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What were your first reactions to hearing about COVID19 when it first became a pandemic last year? Did you think people were over-reacting? Underreacting?

a)For me, it was my senior year of high school and looking to prom and graduation. I was wondering how long it was going to take. I think people were underreacting and not taking it seriously overall.

What did the government announce/declare/implement recently regarding the pandemic?

a)That there is a vaccine and people should get it

How does it impact your life?

a)If people get the vaccine, I will be able to see my friends more and hang out with them. Also, I could live a normal college life.

Does it make sense to you?

a)Yes I think people should get it instead of resisting it because the CDC has proven it works and that the side effects aren't that bad. They have done tests to say that it works.

How did your family respond?

a)When it first came out my family didn't jump and get it right away. they waited to see how it affected other people before we got it. My grandma got the vaccine first and then my parents. After that I recently got it last week.

How is today different from when the pandemic first happened for you, your family, the nation, the world?

a)There aren't as many restrictions from when it first started. They even said that if you're fully vaccinated you don't have to wear a mask outside, but when it first started people had to wear masks everywhere. At first, we couldn't see any members and we only saw them at Christmas, but my mom still doesn't really let me go out. We have learned and grown since the pandemic firsts came out and have figured out new ways to deal with it.

Did you have to cancel any major event like a vacation, a Bar Mitzvah, etc. because of the pandemic?

a) No I don’t I did.

Do you see any examples of racism, inequality, etc in events that have happened as a result of the pandemic?

a) Asian hate crimes have been present throughout the pandemic and since my mom is an Asian woman I felt scared whenever she would go out to do her daily things

How has your life changed since first going on quarantine last year?

a) I have been more careful who I come in contact with even though it is getting better I am still cautious.

What would you tell yourself a year ago vs now?

a) I would tell myself to spend more time with my friends in high school and go to more school events because it got cut short due to the pandemic.

What has the pandemic made you realize?

a) Anything can change any second when you least expect it to.

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What were your first reactions to hearing about COVID19 when it first became a pandemic last year? Did you think people were over-reacting? Underreacting?

a) It was very frightening. There was not a lot of information about how you could get it. People weren't sure if you could get it from somebody touching food in the grocery store and then you touching that sme food. I think people were not overreacting, but I think some people were underreacting. They were not taking it seriously.

What did the government announce/declare/implement recently regarding the pandemic?

a) Recently, they said if you are outdoors and vaccinated, you can stop wearing masks.

How does it impact your life?

a) I can now have family over even though it's limited to staying outside.

Does it make sense to you?

a) Yes, it makes sense since they have more information now about the virus.

How did your family respond?

a) Very happy

How is today different from when the pandemic first happened for you, your family, the nation, the world?

a) Today, there is hope because there is a vaccination. For my family, there is less fear from getting the virus. There is a vaccine now and restaurants are now opening back up, people are going back to their offices, and the amount of cases in the hospitals in the US have declined, but there are a lot more deaths in other countries because they have not been vaccinated.

Did you have to cancel any major event like a vacation, a Bar Mitzvah, etc. because of the pandemic?

a) I had to cancel my 50th birthday party and we never had family over to celebrate holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Do you see any examples of racism, inequality, etc in events that have happened as a result of the pandemic?

a)There were a lot of prejudices against Chinese people because that is where the virus started. It is wrong and it got so bad that they called it the Chinese virus and the Kung-Fu virus. Also, to where you have people pushing down elderly Chinese people walking down the street. As a woman of Asian ethnicity I felt scared and the fact that my brother called me to wear dark sunglasses really alerted me to how scared one can be if I have to be disguising myself as one I’m not.

How has your life changed since first going on quarantine last year?

a) I wear a mask everywhere I go and the use of hand sanitizer has made my hands very dry.

What would you tell yourself a year ago vs now?

a)Buy toilet paper. Enjoy going to events with lots of people and not complain about lots of people.

What has the pandemic made you realize?

a)It has made me realize that there are a lot of movies on the tv and that family is important and family gatherings are even important.

