Community in Crisis: The Durham Neighbors Free Lunch Initiative

What happens when concerned citizens join forces to provide for their community during a pandemic? Durham is seeing it happen right now, via the Durham Neighbors Free Lunch Initiative.

Three weeks ago, Elijah King, Riverside High School senior and student activist, Grant Ruhlman, owner of Homebucha Kombucha, and George O’Neill, owner of Lil Farm, came together to figure out how they could combine efforts to support the people of Durham in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. They left their conference call with the idea of a community-funded initiative that would accomplish three goals: fighting food insecurity by providing healthy meals for free, supporting local farms, and putting a local restaurant back into service.

Wasting no time, King created a GoFundMe page with a brief description of their vision for the initiative that gained traction quickly, hitting an initial goal of $15,000 in a day and a half. The page just kept spreading, now reaching over $40,000 from nearly 500 individual donors. 

“We’re seeing this totally amazing, overwhelming community support from people who want to see something being done and not just talked about,” said Ruhlman. “There’s a sense of urgency that I feel, when I wake up, that we cannot wait to act because people are suffering right now.”

The devastating social and financial impacts of the spread of COVID-19 in America have left many citizens in Durham and beyond with a frightening question: where will I get my next meal? With massive increases in unemployment because of the virus, the ever-present problem of food insecurity in America has only grown in severity. Additionally, in areas like Durham, where over half of public school students receive free or reduced-cost breakfast and lunch from their schools on a daily basis, school closures are leaving families stranded. Grassroots organizing efforts throughout the country are actively trying to provide for these vulnerable populations, for whom this pandemic is especially devastating, in the face of governmental shortfalls. Durham Free Lunch is joining in the national fight for justice on a local scale.

“We’re doing this work for the community because we are equal neighbors and equal partners in the Durham community,” said King. “We don’t treat each other like charity cases because we’re receiving services, or we need to rely on something or someone else. This is paying it forward to your community.”

The people of Durham proved ready to support this initiative. Partnering with Andy MacGowan, owner of local restaurant Geer Street Garden, the initiative was able to hit the ground running. Shortly after the initial fundraising success, Geer Street Garden reopened its doors after being forced to close because of COVID-19. Four people staff its kitchen, each being paid a living wage for 20 hours per week from funds raised via GoFundMe. 

With local food from Lil Farm and other local suppliers on deck, the team behind Durham Free Lunch launched their first meal service on April 9, planning to serve five days a week. As of now, meals are picked up from Geer Street Garden, and they are offered to anyone and everyone. Accessibility is a crucial part of the initiative: if you need a meal, take a meal. They are currently preparing 100 meals per day, but intend to increase that number over the next few weeks.

Cautionary actions against the spread of COVID-19 are carefully practiced: a sidewalk with lines spray-painted every six feet leads up to a bar counter, where packaged meals (There are three menu options available) are placed by employees wearing masks and gloves. The safety of employees, volunteers, and meal recipients is a top priority of the entire operation. 

In the future, the team behind Durham Free Lunch is hopeful that they will be able to implement a delivery service, where they take meals beyond Geer Street Garden. From Urban Ministries to MacDougall Terrace, there is no shortage of places in Durham that will benefit from access to these meals. 

“[This initiative] is just neighbors helping neighbors,” said King. “The community aspect is something I love so much about Durham. We treat each other like neighbors, no matter what.”

The team behind Durham Free Lunch is well aware of the reality that the community’s struggle with food insecurity will not disappear as social distancing measures are lifted. Their work is responding to a long-standing problem that COVID-19 merely brought out of the shadows.

“I feel strongly that this is a time we need solidarity among working people,” said Ruhlman. “We are creating resilience and systems that will serve us not just in this time of crisis. All the energy we’re putting into solutions now will be helpful in a post-COVID world. The only reason that this Durham Free Lunch Initiative is able to do anything is the massive community support we’ve seen through encouragement and donations. With the help of the community, there are a lot of places this could go.”

Regardless of what the Durham Neighbors Free Lunch Initiative looks like in the future, it’s currently helping Durhamites face their day-to-day lives in this new normal with a little less fear, knowing that they have a seat at the table.

In the words of George O’Neill: “Solidarity, not charity.”

Sample 1

Sophomore Zoe Zhu sits on a couch in the third floor of Benson. She’s donning a red Chinese National Ultimate Frisbee uniform from head to toe and heavily worn sneakers. She looks down at her computer overrun with assorted stickers. Her backpack rests by her as a Frisbee hangs from the bag by a clip.

Zhu is an international student who has been able to follow her passion for Frisbee all over the world. As Zhu takes over the helm for the Wake Forest Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team, she explores the beginnings of her career and aspects of the sport that keep her so dedicated.

How did you get started playing frisbee?

“I actually started playing frisbee here in North Carolina. In 2016, I went to a summer program with my school in Asheville and one of our counselors taught everyone how to throw a frisbee. I didn’t even know frisbee was a thing for human beings, i just thought it was for dogs (laughs).”

How’d you keep playing when you returned to China?

“We went back to China and we explored a lot on YouTube, then we started our own team and of the 30 classmates that went to that program,12 of us created the team. It was called Impulse.”

I heard your high school team made it to Youth Nationals,good how did you go from a completely new team to nationally ranked?

“So, for the first year we were not qualified to go because we were so weak. None of us knew how to toss or how to run the strategies. We went to some hat? tournaments, practiced by ourselves, and what we learned outside we brought into our team and tried to make the team better. It was 2018 when we were finally qualified to go to Youth National in China, which was amazing. We were ranked 5th.”

So how did you get involved with the Chinese National Team?

“I tried out, it was a hard time. The community in China is pretty small, not a lot of people even know that Ultimate Frisbee is a thing. I was invited to try out by someone because I was on a club team.”

What were the try-outs one word like? good

“For me, since I’m abroad and I’m so poor, I can’t go back to China, so I just videotaped everything. It was a hard time because some people even though they were studying abroad would fly back to China. They literally flew back to China just for that three day try-out.”

