed the government, the ex-president is being impeached, again, now we’re trying to destroy Wall Street, this pandemic is absolutely wild.
• 2021-01-26

  Final Thoughts and Statistics of COVID

  Corona Virus statistics show that up until we had the vaccine the number of people who had it increased day to day and once the vaccine was released the amount of people affected has gone down. I have not personally been affected by corona virus except by having a couple friends and a teacher who had it. I was near those people and had to stay home for ten days due to the exposure. Some things I have enjoyed in this Covid season are being able to have tons of free time to do whatever I want, such as redecorating my bedroom and invest and watch the stocks from day to day, but also having too much free time is not fun when you have nothing to do. I have also experienced having to stay overly clean washing my hands every twenty minutes and wearing a mask out in public which are definitely things that I have not enjoyed. This has been a very eventful year with Corona Virus.
• 
  2021-01-17

  MMORPGs in Quarantine

  Over quarantine, with so much more free time, my friends and I found ourselves becoming invested into a fun mobile game called Dragon Raja, where we customized characters and created friends from around the country/world. The game had events scheduled at specific times every day, which allowed us to keep track of the days as the months dragged on, giving us something to look forward to when there wasn't much that we could do together.
• 2021-01-15T10

  Virtual Learning during Covid-19

  At the start of Covid-19, we had to do virtual learning for the rest of the last semester until now. Online learning was better in my opinion. I liked it better because we got to sleep in, and also we didn't need to get changed into uniforms. But I also liked it because we had more free time right after school ended right at 2:45, but now I only have free time at 3:30 because that is when we get home. I liked it because everything was online and we didn't have to write on a piece of paper and get our hand tired. But I also like seeing my friends in-person school. I like online leaning better than in-person school.
• 2021-01-15

  Learning Virtually

  Have you ever done online learning? Well there is good and bad things about it. During when COVID first hit we were transitioned to online learning, it was a little hectic at first trying to figure everything out, but it wasn't the same. As of now we have done about 9 months of online learning. Some bad things are not being able to communicate with teachers or friends, turning in assignments, and even the learning itself. The first semester I was at a public school and we couldn't do much of online learning so we had very few assignments. Then in the fall of 2020, I moved to a private school where it was much better, but there was still some flaws. Some good things about online learning are if you finish class early you can take breaks, I don't have a problem with this but a lot of people do, you don't have to wake up as early when you are virtual, and finally you can get started on chores around the house if you have free time or relax. Overall, I thought it would be worse, but it wasn't too bad.
• 2020

  Learning online

  Learning online is much harder than usual, because it is much easier to not listen. Sure we are learning the same stuff as in school, but all the fun aspects of school disappear during online. That makes me have no motivation to learn. However I also like it because it gives me a bunch of free time to do art and stuff. Overall i like normal school more.
• 2020-12-25

  How Christmas Was different for me in the year of 2020

  This year, with the pandemic going around Christmas was a little different. There were several new situations that occurred one of them being the fact that my grandparents couldn't stay long. Due to the fact that COVID-19 mainly only affects people with preexisting conditions or old age, my grandparents had to go before we opened presents. Another new thing this year caused by COVID is that with the free time, my sister who would've been in college spent her free time training a puppy that got to be with us at Christmas time. Besides for situations such as those we had a normal Christmas with family, presents, and church. With church however, to keep things outside and moving with groups separated they die a tour where you met volunteers who told stories dressed as people who were present for the birth of Jesus.
• 
  2021-01-04

  Stuck at Home

  There is a lot of free time, cant decide what to do, be lazy or be productive?
• 
  2020-12-05

  Being a 25-year Suicide Survivor and my QPR (Question Persuade Refer) Suicide Prevention Training Save a Life of a Total Stranger 2000 miles away

  I just wanted to send you the story about meeting Chaz Ah You, the young man that went from a total stranger to another son. He is a football player at BYU. It was a very emotional meeting but one I'll never forget and treasure ALWAYS. I was able to save Chaz's life through divine intervention and QPR Suicide Prevention Training. That is why we can't sugarcoat the importance of addressing suicide prevention head-on. It's not a comfortable conversation nor is it warm and fuzzy, but we have to have those uncomfortable conversations to become comfortable to evoke change. I am so glad Chaz is here. We will continue to have these uncomfortable conversations to change not only how people view suicide but to educate and break down the walls of stigma to STOP suicide. Have some tissues when you view this story. Everyone should take QPR Suicide Prevention Training! It saves lives! 25-years ago, my Aunt Kellie nicknamed "Aunt Spankie" saved my life when I called and told her, "She could have my shoes," she didn't hesitate to have me involuntarily committed. She's a HERO in my eyes because she did whatever it took to save my life. She didn't worry about me getting mad at her, my mother, or my grandmother being mad. As bad as February 14th, 1995, was to be involuntarily committed, handcuffed, and taken to a mental health facility, it saved my life and started me on the long road to recovery. It also awakened me to help others like me, especially in my culture and people of color. Mental health isn't one size fits all. Today, I'm a board member with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) NC, a volunteer with AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention), MHA (Mental Health America) of Central Carolinas, an NC certified Peer Support Specialist, a certified Mental Health First Aid for Youth Instructor and a certified QPR (Question Persuade Refer) Suicide Prevention Instructor. When the Governor of NC issued the Stay Home Order in March, I was given the opportunity to do QPR Suicide Prevention Training online. I had no idea I was going to train so many. I started training on March 26th, through May 30th and trained 600 people from 23 states and 5 countries for FREE. I took a break in June and started back training in July, finishing on December 19th. To date, I have trained over 1000 people from 24 states and 5 countries . I am not done. I plan on continuing my quest to stop suicide through paid and free training online until the QPR Institute tells us to stop training online and go back to face to face. That's over 1000 people that are now certified "Gatekeepers that can and will save a life through positive action while providing HOPE. I have trained people from all walks of life, sports psychologists, directors of sports medicine, directors of nutrition, teachers, a congressional aid, social workers, student-athletes, pastors, an NFL player, therapists, social workers, college professors, 10-D1 college football coaches (Michigan, AZ, Wake Forest, BYU, Navy, Perdue, and others) former Charlotte Mayor, Jennifer Roberts, DA Spencer Merriweather, 36 nursing students from NCCU, sorority sisters (AKA & ZETA), colleges students, two CBS News producers, a CBS News reporter, a local news reporter, nurses, an entire college conference (Sunshine State Conference), 56 student-athletes from the Sunshine State Conference, 80 student-athletes from WSSU, a Native American reservation, directors of sports wellness, numerous college athletic trainers (Carolina, Ohio State, UMASS, Liberty University, Howard University, South Carolina, UCF, UT, Clemson, High Point University, UVA, UGA, WSSU, FAMU, Notre Dame College, UMass, and Eastern Washington to name a few) and many others have taken the training. In an hour and a half, that is how long the training is, I can train anyone how to recognize someone in crisis or suicidal, talk and listen to them in a nonjudgmental way and help them to get the help they need all the while providing HOPE and positive interaction. The training teaches you that anyone can save a life while being positive and providing HOPE. I also use my own suicide attempt to dispel the stigma that surrounds mental health and to show you can get the help you need, you can recover and you can have a good life. You don't have to be a professional to save a life. You just have to care.