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My first reaction to hearing about COVID19 when it first became a pandemic last year was that I was more scared than most typical people. This was due to the fact because once I realized that anyone could get it and you never really know who can have it when you go out. At first with the whole toilet paper situation where people were stacking up and leaving families without some was ridiculous and that part I did think that people were overreacting. The people who were underreacting were the president of the United States and the governor because when there were a few cases that had appeared in America, they never tried to solve the problem nor let the public know what was going on. They didn’t understand the importance of the virus even though they saw the rise in the amount of covid cases appearing in China. I definitely think if the president handled the situation when it was small rather than ignoring it, we would be in a very different situation right now. One thing I didn’t like about when people were overreacting was the racism towards Asain Americans and people from China due to the fact that the virus came from there, so they must have it. That was one of the most absurd and racist things I have ever heard and the fact that people were physically and verbally hurting Asian Americans I became scared for my mom due to the fact that she was a Chinese-Jamaican woman. I was in fear that one day she would go out and something would happen to her because of what she looked like and because people were mad.

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The pandemic has made me realize many things. It's made me realize how grateful we should be to see friends and family on a daily basis because once that's taken away you feel alone. Also, I realized that no one ever texted me first during quarantine. It was like we were playing tug a war and I was the only one pulling. I was the only one trying to keep that friendship there. Now, yes there were some negative parts of this COVID-19 pandmeic, but there were also some amazing parts of it as well. I realized how important family is at a time like this and spending time with them and seeing them each day made me feel better about the current situation that we were in during quarantine. There was one very important thing that it reminded me of and made me realize which was how important soccer meant to me. Last year while I was in school I never appreciated how lucky I was to be able to play a sport and be on an amazing team with amazing teammates and an amazing coach. Yes, I still ran and played soccer in my backyard with my dad and sister during lockdown, but being able to feel the field under my cleats as I pass and move the ball is a kind of feeling that can never be replaced.

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The COVID-19 Pandemic was a major realization for the people of America. It showed that there were still signs of racism located in the United States even going into 2021. Even though we are still in a pandemic people still stood together side by side and stood up for what was right. One thing that really stood out to me was that the Black community were at a higher risk of getting Covid than other races. Even knowing this the government never implemented any laws or any further protection for that specific group which really shocked me. The health of American citizens should be one of the government’s top priorities especially if a certain community is at risk. We of course have the death of George Flyod. His death has brought justice to many Black Americans who have been treated wrongly by police officers. Even with a vaccine in possession and the fact that the government has the ability to save those Latino Americans and Black Americans who are dying more from COVID than other minorities, they still haven’t prioritized them or set out a law about it. This pandemic has showed the true colors of this world that we live in. I think it was for the better because people around the world are starting to hear about the struggles we Black Americans have to go through everyday of our lives. Whether its being followed around in a store or even a person calling the police because we look “suspicious” there will always be aspects of racism, but it's what we do about it when it happens is what really matters.

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I have painted about two things since quarantine. One of them was my door and the other was an actual painting. My older sister and I bonded a lot of paiting because it was somethig called painting my numbers, so we would just sit at a table and paint together.

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I started watching anime not really at the beginning of quarantine, but more in July going into August where I was really getting bored because Netflix stopped releasing shows and I needed something to watch. It was definietly the best decision I’ve ever made even if it is just the type of show I watch because never in my life would I ever see myself watching anime. I guess you could say quarantine changes people and what they like and I know it may seem like a little change, but for me it was more than that. It was like opening up a whole new world of shows for me to explore!

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When I first discovered this trend I begged my mom to get oreos, so I could make these with my older sister. It was really good! I never thought it would taste as good as it did.

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Healine: Biden hails progress on vaccine equity, but some local leaders paint a different picture

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Healine: Biden hails progress on vaccine equity, but some local leaders paint a different picture

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I feel very strongly about this topic. The fact that your race has something to do with whether or not you receive a vaccine that could save your life should not even be in the minds of anyone. Health is health whoever needs help should receive we should’t favor one race over the other.

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Headline: Black Lives Matter Grows as Movement While Facing New Challenges

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Headline: Black Lives Matter Grows as Movement While Facing New Challenges

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I was very happy when I heard about this movement expanding to many different ethnic types. Seeing everyone from all different backgrounds standing up to racism made me very happy.

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Headline: Biden becomes the 46th president, vowing to heal and unite a nation in crisis

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Headline: Biden becomes the 46th president, vowing to heal and unite a nation in crisis

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I am not really into politics, but I was very happy when Biden was announced. I don’t consider myself anything. I like to remain neutral, but the reason I was excited was because he was going to bring equality and justice for Black Americans who have come in contact with whether mentally or physically forms of racism in the US. ✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