ASU Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict receives $150K to help groups serving communities hit hard by pandemic In Arizona, some of the communities hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic have been the same communities whose plight often goes unnoticed — refugees, asylum-seekers, DACA recipients, mixed-status migrants and Native American tribes. In a move that is new to the Arizona State University Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, it has been able to award grants ranging from $3,000 to $10,000 to 13 separate organizations serving the state’s most vulnerable communities, after receiving $150,000 in funding from the Henry Luce Foundation.

This NPR Planet Money podcasts discusses extremely long sentences, early release due to change in laws, particularly in Oklahoma, the cost of incarceration, and criminal justice reform from the ideal of physical conservatism. Plus a brief mention of early release due to the pandemic.

At this point, Trump hadn't held any rallies yet, so social distancing recommendations were still accepted. This one one such rally in Clearwater, FL. The residents who owned boats decorated them and went out together showing their support for Trump's relection.

As the 4th of July weekend commenced, different sections of the country were split: quarantine, masks, and social distancing for a fairly quiet holiday or continue on with business as usual. In the tweet, we are invited to view what a 4th of July celebration looked like at Mount Rushmore. There were masks amongst protestors, amongst some attendees, and very few from the President's personal entourage. This item was added TAGS v6.1.9.1. I originally searched under the hashtag #rushmore. Within that search, I have chosen to add the following tweet because it touches on the intersection of politics, health, and public protest. Buzzfeed News Article: (https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katebubacz/trumps-visit-to-mount-rushmore-photos)

My daughter was having the gymnastics season of her life in 2020, placing in every event at every meet, and even reaching #19 on America’s Top 100 for vault for her level. One of the last places we went before quarantine in March was a gymnastics competition and I remember being uneasy at the crowds and the fact that the girls used the same apparatuses and equipment throughout the day. No one else seemed concerned, and when I asked if State Championships were still happening, everyone looked at me like I was insane. Of course, two weeks later, everything shut down. She has now been away from gym for over three months - the longest she’s been without her coaches since she was 3 - and both State Championships and Regionals were cancelled. No word on whether there will even be a 2021 season. To keep up the morale of the team, her gym sent information about a virtual State Championship, where gymnastics could submit videos from previous meets and judges would watch and score. I submitted without telling her, because I wasn’t sure what to expect. When she received medals and a champion t-shirt in the mail because she scored 1st All Around for her level (first in every event) she looked happier than she has since quarantine began. It’s not USA Gymnastics sanctioned, so it doesn’t “count,” but to my daughter, it is as real as any in person meet and was exactly what she needed to have closure to what had been an amazing season. We don’t know when she’ll go back - her gym opened three weeks ago, but with numbers rising dramatically in our area, the risk isn’t worth it for us. Competitions are fun, and my daughter loves her sport and is extremely dedicated, but a healthy and alive daughter is way more important to us than medals in a coffin.

Stores across San Francisco closed their doors during the city's shelter-in-place orders that begin mid-March. Many stores boarded up their windows in response to shelter-in-place orders and because of looting that took place in across Bay Area cities. Artists responded by creating beautiful murals across many Bay Area cities. This piece of art features a bear sitting in front of what appear to be white birch trees, making a mask at a Singer style sewing machine.

Today I stopped by a community rock garden that popped up at the start of shelter-in-place orders in March. Over time, the rock garden has grown. The result is a beautiful myriad of rocks with diverse messaging. It is clear that some rocks were created by adults and others by children. Some rocks have cartoon characters, like Lilo and Stitch, painted on them. Others have a rainbow, the viral icon of hope during this pandemic. Many rocks contain uplifting and encouraging messages. There were 2 groups of rocks that really caught my eye. The first was a cluster of rocks that read "BLM" and "Defund the Police." There is so much more our community is experiencing in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic. The second was a beautiful painting of a nurse. She is wearing a mask and half of her clothes are her nurses uniform while she is dressed as Wonder Woman on the other half. This simple rock is such a beautiful tribute to medical professionals who are on the front lines of this pandemic.

A search was on for the white woman who coughed on a baby because his mother was speaking Spanish in a yogurt shop.