Did you ever think you would be involved so heavily in a sport like frisbee?

“My parents tried to develop me into a “traditional Chinese girl”. I started playing guzheng, which is a Chinese traditional instrument, since I was 4 years old, and I was performing Peking Opera which is also like very traditional like Asian Chinese thing and also traditional Chinese dance, but as I grew up I felt like I loved those things but that’s not really me.”

Why do you love frisbee? good

“It’s a team sport, and I feel like my whole life I’m doing things by myself.interesting Dancing, opera, it’s all by yourself. I’ve never experienced a team sport this much. I feel like it’s just the people who play, you cooperate with each other, and the joy you share when you score. It’s just like this culture, I really just love it.”

What’s one of your favorite memories from playing frisbee?

“Spirit circles with the other teams. In China, after every game, the two teams will mix up together and the captains will complement the other teams. We would cheer for each other which just makes the distances closer. It’s like a family.”

You are captain of the frisbee team, a choreographer for LIT, and an RA: how do you manage to keep going despite being so busy?

“My mom asked me to write down three things I achieved for the day, so I started and somehow I’m still doing that. I have so many tiny notebooks. Some days I don’t really know if it’s for the purpose of writing one of those three achievements, or if I am just doing it. For example, sometimes I don’t really want to do something, but then I would think about my little notebook and I would say, “If I do this, I can add it to my notebook.” Wow – like most Chinese students, she is driven in extraordinary ways I got that sense of achievement and then I would just go for it. I would literally tell myself in my mind, ‘it’s happening, it’s happening, I’m going’.”

Where do you see yourself with Ultimate in the future?

“I will definitely keep playing, but the thing is it can’t be my main job considering it’s so money consuming.nice (money consuming) You have to pay for everything, jerseys, tournaments, plane tickets, and membership. It still costs a lot of money.”

If Ultimate becomes an Olympic sport would you do it?

“I would do it. I would definitely do it.”

 

SAMPLE 2

Professor Luis Roniger has an understanding of his field that is hard to replicate.

Having grown up in Argentina during cycles of governmental oppression and military takeover, his first-hand experience is evident through his passion and knowledge in his teaching of Latin American studies and human rights.

His love for his subject radiates towards his students who describe classes with him as thought-provoking and eye-opening.

 What was it like growing up in Argentina during an era of political persecution? Good opening

I started primary school immediately after the coup against Perón. This was necessarily a period of repression, but I was totally unaware of that. Even under a democratic government there was violence and disarray.

Do you have any particular memories of when you first realized the gravity of the political climate? Good folo

 With two fellow students I tried to publish a newsletter after the onset of the new military rule in 1966. We were called to the principal after we published it. The newsletter wasn’t subversive, it was simply pulling together some sarcasm and irony. We were high school students, and still we were admonished and told that we would be expelled from high school if we continued to publish.

 Was it in the school newspaper, or a local publication?

 It was in a local publication out of our own initiative, not regulated by the school. But now looking back, the school probably was afraid that it would be held accountable for “subversive” ideas that may somehow affect its future.

 While you were in school in Argentina, what were you studying?

I was studying sociology. I’m in the department of politics and international affairs here, but I am by formation a comparative political sociologist.

 What was it like studying political thought during a time of limited political expression?

The atmosphere in the university was that of a mixture of professors who were nationalist of the right, some were Peronists, and there were all sorts of beliefs. But, the atmosphere at the university was politicized to extremes.

How so? 

First of all, physically, in classes everywhere you saw graffiti, posters, and flyers of different groups, groups who would meet for very political discussions about the role of violence, the role of active militancy. Whenever there was a period of tension, militants would enter classes and stop class. The provost was elected by the professors, faculty, and students, so politics got easily involved in education from the bottom up.

What caused you to leave Argentina? Good pivot

I’m an avid reader, and accordingly I had many books about the thinkers I was studying that could have led me to be one of people who would later be defined as the desaparecidos. There were kidnappings, killings, and people were sent to concentration camps. The country was so politicized, so antagonized, and I knew there were cycles of repressions all the time, even under democracy. I was sure that something terrible would happen, I could sense it in the air.

Where did you decide to go? You obviously have ended up in the United States, but was there somewhere else you went first?

 I went to Israel and did graduate studies there.

Why did you choose Israel? 

I am Jewish. In parallel to the official public school, I went to Jewish School and I learned Yiddish and Hebrew from early on. I was able to study in a language that I knew and eventually perfected. My wife was Israeli also, but it was a combination of being Jewish, looking for a place to live, and also the family constellation.

 In addition to studying comparative political sociology, you teach about human rights. When was the birth of your love of the study of human rights?

I should go back to my childhood; I was a minority within a catholic country. I wasn’t targeted particularly for being Jewish. I had Catholic friends, but I witnessed the targeting the members of the Jewish community by extremist, radical groups of the right. Overall, it’s been a mixture of curiosity and antisemitism. I’m a humanist, I think of people as equals, even as they are diverse.

Do you feel optimistic about the future of respecting human rights? Interesting question

Many times, only after a major crisis do we feel the push, and we’re currently undergoing a major crisis. There is radicalism of religion and politics that is threatening western democracies. I’m not pessimistic, but we’re living through a period of regression with respect to what had been achieved.

What is it that you love so much about this field and why do you want to share it with students?

I resent discrimination, I would like to respect and be respectful of every person, not to place difference before equality. But still I’m a realist because I’m aware there are many sources of prejudice and discrimination. I think of our country, the USA, with so many problems even in 2019 with how people think of each other, how people are categorized, how racism is not the failure of the majority. Minorities discriminate  as well. There is so much polarization, and I know from my birth nation the consequences of being polarized and antagonizing. It’s crucial for the future of any society and for democracy.

 

SAMPLE 3

Sophomore Olivia Thonson is a dedicated spokesperson for women’s’ rights. She is a Women and Gender Studies and Political Science double major whose passions include improving sexual education, raising awareness on the concept of intersectionality, and fighting to protect women’s reproductive rights.

