THE NABJ CZI COVID PROJECT 2022

LIVING DURING A PANDEMIC

BY SYLVIA DUNNAVANT HINES

For almost three years the world has struggled with COVID -19, its side effects and recovery. Those with school-age children are finding that the challenges of the crisis from the pandemic are still evolving.

According to a report from the U. S. Surgeon General, before the pandemic, children’s mental health was a public health concern, and levels of anxiety were on the rise.

The COVID-19 pandemic has meant additional stress, fear, and worry for many families. Worries about sickness, finances, isolation, coping with grief from loss, and having less outside help have made parenting more stressful.

“We noticed that when we came back to school, it seemed like the kids were two years behind in maturity,” said Candace Haywood, a mother of two schoolage students, who also works in administrative service for Coppell Independent School District.

“My son, Essence Jr. (EJ), even felt that the setbacks from COVID-19 hurt his GPA.

“Even though he returned to school last year, teachers had to divide their time between the children at school and those that were still doing remote education. Therefore, the teachers were not engaging as much with the students that were sitting in front of them. As a result, he didn’t have a good year academically.”

According to Haywood, an independent learning style doesn’t

work for everybody.

“I think we noticed that across the board, there were challenges with students academically.”

A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found that 93% of parents with children in grades K-12 said their children had some on-line instruction since the beginning of the coro-

At one point Haywood admits that she and her daughter, Grace were both in tears. They were both overwhelmed dealing with the challenges presented by remote learning. She also admits that juggling two school-age children and working from home forced her to get creative with her space.

“As a parent, you are the teacher for your kids, and you still had to do your own work. On top of that, you had to remember your own Zoom calls for work while remembering the kid’s Zoom calls for school,” she continued, adding that keeping up with all the schedules was a struggle. “Then we had to make sure everyone had a different part of the house where they could have quietness when they had to Zoom in for their session,” said Haywood.

ing to nurse her back to health, protect myself and keep my other children from getting sick all at the same time

Vaughn’s entire family ended up dealing with COVID-19 twice. She had to navigate through financial hardship, homeschooling her children, and her own health challenges.

“I honestly don’t think that any of us has fully recovered from COVID-19,” said Vaughn. “Working from home, remote learning for our children, and simple social interaction has im-

were still some positives,” said Alexis Powell, who was pregnant during COVID and has three daughters in elementary school. “The biggest takeaway was that my children have all learned to be more adaptive to what every environment they are in.”

Powell, whose daughters attend Arlington ISD, admits that her three school-age girls were excited to return to school because they missed their friends and face-to-face interaction with their teachers.

The older girls have recently

COVID - 19

navirus outbreak in late February 2020. About 30% of those parents also said they have had a very or somewhat difficult time helping their children use technology for educational purposes.

“In March of 2020, when my children were not able to go back to school because they shut the schools down, there was an adjustment period for our family. The schools were trying to do remote learning. It was very challenging because we had to rely on technology and sometimes technology did not always cooperate with us,” said Haywood.

For those parents dealing with medical conditions prior to COVID-19, the pandemic brought additional concerns as they had to focus on their own health while homeschooling.

“My youngest daughter, Arianna, was in third grade when COVID-19 hit. She tends to get sick before everyone else, said Kozette Vaughn, a mother of six in the McKinney ISD. “She got COVID early on and had to be rushed to the emergency room. She already had asthma and had to be placed on a ventilator. This was scary for me because my immune system was already compromised from cancer. I was try-

how “Normal” is

pacted our families.

“It has been hard to get back to what we felt was normal before COVID. It is just like we only have a memory of what life was like before COVID -19.”

Haywood also believes that the isolation from homeschooling and social distancing after returning to school has stunted her daughter’s emotional maturity. She has spoken to other parents that were concerned about the same issue.

“Although there were many negatives with COVID-19, there

gotten involved with volleyball.

Haywood says she is better prepared should another pandemic occur.

“If it happens again, we will have a game plan. We will be prepared because we know we can get through it. I feel our attitude will be different and attitude is everything.