Excerpt from article: Citing the unrelenting spread of the coronavirus, a federal judge has ordered that all children currently held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for more than 20 days must be released by July 17.

Our family has been following strict a shelter-in-place since March 13. We have only left the house for contactless grocery pick up and have visited the gas station once. Other than that, we have been isolated. Today, we decided that it would do us all some good to get some fresh air. We left for a favorite nearby hike as soon as we woke up to beat the crowds. We encountered a total of 10 people but were successfully able to keep our distance of 6-10 feet. All but 2 people were masked on the trail. It baffles me as to why people still refuse to wear masks. Especially in this situation in which they could easily remove the mask once they passed other people. Overall, the hike was wonderfully and did us all a lot of good. I was really impressed by my children who had no problems masking independently throughout the hike.

Republican City Councilman Guy Phillips Says 'I Can't Breathe' At Anti-Mask Rally in a mocking way as people in the crown encourage and chant, "Freedom". "I can't breathe" has become the cry for police reforms and justice across our nations. Known as the last words of several victims of police brutality.

Black Lives Matter are fighting for justice amid a pandemic that is disproportionately affecting their communities.

Excerpt from article: Weekends used to have a rhythm that worked for Ezina LeBlanc, filled with adventures for her 19-month-old twins in Calabasas, California. “Every Saturday, we’d be off to the beach, hiking, a picnic, a museum, a theme park, or even up to Mammoth Lakes to ski,” she recalls.

It is infuriating to see so many instances of government taking advantage of Covid-19 in order to enact laws that will backtrack any progress made against fossil fuel industry. But honestly, they have done this before and it wont be the last time.

One of the frustrations amung the deaf/Deaf/HoH communities is the governments communication during a crisis. Several times there is no sign interpreter available on screen while politicians are speaking. Sometimes there is no live CC available. A few times, fake interpreters are speaking gibberish during a live governmental press conference, putting the lives of many in the Deaf community at risk. There are millions of deaf/Deaf/HoH in the U.S. and I feel like the pandemic had swept our needs aside.

Scottsdale councilman Guy Phillips made national headlines today due to his comments at an anti mask rally in Scottsdale. Phillips parroted the popular BLM phrase and George Floyds dying words "I Can't Breathe" in relation to his feelings on being forced to wear a mask. A portion of Americans around the country and here in Arizona have been expressing disdain for new mandates requiring masks in public to prevent further spread of the virus through protests and gatherings. These new mask mandates come as Covid cases spike here in Arizona and across the nation. I found this tweet and the actions of Phillips here to be especially noteworthy due to the complete misunderstanding of not only the public health recommendations regarding masks but also the core message of BLM protestors. This elected official seems to disregard the dying words of Floyd by mimicking them to express his unwillingness to wear a mask, which, to me, seemed absurd. A big part of this stage of Covid in America is both the "giving up" of trying to flatten the curve by many people and government officials and the "anti health mandates" portion of the public and government officials who have turned the virus into some sort of political debate. Phillips exemplifies the latter, and I felt it necessary to include this example as I felt this is a rather uniquely American phenomenon or thought process.

A rare Inflammatory Syndrome presents in children with Covid-19.

As an educator I worry what next year will look like for us.

Excerpt: The big shift is due, in large part, to the changing attitudes of white people. One question, though, is what that might mean politically come November.

Amid tensions with the president over his deployment of federal officers during protests, Washington’s mayor had “Black Lives Matter” painted near the White House in an unmistakable assertion of control.

With calendars cleared as a result of shelter-in-place orders we have had more time to enjoy some of our family's favorite past-times. Cards and board games that were collecting dust have made their way out of cabinets. But what we've spent more time on than anything is puzzling. While each member of our family will puzzle here and there, our 5 year old son is a constant at the puzzle board. His attention and focus to puzzling is way beyond his years. Puzzling has given us the gifts of togetherness, joy, and consistency during these uncertain times. We've officially crossed over the 100 day mark! And still no hair cut for our son. We did venture out to a local toy store as we had officially ran out of puzzles. It was our first outing and we actually went into the toy store as a family. We all wore masks and did not touch anything during our time there. We were the only family in the store. It was definitely eerie but felt wonderful to be out and doing something normal. It also felt nice to support a local business owner that has undoubtedly struggled during this pandemic due to loss of business. We picked out two dinosaur puzzles. I'm certain we will be back for more puzzles soon.

