This is a silk mask with what appears to be the $1200 stimulus check awarded to U.S. citizens during the pandemic. The design was all hand-stitched by a woman named Jennifer Markowitz in Raliegh, North Carolina. This piece is interesting as it is an artwork that overtly displays the moment in time it was made. This item will stand the test of time and be of interest to historians in the future as it illustrates significant aspects of the year 2020. This item displays an important subject of the pandemic, the stimulus check, on the piece of clothing that has become essential, a mask. This creative artwork is practical and clever when representing the times during the Covid-19 pandemic.

I am posting this photo because it showcases how I have spent a lot of my time during the pandemic. This photo displays every painting I have created since the beginning of the quarantine. Some of the works shown in the picture are still works in progress and others are completed. Before Covid prevailed and we were sent home in the spring, I had lost interest in painting and had not painted in months. The lockdown that Covid brought on allowed me to slow down and rekindle the love and creativity I had for painting. In this photo, there are 14 paintings, however, I have made more and gave them to friends as gifts. I mainly work with acrylic paint on canvas because I like vibrant colors and solid lines, although, I would like to start experimenting with oil paints soon. Covid-19 brought on many obstacles to a lot of people, but I am grateful that I could reconnect with painting. This object demonstrates the significant rise of creative liberty within my generation under Covid-19.

This interview examines how a relationship between my close friend, Abby, and her girlfriend Julia was affected by the pandemic. As pointed out in her answers, they began dating right around the time that the pandemic began, and ended in early November, so the entire course of the relationship took place while the pandemic was going on. This interview represents individuals who are part of the LGBT community (Abby is bisexual, her ex-girlfriend Julia identifies as a lesbian), and gives the opportunity for them to share information about a relationship that may be looked over due to its lovers.

As this interview is part of a collection exploring relationships and the exploration of sexuality during the Covid-19 pandemic, I really wanted to get to know some more about what it’s like to have a relationship altered by the pandemic. Luckily, I knew just the people. I reached out to two of my best friends on campus and asked if they’d be willing to speak about their experiences, which they agreed to. I already had an interview set up with a friend who went through a whole relationship (began dating and broke up) during the pandemic, but I felt it was important to explore multiple different types of relationships. This interview to me shows something about my generation living under Covid, as it shows how many of us felt like we were stripped of the indepence we gained when we left for college, and how we now have to navigate living at home again. In the case of these two, they also have to navigate being intimate and romantic with each other in this situation.

This is an inspirational video produced by the company Apple. This short one-and-a-half-minute long video consists of various photos and videos filmed by people all over the world durig the pandemic. There are great displays of creativity and different forms of art in this video. For instance, the art of playing the violin, learning to dance ballet, as well as the craft of making of old motion pictures are all displayed in the source. I chose to display this object because reflects the needs and considerations of an ethical archival collection. This source assures that an abundance of different perspectives from people of many backgrounds are represented respectively. I also feel as though this archive does attempt to fill an archival silence and amplify the voices of marginalized groups by allowing for such a diverse array of people to be included in this video featurette.

This photograph went viral on Instagram, with many people I know sharing the post on their stories in order to spread awareness about how hard nurses and other healthcare employees are working. I think this photo is really important because it shows a side of the pandemic that no one is really thinking about. It shows how healthcare workers are unable to see their families because they are tirelessly working with COVID-19 patients and don’t want to infect their families. This shows a marginalized group of people, healthcare workers, who haven’t really had their voices heard or cared about enough through the pandemic. Healthcare workers have not been appreciated enough for all the hard work and sacrifices they have made for their patients during 2020. In addition, this post gives voices to women who have often been silenced, allowing Syndi Lane to share her story with the world, encouraging others to follow.

There have been many ways people have chosen to let their creative energy loose during the pandemic. The story that I have uploaded is about a woman, named Manami Sasaki, who found her niche during Covid-19 to be turning bread into works of art. Sasaki designs bread with replicas of art as well as traditional Japanese imagery. Sasaki says that this practice keeps her calm and in good mental spirits. I chose to place this object in my mini archive because I feel as though this source attempts to fill an archival silence as well as amplify the voices of marginalized groups. This is an incredibly niche practice that amplifies Japanese culture

One of my coworkers tested positive for COVID-19, so all the employees got tested to ensure we were all being safe at work. I think the photos I captured at Melrose Wakefield Hospital tells a story about all the precautions to stay safe and healthy in an unprecedented time. These photos respond to the needs and considerations of an ethical archive because it shows what precautions are being taken both inside and outside a hospital. In The Ethical Archivist, the author wrote about the ethics of acquisition, which documents have permanent or evidentiary value. I think these pictures may be seemingly unimportant to most people, but to historians this is data that shows what types of mandates and precautions were put in place during a worldwide pandemic.