She is also president of the Intersectional Feminist Collective on campus, the creator of the “Sex Ed Done Right” speaker series, and a Sexual Wellness intern at the Women’s Center. Her reputation as one of the most passionate feminists on campus has led her to speak at multiple Planned Parenthood events and has made her a popular guest speaker in  campus classrooms.

1. What would you say you’re most passionate about right now, and how is that reflected in your involvements at Wake?

I think I’m most passionate about sex education, just because I think most people here haven’t had a proper one yet, and if they did it was abstinence-based.[that’s a fact] To address that, we’ve been holding the “Sex Ed Done Right” Speaker Series, a series of talks that are geared towards college students.that’s great, and needed For example, two of our speeches were “The Female Orgasm” and “Destigmatizing Sex Work.” I’m also developing a sex ed curriculum right now for new students during orientation, which would cover general sex ed – STIs, contraception methods.

2. Have you always been passionate about these issues? If not, what sparked your interest?

I really became passionate in high school when my friends and I started an organization called “This Means War,” which was for women who were victims of assault and rape. Through the organization, we provided free self-defense classes for people after school. We also tried to revamp our sex-ed curriculum within our school district. That was the first time I really became passionate about sex education reform. When I came to Wake Forest, one of the orientation seminars involved putting a condom on a banana. I immediately thought to myself, “Everyone knows how to do that. We learned all that in high school.” Then I started talking to people who were saying, “Oh, we didn’t have sex ed.” That was really shocking for me, and it made me passionate about making a difference here. She has identified a major lapse in health ed on our campus.

3. How, if at all, has being a student at Wake Forest changed your perspective on these topics?

I’m from L.A., which is a very progressive community. My high school was very open with talking about sex education, so coming to Wake Forest made me realize that people come from all different backgrounds; not everyone had access to the same knowledge  I have about sex. A lot of people didn’t get that education from their parents or guardians, either. The experience kind of broadened my horizons in a way, as cheesy as that sounds.

4. If you had to pick one person, who has been your greatest inspiration as a young adult?

I’m absolutely obsessed with Angela Davis. She was a communist member of the Black Panthers during the 1970s and a professor in the UC System. I learned about her in high school, and she instantly became my social justice warrior. She really inspired me.

5. In your opinion, how are issues such as feminism perceived by other Wake Forest students and faculty?

We have a very progressive faculty, and most of them are very open to the idea of having a feminist club. I’m a WGS and Poli-Sci double-major, and both of those departments are pretty open to the idea of intersectional feminism on campus. However, I don’t think the student body is like that at all. I think they mostly perceive it as a group of “feminazis” or “manhaters.” Interesting; where does she see the sorority culture fitting into all this…?

6. Why do you think that is?

I think it’s mostly where they were raised. A big factor is who they hung out with in high school and who their parents are. Another part of it is media; most media only portrays really extreme feminists, and I think that always seeing that could influence people’s perception.

7. If you could change or implement one policy in America, what would it be and why? Interesting question

I think it would just be mandatory sex education in all high schools, but not just focused on the biology and anatomy; I think it should be a comprehensive sex education that includes sexual pleasure and consent as well. I know a lot of Northern European countries start teaching students about consent at a really young age. Beginning consent education in kindergarten is much more effective than beginning it in college. Good answer, especially with the easy access online to so much raw and exploitive content

8. How do you plan on incorporating these passions into your life after college? Do you think your career will reflect your current interests?

I actually want to write sex education curriculum for a living. Actually, not a living; I couldn’t make enough money from that. But I really want to work with nonprofits that work with school districts to help develop sexual education curriculum. Good for her.

9. Out of all of your experiences concerning female empowerment, does one particular moment stand out to you as the most rewarding?

I think it would be last year when I was doing the “Sex Ed Done Right” speaker series for the first time. One of the speeches I organized was “The Female Orgasm,” and I was shot down by a lot of people on that, especially by the administration. In the end, over a hundred and twenty people showed up. We completely filled the auditorium we were in, which just proved to me that the topic holds more interest than people think. No real surprise there…

Reporting Index

Annelise Brigham – Email interview

Zack Potter – Email interview

Olivia Thonson – Interview

COVID’s Quiet War Against Suburbia

 

I jolt back into consciousness after the cat knocks my finance textbook off the kitchen table.

 

Simultaneously, my older sister bellows at her third graders via Zoom, and I hear my little sister snooze her alarm for the 15^th time this morning- it is evident her case of senioritis has not subsided in quarantine. Dad smiles and cracks a corny joke before heading back down to the basement, while Mom puts on another pot of coffee.

 

Another morning of quarantine in our house-turned-office, turned-study-space, turned-classroom begins.

 

Chaos and close quarters are our new reality. Our old lives taken from us as quickly as the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) permeated through every corner of the world, infecting hundreds of thousands of people, and sending citizens back into their homes, with no end date of this nightmare in sight.

…

 

It is April 9, 2020. My little sister should have been celebrating her 18^th birthday drinking cheap booze stolen from our garage fridge with her friends, all of them savoring their last few months together before college.

 

But not this year.

 

This year, she sets her alarm for 11:00 a.m. She hasn’t risen before noon since this quarantine began, but today is her birthday, she shouldn’t sleep so late. Dad has made his famous crepe recipe just for her, but that doesn’t totally mask the anti-climactic celebration consisting of just me, my sister, and my parents.

 

But then 12:00 p.m. hits. The quiet and wide street on our block becomes filled with dozens of cars, honking and beeping incessantly. We all walk outside to see the parade of cars carrying poster boards and kids shouting, “Happy Birthday!” Chills run up my spine, and I know she finally feels the birthday magic she would have felt had we not been chained to the house. We stand there in our pajamas, a strict uniform in quarantine, and hug our not-so-baby sister; definitely a birthday she won’t forget.