With calendars cleared as a result of shelter-in-place orders we have had more time to enjoy some of our family's favorite past-times. Cards and board games that were collecting dust have made their way out of cabinets. But what we've spent more time on than anything is puzzling. While each member of our family will puzzle here and there, our 5 year old son is a constant at the puzzle board. His attention and focus to puzzling is way beyond his years. Puzzling has given us the gifts of togetherness, joy, and consistency during these uncertain times. Immediately after he finished his first ever 1000 piece puzzle, he asked to do another one! He took a much more active role in sorting the pieces for this puzzle. It is so fun to lose ourselves in puzzling. It takes our minds off of the gravity of the world in which we live. Just looking at this photo, it is hard to believe that we are living in the middle of a pandemic.

With calendars cleared as a result of shelter-in-place orders we have had more time to enjoy some of our family's favorite past-times. Cards and board games that were collecting dust have made their way out of cabinets. But what we've spent more time on than anything is puzzling. While each member of our family will puzzle here and there, our 5 year old son is a constant at the puzzle board. His attention and focus to puzzling is way beyond his years. Puzzling has given us the gifts of togetherness, joy, and consistency during these uncertain times. He is easily completing 300 piece puzzles on his own! It's quite the feat for a child his age.

With calendars cleared as a result of shelter-in-place orders we have had more time to enjoy some of our family's favorite past-times. Cards and board games that were collecting dust have made their way out of cabinets. But what we've spent more time on than anything is puzzling. While each member of our family will puzzle here and there, our 5 year old son is a constant at the puzzle board. His attention and focus to puzzling is way beyond his years. Puzzling has given us the gifts of togetherness, joy, and consistency during these uncertain times.

An article describing the eviction of elderly residents from nursing homes to 'make room' for COVID-19 patients to generate more revenue.

Throughout the country, people have been looking for ways big and small to help fight the coronavirus. One of the simplest ways of helping has been wearing a mask. In Orange County, the populace has reacted aggressively against any mandate to wear a mask. Although various gyms, restaurants, and bars are reopening and suggesting that people wear masks and social distance, most of the time people are willfully ignoring the orders. This item was added TAGS v6.1.9.1. I originally searched under the hashtag #orangecounty. Within that search, I have chosen to add the following tweet because it shows the response of many individuals in Orange County when forced to wear a mask. Doing so makes one a bit of a pariah.

This tweet stood out to me because of the contrast that it had with my state current Covid status. While New York was hit hard early, strict health guidelines have been not only enforced but followed well by the citizens of the state, which has notably flattened their curve. Meanwhile, Arizona was not hit as hard early but has now become a global hotspot for the virus due to lax enforcement of health guidelines, the state opening back up early, and therefore less public following of health and safety guidelines. The two states serve as near opposites of each other in regards to the curve of the virus.

Arizona was one of the earlier states that attempted to open from its lockdown, and had initially received mixed feedback on how things were going. As the reopenings have progressed through June, it is clear that Arizona is headed for trouble. The question seems to be just how much coronavirus can actually fit in the state.

Since there hasn't been a federal guideline put in place mandating masks out in public, and since most states still seem hesitant to implement a sweeping mandate, it has fallen in many cases on the individual to take up the mantle of responsibility. As small businesses began to reopen across the country and the world, signs normally used for announcing specials are now conveying some important information. Please wear a mask!

At the beginning of quarantine, I and many people hoped that with quarantine and a sound government plan we would all collectively be able to beat coronavirus and get back to living our lives. As we pass day 94 in California since the Governor mandated a stay at home order, it really feels as though we haven't given our best go of things. Although individual states and locals have had varying success, the Federal response seems to amount to just hoping that it will go away and won't have to be dealt with anymore.

Although its mostly been humans that are being affected by the quarantine and coronavirus, our pets are also feeling the struggle. Parks both human and dog alike have been closed to enforce social distancing guidelines, leading to some sad dogs. Here's hoping that as summer starts a little bit more time outside is in store for everyone.