I think this is an important combination of sources depicting nurses at the beginning of this pandemic, in comparison to how they feel now. My sister, a nurse at a hospital in Los Angeles, California, sent this photo of her to me on March 21st, 2020, smiling and feeling good. 9 months later, she is exhausted, scared, and still working around the clock to help her patients. I think this collection item both demonstrates how significant social media has been with my generation under COVID, as well as being something of interest for future historians to see how devastating the year of 2020 has been. This video of her got 193.3K views on the TikTok app, showing how many people are using the app and watching videos surrounding COVID-19.

In this article, written by Caroline Enos from Suffolk University, it states how Suffolk was willing to open its arms to the medical workers in the area. This article really resonates with me because these are the same rooms that I lived in as a freshman, and now they are being gifted to medical workers. These 30 staff members who are working at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, are scared to go home to their families in hopes they would not get them sick. This article is definitely something of interest for future historians because it shows parts of the Boston community coming together to help each other and stay safe in the midst of a deadly virus. The story also resonates with members of my generation because we are seeing our University step up and give back to our community.

This is a video of a nurse who volunteered to go to New York and help out with the COVID-19 pandemic in hospitals. She was overwhelmed at the number of patients she had that were Hispanic, Black, Latino, and Middle Eastern, and other people of color. It was clear to her that they were being disproportionately affected by this pandemic and chose to march in protests along with them. The acts of Becca Cooper, and the stories she told her audience about, amplify the voices of marginalized groups by speaking out about it and making people aware of these communities and how heavily they are being affected. I think 2020 has also been a year of protests to fight for equal rights and that speaks out to my generation as well. I know a lot of people who have participated in these protests and it goes to show how my generation is standing up for what we believe in, much like Becca Cooper did for her patients.

This article shows the first coronavirus vaccine being given to a critical care nurse in NY. This is a huge milestone for the U.S. because it was the biggest effort to produce a vaccine in our history. This would be something for future historians to discover because it is so significant for the year of 2020. This has been a year of hardship for everyone and I think this vaccine is a glimmer of hope for many people. There are currently 3 million vaccinations being flown around the nation right now, hoping to help more people and save many lives.

My Thanksgiving was mostly good and not good this year. I felt this way about my thanksgiving that way because I got to hangout with my family, aunt family, and my pets. The reason because it wasn’t good it’s because we couldn’t go to some fun places because of this pandemic and it’s issues. But over all I think God just wanted it that way and that I wasn’t alone in this season. I’m happy that I got to have a thanksgiving in a different perspective of life.

As many Pride celebrations were cancelled this year, many members of the LGBT community turned to social media to share how they were celebrating Pride in these strange times. This post displays a handmade crocheted shirt in the colors of the pride flag, made and shared by an individual seeking recognition for the work seeing as she had no celebration to wear it to. This just shows the dedication of the LGBT community to the celebration of Pride, which will be communicated to any future historians studying LGBT history.

When I had the idea to focus a mini collection on the expression of sexuality during the pandemic, one of the things that came to mind was Pride 2020. I myself was going to attend the event in Boston this year, however, like much of the United States, the celebration was cancelled. However, I knew that the LGBT community wouldn’t just let June pass by without some celebration. This post from Reddit displays how one individual spent pride month with the goal of turning individuals from queer media into Lego minifigures. Queer characters in movies and television are not all that easy to find, so this individual’s work had the potential to introduce anyone who stumbles upon their posts to queer characters. This in itself amplifies the voices of the LGBT community, by in a way calling for the normalization of queer characters in media, and giving them a way to share their identities through projects they create.

As I sat scrolling through Snapchat one day, I was presented with an advertisement. At first I skipped, however, when I saw the Bumble logo, I immediately went back to look at it. Sure enough, I had stumbled upon a perfect addition to this mini collection that I am putting together about dating during the pandemic. The ad was for the Bumble campaign “First Moves Forever” (https://thebeehive.bumble.com/firstmovesforever) which recaps how Bumble was used in 2020, and shares the stories of some users in an interactive way. This website may interest future historians, as it shares the stories of real individuals in relationships, and tells how social media/dating apps were used during the Covid-19 pandemic. It also gives another look into the ways that brands are now using the pandemic as a way of advertising.