…

 

For my older sister, the morning began less glamorous. As Dad was cooking breakfast, she was pleading to her third graders via Zoom, could they PLEASE just put themselves on mute for the next 30 minutes.

 

She hadn’t been out of graduate school four months when she was hired as a third-grade teacher for a prestigious elementary school nearby. To date, she hadn’t even had a year of teaching under her belt. Now, she was trying to create an online curriculum for her eight-year-olds that could be taught virtually for the remainder of the school year.

 

She had now entered a new realm of virtual pandemonium.

 

Finally, the clock hits 11:00: snack time. Now, she would have a 15-minute break to refill her coffee mug and sigh as loudly as she wanted before she had to virtually haggle her children again. She would also use these 15 minutes to email the parents of one her students- this student’s tendency to log off the Zoom meeting when he didn’t feel like answering a question was becoming a large issue.

 

But these feelings of agitation and anxiety would soon dissipate when she logged on 15 minutes early before class and all of her children were patiently waiting there for her. Each child talking over one another, battling for Ms. Rich’s attention so they could display their pet dog to her via the Zoom camera.

 

It was the five or so minutes of true diligent learning she got that morning, when all of the kids were actually focused, that my sister’s fear they would forget to read over the next few months began to subside; completely replaced with the warm feeling of adoration her children had left her with.

…

 

Mom wakes to the sound of 13 eight-year old’s giggling. She smiles and thinks to herself, how in the world is she going to get all of those kids to mute themselves?

 

With auto-immune disease, we all worry about Mom the most in the midst of this pandemic. If we were responsible for making her ill, it would be too huge a weight to bare. But of course, she insists upon doing the grocery shopping, she is ironically the least afraid in all of this, and knows she’ll likely have to go back to the store anyway if she leaves it up to one of us to do. Or, maybe she just wants an excuse to put on jeans today.

 

Unfortunately, leaving the chaos at home doesn’t prepare her for the chaos of the grocery store. Lines of tape are spaced out every six feet, and every shopper has their signature masks and gloves on. A strange feeling to be monotonously shopping for Dad’s favorite potato chips while simultaneously feeling like you’re in the middle of an apocalypse.

 

As she waits in line to pay, she overhears a man at the register asking, “Are there any more masks?” The cashier nearly laughs in the man’s face; has he been watching the news? “Where could I get one?”

 

My Mom feels her stomach lurch, she knows she has an extra mask in the car for one of her daughters. This poor, clueless man.

 

She jumps out of line and tells him she would be happy to give him one of her masks. The man smiles and begins repeatedly thanking her, as if she had given him a 100-dollar bill and not a glorified piece of cloth.

 

The man’s refreshing gratitude snaps her back into reality again. Though the pandemic is infiltrating every aspect of our life, smothering society in anxiety and uneasiness, the human spirit will always be more persistent than any virus.

 

She drives home with all of the ingredients to make her youngest daughter’s favorite birthday dinner, spaghetti and meatballs, and is once again filled with a feeling of gratitude, for the things she has in all this madness.

…

 

Over 300 miles away, my eldest sister’s voice cracks through the phone, wishing the youngest a happy birthday. She calls just before she will begin another practice full-length MCAT, (the Medical College Admission Test) an undertaking that will take her seven hours.

 

She might be the only person in the world who isn’t terribly upset about being locked inside; she has been given the gift of time and minimal social obligations, plus a government mandate to stay inside and finish her work.

 

In her barn-style apartment, there is nowhere where she can get complete silence; no library or study space that is truly distraction-less. She teeters on the edge of sanity some days, feeling like her stress might start teeming at the seams and all over the kitchen floor if nudged the wrong way.

 

But just as she reaches her tipping point, Aries and Leo, her two little kittens, brush up against her leg. They look deep into her eyes and remind her to take a breath through their language of animal innocence, and a smile returns to her face.

…

 

And then, there is Dad. The glue that holds all of these crazy girls together with a solid foundation of comic relief and huge breakfasts to look forward to each morning.

 

I know he has been laid off, and no matter how many times he goes to walk the dog, that will still be his reality.

 

But he doesn’t let on how stressed he really is, just smiles and asks how I would like my eggs cooked. Like with anything else, he knows that bad days will pass, and new opportunities will come with the warmer weather.

 

And when this is all over, we will hug our family and friends a little bit tighter, be a little more patient with the cashier at the supermarket, and we’ll remember the little acts of kindness that reminded the world of the power of humanity during a global crisis.

 

We will relish in a night out to dinner, and never pass up a chance to get ice cream with friends, because we know how quickly all of the simple luxuries in life can be taken away from us.

 

When the pandemic passes, we will mourn the losses, and be grateful that we were reminded of what is truly important in life when the world stopped spinning for a few months.

“I truly thought I was going to die” says Dale Donaldson.

Dale Donaldson, a 56-year-old man from Brooklyn New York was diagnosed with the coronavirus March 29. Two weeks of uncertainty and fear filled the Donaldson household.

According to the CDC, there have been 605,390 total reported cases of COVID-19 in the United States, and 24,582 total deaths reported.

We are living in a historic time. People are helpless and scared.

“A lot of people in our neighborhood don’t understand the seriousness of this virus. I had a fever of 104 degrees for eight days, — eight days man” says Donaldson. “I had no desire to eat or drink, I felt like my body was eating at itself.”

Two weeks of fluids, isolation, and prayer is what got Dale through the scariest time of his life.

“Coronavirus’ have been around for a long time,” says Virologist and Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Sarah McDonald.

With symptoms of fever, cough, and extreme difficulty breathing; COVID-19 is hard to decipher at first because it will look like a normal cold.

“COVID-19 is 10 times more deadly than the seasonal flu,” says Dr. McDonald “We are not primed, and our bodies have not seen this before.”

This virus is more dangerous than the average flu, but the question is “why?’

Flu has been circulating for years. The new coronavirus that has emerged and is causing a pandemic this is different due to the fact that our immune systems are seeing this for the first time.