At the beginning of quarantine, myself and others were hopeful that the experience would be quick and relatively painless. It would be an opportunity to work from home, relax, and learn to bake bread that much better. After 12 weeks of a patchwork effort at the Federal, State, and Local levels people were restless. When George Floyd was murdered, people poured out into the streets to protest. Now, people have been radicalized and are ready to fight.

In this scene from the Marvel Universe, Captain America (right) is lapping Falcon (left) and calling out each time he passes him. In the present climate, it seemed as though the US was competing with Covid-19. But the US managed to surpass Covid's destructive potential thus far; we are currently grappling with a cultural war, a racial reckoning, as well as an economic collapse. Hopefully no more laps by the US for a bit.

Caption below the picture: "This is a Dairy Queen drive through in Canada where they social distance by using debit machines zip tied to a hockey stick. You can't make this up." Canada seems to be innovating to still allow essential businesses to function safely. Curious to see if the US will follow suit, perhaps with baseball bats?

This meme highlights a feeling that I, and many friends and colleagues, are going through: what the heck is the US doing right now? We seem to have given up on trying to handle coronavirus. While that is bad by itself, at the same time we also seem to be in the middle of a racial reckoning that is directly tied into the pandemic. Questions of healthcare, liberties, and the ability to peacefully gather are all coming to the forefront as the average citizen tries to make sense of this all.

This tweet from the Omaha World Herald highlights a very real concern that is on everyone's mind in the middle of the pandemic: the economy. In Nebraska, there appears to be a fear that if mask mandates are made a state order, the stimulus money for coronavirus relief could be withheld. It is a part of the larger struggle between state leaders and the federal government over health and safety guidelines. This item was added usingTAGS v6.9.1, searching under keyword #Nebraska. Within that search I have chosen to add this item because it speaks on the ongoing debate over the safety and necessity of masks.

Humorous graphic posted by 98.5 KFOX encouraging the use of masks while also showcasing the continued rivalry between the San Jose Sharks and the Vegas Golden Knights despite the postponement of the current National Hockey League season.

Face masks began to be seen on many people. This couple even wore them to the beach while they were vacationing from Houston, TX. The beaches were closed down for a period, and when they reopened, people wanted to take precautions against the Coronavirus..

When the pandemic hit, and even just before, people ran to the stores and cleared out all the cleaning supplies, bottled water, hand sanitizer, canned food, rice and beans, rubbing alcohol, toilet paper, and paper towels. Costco is a big membership warehouse store with large quantities and good prices, so people flocked there. This video is typical of all of Southern California's Costco lines. The lines circled around the entire 150,000 square foot store! We watched the news footage in amazement. Shot by journalist @mrmarkpotts for the LA Times. I cut off the last few minutes and sped it up to 250%, but it took him 7 minutes to walk down the line. The apocalypse was surely nigh!

@45isalier Retweeted an Arizona ER Physician describing the increases that are occurring in hospital bed usage in the state. It shows a worrying increase over the past several days as the state continues to reopen. Coming from someone who works in the ER and deals with the real effects of the coronavirus, it seems as though This item was added with TAGS v6.1.9.1. The initial search was made using #Arizona and this item was added to the collection because of its medical importance and contradicts the narrative that reopening now is appropriate.

When American's think of the most common school supply Crayola crayons are sure to be in everyone's top three. Now they are offering a special "School Mask Pack." The product includes a set of five masks, sized for children, and they come in a small mesh zipper bag for washing. This puts in perspective how different everyone's back to school lists may be this fall.

Texas, as a state, has had some of the largest one day new covid case counts over the past week. While some are calling this the "second wave" of covid cases the truth is it is still the first. While Texas was not hard hit in the beginning of the pandemic, in March, April, and May, it is clear that the governor, Greg Abbott's, decision to begin re-opening the state on May 1st has resulted in our rising case count now. To add insult to injury the governor announced today that all public schools will hold in person classes beginning this fall and mask wearing will not be required. I am lucky that I homeschool my high school age son already. I can't imagine the struggle parents will be facing this fall. I know many will wish they had the option not to send their children back to school because they fear their child getting the virus, but not everyone has the opportunity to homeschool.

