We are focusing on the perspectives from a variety of social groups and how they have been impacted by COVID-19. Our goal is to collect the stories and experiences of marginalized groups, but we realize that there are some barriers to that for some members of our group. All three of our group members have slightly different goals for this project, but ultimately they all examine the social consequences of this virus. We also see the value in documenting not only negative consequences of this pandemic but also ways in which people are coming together and supporting each other. But, we also want to capture the positive aspects of this time more broadly and explore the room for individual growth that people see in this experience.
Natalie is focusing on how different families have been affected by COVID-19, reaching out to a diverse group of individuals, geographically, structurally, economically, etc, and interviewing them to document how their family dynamics have been altered by this virus. In addition, I am capturing how families are staying positive during this time. Through images of chalk art, encouraging words on signs in their yard, social media posts, and other examples, I would like to highlight how families and organizations are supporting their community and first responders. As of now, I have been reaching out to members of my community to start getting responses and eventually have the goal of including more marginalized groups in my documentation.
Anne is focusing on the impact that Covid-19 has on international students around the world. Many people do not see international students as marginalized, and this generalized assumption might be true in normal times. However, I see how pandemic can shift the social dynamic and position of people, disadvantaging certain groups of students who we simply believe them to be privileged and do not take into consideration. I do not like to ignore the voices of people by dwelling on the normative idea of marginalization. In this vein, I would like to highlight the experiences of international students by documenting interviews and collecting news articles and comments.
Michael is interested in preserving the memory of marginalized groups by archiving different types of media to capture how the coronavirus has politically and socially impacted these groups. These groups’ identities are threatened by the current political dialogue and by barriers placed on them by society which makes it more difficult for them to share their stories. I believe it is necessary to preserve the memory of these groups to prevent their experiences from being ignored or falling through the cracks of time. However, I want to recognize everyone’s experiences are important to document at this time and I am open to sharing anyone’s stories. I will be using a variety of media to capture the experiences of different people.
