Items

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  2020-07-31

  Bloomington March for Justice

  If you are not careful, the newspapers (media) will have you hating the people who are oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.” — Malcolm X⁣ ⁣ Photos from Bloomington March for Justice, July 25, 2020
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  2021-01-20

  Poet Amanda Gorman has a star-making moment during Biden-Harris inauguration

  I was teaching during the inauguration. But I pulled up the ceremony and allowed the students to watch Biden take his oath. Afterwards I quickly shut it down and tried to catch up on the lesson I had already planned. One of my students during 6th period unmuted (which is rare). "Mrs. Bell? Did you see the poet? It really moved me". I told her I would watch it after class. When I did get a chance to watch it, I was so sad I missed the opportunity to share Amanda Gorman's dream of a better America with them in the moment. The next day, each class watched it with me. Students who normally never speak applauded her, telling me what her vision meant to them, that she was elegant, that she was brave. Watching her speak was a moment I will never forget. She made history with words of hope in a horribly fractured America. She brought a sense of patriotism and optimism that I haven't felt in some time. I know she inspired kids everywhere. Ahhh!!! It was so good. "If only we're brave enough to see it, If only we're brave enough to be it".
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  2020-07-21

  Healthcare "Warriors"

  On top of billboards, signs, and store discounts, this photo of a mail-order catalog shows one more way how US businesses recognized public healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and integrated that recognition into their business models. The catalog marketed this particular item as a way of showing patriotic support for those dealing with the COVID crisis. Also, by declaring medical professionals to be "warriors," this advertisement fit into a fairly common view held by many, including those in federal, state, and local government, that the US response to COVID-19 was analogous to a military campaign.
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  2020-05-09

  The Flag of Masks

  This is an image used by the company Facearmour which was a company that transformed itself from a printing press to a mask-making factory in the midst of the pandemic. The photo was used to promote their Memorial Day and Fourth of July packs however I believe that it also represents how America was at the time. Everywhere you went you saw masks. It was a nation of masks.