“To say I was scared is an understatement,” says Jeannette Donaldson, wife of Dale Donaldson “I would stay up at night just to make sure Dale was still breathing.”

According to the World Health Organization, the COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes. When we cough, sneeze and talk we are spraying microscopic of spit, which is filled with the virus.

“The way in which this virus was established is deadly, it is an inflammatory reaction from Acute Respiratory Distress” says Dr. McDonald. “People can’t breathe because their lungs have so much inflammation, they are dying from their immune response from it.”

Once enough people get it the question becomes are you immune to it and can you get it again? There are so many unknowns to this virus and that is what scares people.

“The human body is the perfect host for this virus because we have never seen it or know how to fight it off,” says Dr. McDonald. With 99 percent of people recovering, our immune systems do eventually win.

The problem arises with people do not know that they are ill. If you have no idea that you are ill, you don’t know that you are spreading germs.

“Not being able to leave the house just made everything worse, when Dad would cough if felt like the whole house would freeze,” said Jireh Donaldson, daughter of Dale. “Dad had his own personal set of dishes and his own personal area of the house, where no one would enter.”

The COVID-19 virus affects different people in different ways.

75 or 80 percent of the people won’t really become sick or require medical care, the problems lie with the people who have pre-existing health conditions who then develop COVID-19 says the CDC  75 to 80 percent of people that get infected are mildly symptomatic.

“I was lucky that my immune system was strong enough to fight off the virus, not everyone is that blessed,” says Dale.

Some may have a sniffle or sneeze; some will be in the hospital, but most won’t become severely ill.

“I couldn’t watch the news because I would get so scared that he would become another coronavirus statistic,” says Jeannette.

More than 30,000 people with the coronavirus have now died in the United States, according to a New York Times database. In the last week, there have been three days with more than 2,000 additional deaths announced.

“I probably prayed about three times a day for Dad to get better,” says Jireh \ “there was nothing we could for him, it was scary to watch his health decline at such a fast rate.”

According to the New York Times, “People with the virus have died in more than 30 New York counties, including more than 660 victims each in Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester Counties.”

With the death rates continuing to rise, the Donaldson household was terrified of what the upcoming weeks would bring.

“The coronavirus affects you differently when it is inside your own house,” says Jireh.

“Knowing your husband might not make it through the night is one of the scariest things imaginable,” says Jeannette.

 

Reporting Index:

• Dale Donaldson
• Jeannette Donaldson
• Jireh Donaldson
• Sarah McDonald
• https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/world/coronavirus-maps.html
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
• https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1

 

The Q&A profile:

1. Alternative form of storytelling.
2. Give a sense of hearing the subject talk by capturing accurately the language of their answers. (Use a tape recorder for your main interview).
3. Create a story with a beginning, middle and end.
4. You can edit your questions so that they are sharp, on point, or set up the answer in the best way possible.
5. You must edit the answers so that they don’t run on too long.
6. You can shuffle the order of the questions from when you asked them. You are not sending me a transcript of your interview. The idea is to tell a story. You are in charge. Organization — and focus— is essential. Ask yourself: what is this Q&A about? Don’t veer off in several directions with your questions. Go deeper and deeper.
7. The intro – No more than 100 words. This is really your nut graf. You want to introduce not only your subject, but the focus or theme of the story. This is not a biography. It is a snapshot. Keep it relatively focused. Make it sound like a coherent, revealing conversation that tells a story.
8. You want your first question and answer to be compelling enough to get the reader to the second one. Identify your final answer before your start and build your Q&A in that direction.
9. Length — 900 words total, with about 100 for your intro. On average, you need between 8 and 12 questions. Keep answers concise and on point. No wordy questions or answers.
10. Reporting Index: You must interview at least two people familiar with your profile subject to help you prepare for your main interview. Include any additional web research.
11. If you can: Include a photograph.

The Dormant Art
By Elena Marsh

Lights up.
Theatre is ephemeral. It exists when it happens, and then it does not exist again. Theatre must be live. It takes place in a shared space and calls upon those particular circumstances to create art.

Ent. Anna Hibbert, Wake Forest Alumni, Studio Theatre Employee, Washington D.C.
“There is power in proximity,” says Hibbert. “Theatre isn’t anything unless it is being viewed in a shared experience.”

Exeunt.
   

 Since mid-March, the theater world has seemingly halted throughout the country. Broadway is closed along with 7,000 theatres in the United States. The seasons are shutdown. Costumes are hung. Lines are left in the back of the actor’s memories to slowly deteriorate. As other art forms persist, theatre is left behind. Theatrical actors have no choice but to wait for the world to reopen. Until then, stage lights are getting cold, and curtains collect dust.

Ent. Victoria Harget, Wake Forest Senior, Theatre Major
“Theatre is more than a subject,” says Harget. “It’s about collaboration and performing something that can’t ever be conceived the same way again.”

Lights up. Scales Fine Arts Center, closed, empty
Every four years, the Wake theatre department offers Acting II, an advanced acting class for majors and minors. It boasts primary character studies, scene work, and the experience of performing dream rolls. Online classes destroyed the desire that many students have for taking the class at some point during their college career.

“You can try to block a scene online,” said Harget a student in Acting II. “You can think of new ways to create the situation as it would be on stage, but the camera takes it all away. I thought I had more time, after college, I won’t be making this art again, I just thought I had more time.”

Ent. Ria Matheson, Wake Forest Senior, Theatre Major
“I can read all the books on the process of creating theatre I want,” said Matheson on the subject of online learning. “But I need to learn my process in all this. I can’t control all the things that could happen, I have to learn how I am going to deal with all the things that could happen.”

Ent. Yaser Salamah, Wake Forest Sophomore, Theater Major
“A huge part of acting for me and for any actor is the body,” said Salamah. “But when you can only see me from the chest up, you can’t see my hands moving, or my foot bouncing. Acting for the screen isn’t like acting for the stage.”