“Lubin Walter Hunter, the oldest living member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation and oldest living male veteran in the Town of Southampton, according to a Southampton Village proclamation, turned 103 last week. In fact, Hunter may just be the eldest Native American veteran in New York, his family said. In the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic, his family did not want to pass up the opportunity to celebrate his accomplished life and longevity, organizing a drive-by parade with his friends and community members. Hunter sat regally in a chair, draped with a blanket, at the end of his driveway, surrounded by his children and grandchildren — who wore masks and gloves to protect him from COVID-19. He stoically took in the well wishes one by one as the procession passed by.”

This care facility choose to support its residents by organizing a march for them.

My family never abandoned drive-in movies. We have a local drive in located in Concord California. We pack up the car with couch cushions and blankets. Then back into the space and open up the hatch. My kids have always loved it and I don’t have to worry about them misbehaving and disturbing others enjoyment.

“Everyone Plays An Important Role in Keeping Our Community Healthy and Safe.”

As a 7th grade, social studies teacher I follow a few different teacher pages on Facebook. One of the pages shared this meme in June as schools began to describe their reopening plans for the fall. Many schools are moving towards individual supplies only. While this does make sense, it's hard to imagine this working well. Many students usually don't show up to class with a pencil! I can't imagine asking them to remember to bring their paper, colored pencils, and pens to every class.

The photograph depicts what the washing machine always looks like at my house in Oklahoma, multiple cloth masks inside. It has become our daily routine of placing our masks in the washing machine as soon as we get home from public places. Before we only used masks to go to the post office and grocery stores, the only two public places we went with other people there. Now that the June 1st Phase 3 of reopening Oklahoma has begun, we have noticed more and more people everywhere we go. As people are becoming more active and very few wears masks, we've begun having to take multiple masks with us everywhere to remain vigilant and have backups. Our daily routine now includes placing our masks in the washing machine as soon as we enter from the garage, before going further into the rest of the house. If we go somewhere that includes carrying lots of things that touch our clothes, then we will also throw our daily clothes in the washing machine immediately. On one occasion we came face-to-face with a person without a mask that was actively coughing without covering their mouth in the produce section. We skipped purchasing any produce that day and went straight home. On days like that, we would immediately wash whatever clothes we were wearing, to prevent spreading anything in to the house. Photographs like this are a constant reminder of how our daily routines were completely changed because of COVID-19.

At the start of 2020, my group of college friends planned a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate a dear friend's 40th birthday. As we all live in different areas of the country, it was clear by the start of April that the trip would not be happening due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After 20 years of friendship, we couldn't let a milestone like this pass us by. We decided to throw her an over the top Zoom birthday party. I put together party packs, complete with colorful wigs, dessert plates, confetti and cocktail stirrers, and sent to each party guest. The birthday girl's package had strict instructions directing her to wait to open right before the start of the party. Together, the guests made a photo slideshow that included the top 40 things that we love about our friend and read it to the guest of honor during the party. We also decided to make a cocktail together and brought our own desserts and candles so that we could sing to her. The group coordinated with her husband to make sure that she had the cocktail supplies and a dessert to join in the fun. It certainly wasn't what she had imagined for her 40th birthday. But it was unique, thoughtful, a lot of fun, and definitely a memory to last a life time.

Contra Costa County COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders were announced on March 13, 2020. As is typical for me, my calendar was full of various activities in the summer months. I love summer! And, as a teacher, I have more freedom during the summer months to travel and to spend times with loved ones. One of the upcoming events I was most looking forward to was a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate one of my best friend from college's 40th birthday. Somewhere between college and now, life began to move at warp speed and we don't get as much time together as we would like. So, for many reasons, this was a major trip for us all. In early April, it was clear that the trip would no longer happen. We all received a text from the birthday girl letting us know the trip was officially cancelled. While I am sad, it is definitely the right decision. I am hopeful that 2021 will give us the opportunity to reschedule! It is hard to imagine that it could possibly be an entire year before we can all comfortably travel and be together once again.