As this interview is part of a collection exploring relationships and the exploration of sexuality during the Covid-19 pandemic, I really wanted to get to know some more about what it’s like to have a relationship altered by the pandemic. Luckily, I knew just the people. I reached out to two of my best friends on campus and asked if they’d be willing to speak about their experiences, which they agreed to. I already had an interview set up with a friend who went through a whole relationship (began dating and broke up) during the pandemic, but I felt it was important to explore multiple different types of relationships. This interview to me shows something about my generation living under Covid, as it shows how many of us felt like we were stripped of the indepence we gained when we left for college, and how we now have to navigate living at home again. In the case of these two, they also have to navigate being intimate and romantic with each other in this situation.

My Covid-19 experiences were surely pleasant because I have never experience a pandemic until now, but at the same time were a little sad because I couldn’t go to fun places like paint balling, friends houses, restaurants, and more. I still liked when we could go to some places that weren’t exposed to coronavirus, like when I went to Temecula with my family and aunt family, also when I went to my grandparents ranch house, when I could go to my Nana’s house and Aunty house. So that are some things that I got to experience this year.

Due to the massive number of American voters who decided to cast mail-in ballots, coupled with the unprecedented voter turnout, American’s did not get an answer on Wednesday morning as to who the next POTUS was going to be. This uncertainty, along with the climbing covid-19 numbers, meant a lot of citizens were feeling overwhelmed and anxious about what the next few days, and perhaps weeks, would entail. Crisis hotlines in the US saw a spike in calls related to election anxiety. This political cartoon created by Bruce Plante shows the anxiety that the hotline workers themselves might have been experiencing. With call after call coming into these centers, hotline workers do their best to ease the minds of those on the other side of the phone call. This is significant to 2020 because it illustrates the collective emotions voters were facing in the first week of November 2020.

In about September or October, I remember my friend reaching out to our group chat about how she was questioning her sexuality. This questioning soon led her to the realization that though she had identified as straight her whole life, she felt that the label of bisexual fit her better. Next thing I knew, she was dating a girl. When I decided to seek out material related to the expression of sexuality during the pandemic, I knew immediately that I wanted to dive deeper into her story and see if the pandemic had anything to do with the situation. One of the biggest issues I had with this interview was making sure that I was not overstepping any boundaries and getting too personal, going back to the ethical responsibility that historians/archivists have to respect the privacy of those who are aiding in their contribution. However, I feel that not only did I find more out about the effects of the pandemic, rather, I found more out about my friend than I had expected to.

For many American’s, the financial impact of covid-19 has been at the forefront of their minds. With sky-rocketing unemployment rates and working hours cut due to state restrictions to help stop the spread of the virus, some American’s have been forced out of their residencies and into homelessness. Even more troubling, many shelters were unable to house the homeless due to capacity restrictions. For those who do not know, homeless citizens in all 50 states have the right to vote, but some states encouraged mail-in voting for the 2020 election to limit the spread of covid-19. Without a permanent address, many homeless citizens were forced to vote in person because they had no other alternative.

In 2020 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been a pivotal organization in educating the public on how to protect themselves, and others, during the covid-19 pandemic. The CDC periodically releases guidance and updates on how to safely navigate everything from grocery shopping to voting. The CDC released an article titled “Tips for Voters to Reduce Spread of COVID-19”. In the article they encourage voters to know their voter’s rights, even if they are quarantined for covid. With a lot of voter misinformation circulating, the CDC took the proper steps to help voters understand their rights, whilst encouraging measures that help prevent the spread of this rapidly spreading virus.

This photo shows a bench that is an advertisement for the dating app Bumble located in Boston’s Seaport district (exact location unknown). The bench has two seats, with space for social distancing between, which goes to show how far people are taking social distancing guidelines. Bumble makes use of participatory content here to engage the public to interact with their advertisements, which may lead to more interest in further interacting with the app. This object has the potential to interest future historians, as it shows how brands used the pandemic as ways of advertising. It also shows the ways in which not only we changed, but the physical objects around us changed to adapt to the pandemic.