Ent. Cassidy Nobel, Wake Forest Junior, Theatre Major
“Something I really enjoy about theatre is the finished product,” said Nobel. “When it comes to art and theatre, it has so much life and meaning. You can’t replace it, there is nothing like it.”

Exeunt.

Excellent theatre will chew you up and spit you out. This art must be perceived in a particular way. If you have never seen good theatre, it is all-encompassing. Designers and directors work to generate an area where the audience can feel immersed in the emotions the actors are portraying.

Lights up. Quiet D.C. apartment.

Ent. Anna Hibbert, monologuing,
“I recently watched a taped performance of Pass Over. At the climax of the story, the two black men, overcome with adversity, are lying on their backs looking up at the sky. The camera is positioned above them at this moment. That is how I watched it. On the screen, with the two men looking up at me. The scene was filmed in close up shots. To this day, I will not say I saw Pass Over. I didn’t get to sit in the room and feel their loss with them on stage. I didn’t see it for what it was meant to be. Yes, I watched it, but I didn’t see it.”

Every human everywhere is a performer. You wake up, and you wear a costume. You speak to various people in complex ways. You have a history and a narrative about yourself that you are trying to tell. To take part in the world is a theatrical endeavor, but what happens what the world is no longer there to take part in? It takes a toll on us as people.

Hibbert resumed on her experience with lockdown, “The actors I watched in Pass Over were performing to the camera and targeted their energy to it. That is something I think is so difficult about talking over a video to loved ones. Yes, I get to look at them, but I can also see myself. There is a difference between your perception of self in every day versus seeing your physical manifestation on screen. Looking at yourself makes you wonder how you look to other people at that moment. It is not a freeing experience.”

Exeunt.

And yet, it all persists. Theatre companies’ film and release work to the public. People donate their money instead of asking for refunds. Immersive theatre is being created for audiences to enjoy at home. When the sage curtains rise, and the dressing rooms are full, the world of live performance will welcome home its followers, and it will probably feature a lot of COVID-19 existential plays.

I am a 21-year-old junior in college writing a journalism article on a MacBook Pro. My motivation for writing this article is to learn for the sake of learning–as I have never written in the context of journalism before. My biggest academic challenge during this pandemic? My lagging Wi-Fi.

I am aware of my privilege–of already being in college and being chiefly supported by resources provided by my parents.

The Washington Post recently published a story highlighting one high school student who is taking care of her newborn while also fighting to graduate high school for the second time since she dropped out. Her motivation for finishing high school is to one day become qualified for medical school. She is without Wi-Fi, without a job, and without a laptop.

The state of public education is quickly going downhill–and it’s affecting everyone, especially the disadvantaged student. For instance, students who have college on their minds don’t know when they will take their ACTs or SATs, if their transcripts with a Coronavirus-induced “PASS” will reflect who they are, or how they are going to afford textbooks if they can’t work during the pandemic.

“This year was going to be the year I was going to bring up my GPA,” said Agustin Orozco, a junior at Northwest Guilford High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. “My GPA won’t be able to compete at the big schools that I want to apply to.”

On Wednesday, Guilford County schools confirmed that as long as students complete assignments online, students will receive a grade of “PASS.” For Orozco, this means that the universities he will apply to in the next year will judge his academic performance based on the GPA that he so desperately wanted to bring up.

“The junior class literally has no idea what they’re doing,” Orozco said.

Orozco’s sister, Val Orozco, is a senior at Northwest Guilford High school and recently got accepted into University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The biggest battle she’s facing as a student is one that thousands of Americans across the country are currently fighting.

“I used to work after school,” Val said. “I can’t go to work because our grandfather lives with us. He’s older and I don’t want to risk it.”

In addition to Val and Agustin, they have five siblings who also live in the same house as their grandfather and their parents. In short, there are ten people living in the Orozco household.

“I don’t get the benefits [of not working] because I’m a dependent,” Val said. “I’m losing $200 week that would go towards books and room and board that I’ll have to pay for.”

Unlike Val, many students in Guilford County are worrying about the here and now.

According to WFDD, the National Public Radio affiliate for the Piedmont Triad, the Guilford County school system is partnering with community groups that are buying refurbished laptops for students who need them to finish their classes for the year.

“Those students are being gifted those laptops,” GCS Superintendent, Sharon Contreras, said. “They won’t have to return them to make sure that they are able to participate in learning while schools are closed.”

In addition to supplying laptops to families who need them, Guilford County is launching several free, outdoor hotspots that are mainly going to be put in school parking lots and housing developments.

Sarah Hutchinson, a tenth grade English teacher at Northwest High School, argues that, even if an unmotivated student is given a device and the wherewithal to access free Wi-Fi, they still may be susceptible to falling behind in school.

“If [the county is] giving them a device, then that is giving these students the ability to be held accountable,” Hutchinson said. “I’ve contacted parents of students who just haven’t logged on…the motivated versus not-motivated gap is going to widen.”

I suppose I could turn this journalism article after deadline, maybe copying and pasting it from the New York Times, riddled with grammar mistakes. However, that would defeat my chief purpose of doing it in the first place: to continue my education.

My situation, however, is a rare and privileged one. My biggest hindrance in learning online is my lackluster Wi-Fi connection. Agustin’s fear is that he won’t be able to get into the college of his dreams. Val’s fear is that she won’t be able to afford textbooks when she starts her first semester of college in the fall. There is a high-school student in Washington, D.C. who has zero to no resources that would give her the wherewithal to feed her daughter, let alone buy a laptop to complete her schoolwork.

“This isn’t a yes or no question,” said Miriam Rollin, director of the Education Civil Rights Alliance. “We’re going to do this. The only question is how and figuring that out with maximum creativity and making it work to the extent that it can under these circumstances.”

Anthony D’Angelo

Story 4

The tears built up in my grandmother’s eyes as she moved out of my house, a house she has called home for many years, while not being able to even hug her grandchildren goodbye. 

Due to my sister being diagnosed with COVID-19, it was necessary for my family to evacuate my grandmother out of our house. Being 84 years old, this experience was challenging for someone who had been going through the same routine for years.

According to John Hopkins University, the COVID-19 pandemic has infected over 2.1 million people worldwide, but it is also influencing the lives of almost everyone across the globe, leaving people scared, hopeless, and uncertain about the future.

Having multiple immune deficiencies and being diagnosed with lupus, my sister Francesca was aware that she was at risk of being severely affected by COVID-19. 

“I knew however dangerous it was, it was more dangerous for me,“ said Francesca D’Angelo. “Knowing the people around me weren’t going to be careful, I knew I had to be extra careful.”

With Francesca being in Louisiana and my grandmother living with us, my family had to make a difficult choice of whether or not we risk Francesca coming home, and bringing home the virus with her. 

“New Orleans was rapidly becoming the fastest growing area in Louisiana, and the health care in Louisiana had been extremely problematic for Francesca in the past, “ said my mom, Carrie D’Angelo. “We had heard reports of the hospitals ultimately not having enough beds for everyone, so we knew we had to get her home to Boston, which has better healthcare overall.” 

When she got home from the airport, my family made sure my grandmother stayed far away from her, in case she caught the virus while traveling. My grandmother was happy to see her home, but struggled with not being able to kiss or hug her granddaughter, who she hadn’t seen in months. 

“Our family, maybe because we are Italian, loves to hug and kiss,” said Francesca. “Coming home after a long period of time and not being able to hug anyone, or even sit with my grandmother, was hard.” 

After a few days of being home, Francesca started to cough and complained about a headache. When the doctor told her she had it, we moved my grandmother out of the house. How bad my sister’s illness was going to get, however, was unknown. 

“I denied that I had it at first because I did not want to seem overdramatic,” said Francesca. “But once I started coughing, I knew that I most likely had it.” 

The first few days after Francesca was diagnosed were not too bad. She was coughing here and there, but it drastically got worse. Each day, the cough sounded more intense, and Francesca started to have trouble breathing. 

“I was worried a little but when she first got it,” said Carrie. “But by day 8 or 9, I was unsure if she was going to end up in the hospital.”

In the house, everything was different in terms of how we interacted with each other. Francesca did not eat dinner with us, and we tried to stay away from her. However, it was nearly impossible to avoid every method of the virus possibly spreading. 

“We were not as careful as we should have been,” said Andy D’Angelo, my father. “As soon as my mother left the house, I felt it was inevitable we were all going to get it.”

Although my little brother and I were at little risk of the virus becoming anything serious for us, my mother was still at high risk due to her age and her medical history. 

“I was worried about Francesca,” said Andy. “But I also was concerned about my wife because of her age and her having lupus.”

We tried to stay positive throughout the week, but a sense of fear was always present, yet left unsaid.  Until my sister started to become asymptomatic, there was uncertainty about when her symptoms were going to peak, and if they would force her to seek necessary treatment. 

“I never told my husband or my kids that I was scared, but I was,” said Carrie. “I wanted to stay positive and keep the spirits up, but not knowing if my daughter was going to get better was having a toll on me, both physically and mentally.” 

Once my sister was completely asymptomatic, we felt a surge of relief, but we hadn’t finished our battle with the virus. The rest of the family still had to be careful, and we were not allowed to leave our house for at least two weeks, even to get food. 

“My biggest worry wasn’t that I was going to die,” said Francesca. “My biggest worry was that I was going to be responsible for someone else dying, especially someone in my family.” 

It seemed things were finally getting better for my family. We had to stay quarantined for 14 days, and then we would be able to go shopping for food. However, it wasn’t until my dad came down with the virus that we realized this was only the beginning of a long and stressful experience, not just for us, but for the entire world. 

 

Reporting Index:

 

• Dr. Sarah McDonald, Associate Professor 
• Carrie D’Angelo, mother
• Andy D’Angelo, father
• Francesca D’Angelo, sister
• Marcus D’Angelo, brother
• John Hopkins University of Medicine
  • Coronavirus statistics

 

• “I was definitely nervous at first cause I am immunocompromised,”
• “I knew however dangerous it was, it was more dangerous for me,”
• “Knowing the people around me weren’t going to be careful, I knew I had to be.”
• “I was resistant to come home at first, but my parents wanted me to come because of how poorly equipped New Orleans was to deal with a crisis like this than Boston,”
• “I was definitely scared at the airport, but there was no one there, yet that is where I most likely got it,”
• “I denied that I had it at first because I did not want to seem overdramatic, but once I started coughing I knew that I most likely had it,”
• “I was nervous because I didn’t know how much worse it was going to get,”
• “The cough made it hard to breath. The headache got really bad in the middle of having it,”
• “ I like hugs and stuff, and being home and not being able to hug anyone or sit with my family was hard,”
• “So many people live in our house, so it was hard to try not touching anything,”

 

• “I thought it was not going to be worse than the flu,”
• “I was worried about Francesca getting it because of her multiple immune deficiencies,”
• “I was also worried for my mother-in-law, who lived in the house with us,”
• “New Orleans was rapidly becoming the fastest growing area in Louisiana, and healthcare is better in Boston,”
• “I was worried a little but when she first got it, but by day 8 or 9 I was not sure if she was going to end up in the hospital,”
• “We were not as careful as we should have been. As soon as my mother in law left the house, I felt it was inevitable we were all going to get it,”

 

• “I thought it was overblown at first. I did not think it was going to be a big deal,”
• “As soon as I saw that it was spreading fast and was dangerous for people with immune deficiency and the elderly, I was worried for Francesca and my mother,”
• “We wanted her to come home sooner from NOLA, and as soon as we could convince her, she came home,”
• “We didn’t hug her or kiss her, but we really focused on keeping her away from my mother until she left the house,”
•  “I was worried about her, but I also was concerned about my wife because of her age and her having Lupus,”
• “I thought for sure that we were all going to get it,”

 

 

John D. Manos

“How Corona Changed Our Lives Forever”

            It was the first Monday of ‘quarantine’ at around 12:00 noon, as I picked my ball out of the 18th hole at Secession Golf Club. I went in for the classic post-round handshake, but was instead met with a glare, as I turned red-faced.