My State Championship run being cut short due to COVID-19 cherish every moment with your friends and teammates never know when it will be yall last time playing together

Many colleges and universities around the United States encourage students to be politically active and to exercise their right to vote, but Suffolk University decided to go a step further. Throughout all SU’s social media during the election we saw posts sharing information from deadlines, to social distancing practices while voting in 2020. This screenshot from Suffolk Universities Instagram account shows one example of how the university encouraged voting. What is not shown here is the fact that Suffolk University took the initiative to cancel classes on Election Day, November 3rd, 2020, so that faculty and students could volunteer at polling places and/or vote in-person. After the election, Suffolk University continues to encourage students to engage with the political process both locally and federally.

As the CDC released guidelines for how citizens could help stop the spread of covid-19, many American’s started to wear masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) before leaving their homes. Masks quickly went from simply being a means of protection to a way of expressing themselves. Much like wearing a campaign t-shirt to show political affiliations, people started to wear masks adorned with slogans from the presidential campaigns. The Trump campaign, and others, released MAGA masks for purchase on their campaign shop. Only during a pandemic in tandem with a presidential election would we see something like this. As the pandemic continues on, it is safe to assume that masks will continue to be a way for people to display their personalities.

As the covid-19 pandemic began, many American’s found themselves glued to the news more than ever before. A result of this news consumption brought to light the atrocities committed against BIPOC in the United States. On March 13th, 2020, Breonna Taylor was fatally shot 6 times in her home by a plainclothes officer. Two months later, on May 25th, 2020, George Floyd was suffocated and killed during an arrest over a counterfeit $20 bill. Rightfully, many were outraged and so began protests in cities and towns across the United States. As the election drew closer a movement began to encourage voters to reflect on how their vote can impact historically marginalized individuals within their communities. What will the candidate you vote for do for the communities currently facing social justice issues at large?

As covid-19 continued, many political campaigns were forced to be more creative in their approach when it came to engaging with audiences. Some campaigns held virtual events and rallies. The Biden-Harris campaign decided to take advantage of the cultural phenomenon that is Animal Crossing: New Horizons to engage with younger voters. In the Nintendo game, players curate their islands and can create their own personal designs to share and use. This game has been significant to many millennials during covid, because it has been a place for young people to “hang-out” virtually and show off their creativity. The Biden-Harris campaign took advantage of this massively successful game and created their own island, Biden HQ. They created t-shirts and designs that other players could utilize. Players can still visit Biden HQ using the in-game dream code DA-7286-5710-7478.

This is my story and my truth regarding my moment in time in my new Covid-19 reality. This story was originally done in May 2020 on behalf of a contest I entered for the Bronx Community College Spoken Word Club. It expresses what I was feeling and going through during that exact time at the height of the pandemic.

The author of this tweet provides a critique of the government's response to COVID-19.

My Thanksgiving this year was barely changed. Ignoring guidelines by Democratic governor Newsom, who doesn't even seem to be able to follow his own rules, I celebrated a great thanksgiving. My family gathered together at my house and my mother made the meal. We had multiple pies and a large turkey to separate between all family members that could come. I had a great time celebrating, and no one in my family has got sick from the gathering.

Kevin Kent expresses his opinion that CERB saved Canada, rather than ruined it, as many Conservative commentators posited.

Twitter user Bill Sullivan expresses his opinion that Scheer wanted to amplify the sufferings of Canadians during the pandemic.

This brief article details the impact of COVID-19 on reconciliation with Indigenous people in Canada.

This news article outlines how COVID-19 is undermining Indigenous sovereignty in Canada, with a focus on the Wet’suwet’en pipeline protests in British Columbia, Canada.

In this clip, Canada's PM Justin Trudeau warns about "internment camp" disinformation. Far-right conservative conspiracy theorists misinterpreted information from the federal government, which they thought was planning to put those who did not abide by COVID rules and regulations into internment camps.

My Thanksgiving this year was barely changed. Ignoring guidelines by Democratic governor Newsom, who doesn't even seem to be able to follow his own rules, I celebrated a great thanksgiving. My family gathered together at my house and my mother made the meal. We had multiple pies and a large turkey to separate between all family members that could come. I had a great time celebrating, and no one in my family has got sick from the gathering.

This meme makes fun of the cottage scandal that happened at the beginning of the pandemic, where wealthy Canadian political leaders from the Progressive Conservative and Liberal parties supposedly escaped to the solitude of their cottages while Canadians suffered. The New Democratic Party, owing to the austere roots of their political message, avoided criticism.

This tweet from NDP leader Jagmeet Singh highlights his belief that working Canadians should not pay for the pandemic. Singh and the NDP tried to use this rhetoric to implement a wealth tax on Canadians making more than 20 mil. annually.