“Elbow tap,” said Bobby, my playing partner.

“Almost forgot,” I said as we tapped and walked back to our cars. Six feet apart. No exceptions. Welcome to the new norm. Corona’s norm.

The new rules and recommendations set in place by the government required the closing of all ‘non-essential’ businesses, to keep a physical distance of at least six feet, not shaking hands, and to wear something over one’s face. These parameters fell under the callsign of “social distancing”.

“Social distancing works,” said Dr. Peter Manos, a pulmonologist and expert in the matter (who happens to be my father). “It helps to reduce the spread of the virus form host to host.”

            A study from the Jackson Library found that it is safest to avoid all handshakes, hugs, and social kisses while keeping a constant distance of at least six feet. Under the guidelines of social distancing, a Harvard study via Bloomberg claimed that these practices may need to remain in place through 2022, given their effectiveness.

Effective, yes. And lasting? Most-likely. Once the regulations/recommendations are lifted, it is plausible to think that a stigma will remain around all of the actions that require close contact; some may even become taboo.

“In some ways, the fears will probably endure beyond the threat of infection due to the memory of all that is lost,” said Reverend Samuel Gaillard of St. Helena’s church.

One common practice that may be affected by this fear is the all-too-common handshake. The handshake is a symbol of agreement, diplomacy, commitment, and trust.

“Handshakes in a usual and healthy environment are a good thing and a meaningful way for people to connect with each other,” said Dr. Brad Collins, a Pathologist.

However, this environment that we’re in is not what most people would consider usual and healthy. It is reasonable to assume that most people will think twice before doing a handshake ever again.

“There may be some new behaviors that become more common; perhaps we will take up the bow, like the Japanese, rather than the handshake,” said Dr. Patrick Flume, a pulmonary/critical care specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). “Because we were so ill-prepared, we had to commit to the social distancing model to prevent really serious morbidity and mortality”.

However, once this pandemic subsides, some behaviors must still be curbed. ‘Touch’ being the most important of those behaviors. While smart in theory, curbing this behavior may have unhealthy mental implications.

“God made us as people of senses and the power of touch is medically documented,” said Gaillard. “My sense is that humans will not continue to live this way.”

If humans refuse to live this way, will the virus then be a continuous, reoccurring collateral of society’s persistent practices?

“The COVID-19 flu virus is likely to be with us for a while until a highly effective vaccine is developed,” said Dr. Collins.

Even so, it is no secret how to most effectively cripple this pestilence. Cease from all touching, contact, close quarters, and social gatherings for as long as possible.

We are seeing behaviors being changed every day. Just like the process of getting on a plane has been altered drastically since 9/11, the day-to-day behaviors of normal people will likely see a similar shift after this virus subsides.

Whether it starts in places like my father’s operating rooms, or back where I began out on the golf course––it is hard to imagine that our practices will ever return to normal. Before this virus showed up, I never knew what an N-95 mask was. Now, boxes of them litter my father’s office as that piece of foam and those two elastic bands are a newly recognized piece of treasure.

Before this virus showed up, the only guarantee on the golf course, was a firm handshake, immediately following the round.

In the future, a handshake may imply possible infection, and giving a hug… well that may just turn into a downright sin. The stock of social interaction and emotional connection will likely plummet as the stock of N-95s and rubber gloves soar. This world is changing every year. The novel coronavirus however, has been an explosive catalyst to that change.

Once COVID-19 ‘cools down’, it is not the post-traumatic stress of a past virus that may still plague our society. It is the fear that it has caused. It is the fear that one wrong move may cause another contagion to arise. This would be the real cause of our society remaining in fear. As Dr. Collins said it,

“Maybe more importantly another mutation in nature could arise… and a whole new threat of pandemic could occur.”

With this new and constant worry, Corona may have effectively changed our lives forever. In fact, it may have even altered the definition of life, from living to surviving.

 

 

 

Reporting Index

• Peter Manos, Pulmonary Medicine
• Patrick Flume, Pulmonary and Critical Care; MUSC
• Brad Collins, Pathology
• Reverend Samuel (Shea) Gaillard, St. Helena’s Anglican Parish; Beaufort, SC
• https://www.jax.org/news-and-insights/2020/march/social-distance-ed-liu-part-2
• https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-14/harvard-researchers-say-some-distancing-may-be-needed-into-2022

 

1. Your story length is 800-900 words (slightly longer than previous assignments, if needed). The deadline is 10 a.m. Friday, April 17.
2. Your story is of a very unique nature given these highly unusual times. As we’ve discussed, your story will focus on the pandemic as it affects some aspect of your community or family. You all have good story ideas, so trust your news judgment. Tell a great story.
3. You are allowed to use first person in this story, but are not required to use first person. That said, you should not be the focus of the story. First person will come more from observations and insights, especially if writing about family experiences.
4. Please be consistent with verb tense throughout your story. Because many of you are writing feature stories, present tense is something to consider throughout. It makes the story feel more immediate.
5. I am giving you permission to take risks in both your style and form of writing. This is dramatic story telling at an unprecedented moment. Each of your stories has built in emotional elements and tension that you are reporting on, observing and/or experiencing. Use all of your senses in the descriptive passages of your story.
6. Please remember the fundamentals: a compelling lead; support for your lead; short paragraphs; proper placement of attribution in quotes; accurate punctuation of quotes; conversational language and tone; a strong ending or end quote; keep your opinions out as much as possible.
7. Each story MUST have a nut graf (fourth or fifth paragraph) that puts your story in a broader context, as we’ve discussed. PUT YOUR NUT GRAF IN BOLD.
8. Include a photo or two, if possible.
9. You should have at least three interviews you’ve conducted yourself. You can pull quotes from other published sources; be sure to cite that source — as we’ve discussed.
10. Reporting Index required as always.