This tweet makes fun of Maclean's magazine's "Conservative Resistance" by overlaying the pictures of these respective Canadian conservative leaders with their COVID charts.

My Thanksgiving did not serve the right potatoes. They were not their because my grandma could not come. The Cowboys lost which was different. We all had to socially distance. This year's Thanksgiving was different.

This shows how it can be difficult to remember all the changes the pandemic has created. People forget things, like the new one way aisles. Not everyone has malicious intent when it comes to the pandemic. One way aisles were created in stores and such to allow for social distancing in the aisles. This is probably one of the most ignored new guidelines, but at least the effort is there. As long as people try their best to follow these guidelines it is important not to judge people to hard. It seems this generation tends to want to judge people for forgetting to follow some of these guidelines, but everyone is learning together. People should not take all of this to heart. It can be difficult to check if there is an arrow, especially since not all stores use them.

This was an email sent out to employees about a coworker that had been infected with Covid-19. This is important because it shows that stores are now required to inform employees when another person that works there is confirmed to be covid positive. However, as this is a personal experience the company did not inform employees that there was a suspected case prior to the confirmation. This shows how money hungry corporations are even in a pandemic. They may say that they had the employee's best interest in mind but their actions speak louder, than a lousy email sent out.

My Thanksgiving was different in the sense that we could not leave the house of even see anybody. It was the same because of the food and traditions but besides that last year was very different from this year. I had Thanksgiving with my family of 4. It was a small gathering which is what we are used to by now. My mom cooked food for all of us and made things from scratch. My parents and brother had turkey but I don’t eat turkey so I just ate salad and chicken. It was still a good thanksgiving but definitely felt somewhat trapped or restricted. The thought that If I left the house without a mask I might come home infecting my whole family lingered in the back of my mind.

This blog says a lot about the pandemic and how it affects parents to be. It highlights the feelings that would run through the mind of any mom getting pregnant in the current state of the world, and the difficulties with it. It is important that historians can look back and understand the feelings that are going through our mind and how we chose to voice those through writing. A quote that resonated with me in this blog was; “It’s hard not having my husband by my side as I watch our precious miracle wiggle and kick on the ultrasound monitor. To feel robbed of the magical experience we had with our first two. They allowed me to FaceTime him after the exam so that he too could see our healthy baby boy, but it simply didn’t make up for the empty space beside me where he rightfully should have been.”

This object is a webpage from the Mass General Hospital website. This is the Obstetrics and Gynecology page. It is an update for all their patients. The title of this article is “Mass General Remains Safe, Ready for Expectant Families During COVID-19". It was uploaded in May of 2020. I choose to read this because I am planning to deliver my baby in February at Mass General, which will be mostly likely still during this pandemic. This article highlights the precautions being taken during Pandemic for mothers delivering at Mass General.

I uploaded this flyer. It shares the need for masks and other protective equipment in fighting against the corona virus, especially for the population of pregnant women and new moms. The website has campaigns to aid in providing masks to moms and moms-to be in the Chicago-area. They do this in hopes to ensure these moms feel safe and secure during their pregnancy amidst a pandemic. Although I am not in that region of the country, I can understand the campaign for women in this category across the country and the globe. I think it important for historians to look back on this time in history and reflect the needs of certain demographics during this time.

I uploaded his page I found because it is an updated source of data for pregnant women during the current pandemic. The page shows total reported Covid cases of Pregnant women in the U.S. which is currently at 44,183. Along with the total deaths which is at 57 currently. It also provides other graphs and statistics on this demographic. This is very important data that historians can once day use when studying this time period.

This photo was taken by me in the hospital elevator after leaving the OBGYN, this was the first visit I was allowed to be accompanied by my partner. I wanted to share it on my instagram story. Due to Covid-19 Chris would have to wait in the car while I would go in alone. We are finally far enough in my pregnancy that he can come and assist me. The photo I’m holding up is the ultrasound of our baby girl, we just got it printed at the appointment. And my partner is smiling with all his excitement, but it is under his mask. This item demonstrates the significance of couples becoming parents during this pandemic generation. It’s very regulated, restricted, hidden by masks, and constant changing hospital policies.

Our church stayed open during Covid, even though they were not supposed to. Nobody wore masks, social distanced, it was just like normal. Only about 1 out of every 100 people were wearing a mask. There were about 4000 people at our church. The government tried to shut it down, but the court trial was going to be in 2021. Everywhere in a mile radius of the church had a bunch of signs saying to wear a mask, but of course those signs were ignored.