“If our mind is in the right place, we can wrap our mind around this is how it is going to be and have a different outlook on life.”

powered by the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the Chan Zuckerberg Institute December 2022

Olivia (6) and mom, Alexis Powell credit: SDHines/ TMN

Candace Haywood and daughter Grace shared tears as their family dealt with several challenges during the pandemic. credit: SDHines/ TMN

The New Norm

EXPERIENCING A PANDEMIC: COVID-19 Changed the way “Normal” is Defined is a look at COVID-19 from various voices — some heard often, as well as those that are muted; especially in the African American Community. What we have attempted to do is to amplify voices and let those voices be authentically presented without editing or interpretation.

This project is funded partially from the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) to support original and innovative coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, the coronavirus vaccine, and how these topics intersect into the nation’s K-12 education system.

It is our intent that through articles, podcasts, social media and programs on cable television, for starters; we have provided information that will help prepare for future pandemics because we at I Messenger Media believe this won’t be the last one!

TACKLING EDUCATION AND COVID-19

When cases of COVID -19 first made headlines, as with most health crises, there were many false narratives and a ‘this too shall pass mentality’ kept many from taking reports serioiusly. Then COVID-19 or Coronavirus started dominating headlines as the death toll continued to rise around the world.

As we tackled the subject of COVID-19 and our K-12 education system, we wanted to present several perspectives, so in addition to stories from dedicated professional journalists like National Association of Black Journalists founder Norma Adams-Wade (who also did a podcast), Sylvia Dunnavant, and our co-horts at the National Newspaper Publishers Association, Black News Link, The Dallas Morning News, NABJ and SPJ; we also have educators, a school nurse and counselor, and healthcare professionals weighing in. We talked with elected officials, the clergy, parents of children in K-12, and students in high school and college; who also shared their experiences and insight. There’s also input from a makeup artist because whether it is the prom, graduation, or a sporting event; makeup is a hot commodity for not only high school, but junior high.

For this project, we also included up-to-date information on the Coronavirus, along with resources like the Black Star Network, as we continue to deal with this pandemic.

We have also witnessed that many have gone back to life as they knew it before we first began hearing about this “coronavirus.”

For some, the past two years could be summed up by legendary rapper, Biggie, who said in his chart topping song, Juicy Fruit, “It was all a dream!”

NECESSARY PROTOCOLS

No one imagined that we would be dealing with the virus more than two years later. But here we are continuing to have conversations about variants and “upticks” or occurrences on other continents, as well as increased concerns in the U.S.

In Dallas, TX there were several task forces set up to deal with disseminating information, especially to historically under-served communities. Dallas City Councilman Casey Thomas chaired meetings with medical experts, community/business leaders, media and staff, to discuss the latest data and how best to reach and serve those critical areas.

The Black COVID Task Force addressed community concerns and Councilman Thomas was quick to note disparities and call for immediate action, along with other elected officials.

Also Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins and other officials from medical institutions and County Health and Human Ser-

vices gave frequent updates and shared critical information, along with a number of other elected officials and medical experts, so that we could rely on science!

At one time, at least in most parts of this country, masks became a required piece of your wardrobe. Today, however; the masks are definitely the exception, so much that there are reports of people being harassed about wearing masks.

Can enough be said about the washing of hands? After all, it appears that something that was a requirement in many households, is not the case globally. This is evident in most restaurant restrooms where there are signs posted telling employees to wash their hands before returning to work. To think that this is necessary in a civilized society is mind-boggling but clearly there’s a breech in basic etiquette when we found ourselves giving tutorials on how to wash your hands; well these are the times that we live in!

IMPACT ON THE MEDIA

I Messenger Media was seriously impacted by COVID-19. We rely primarily on small businesses and at times, corporate America to purchase advertising and churches, schools, community centers and small businesses for distribution.

Additionally, prior to the pandemic we prided ourselves on going where our people are so we attended at least five weekly community events, putting our papers in the hands of consumers.

With COVID-19, most distribution points closed down or traffic came to almost a complete halt. Some businesses closed down or cancelled their advertising contracts and organizations were no longer having banquet, expos, concerts, etc.

Much to our disappointment we were faced with paying more. But we stayed focused and kept our eyes on the prize.

While some took an extended “Corona-cation,” we stayed on the job and added a daily newsletter that boasts a 58% open rate. Our “Can’t Stop, Wont Stop” mentality energized the team.

INNOVATIVE PIVOTING

We reached out to businesses, especially restaurants and we offered them ads in our publications if they would give each customer a copy of our papers with their to-go orders..

It was a big hit. Folks would joke and say things, like: “I am going to Hall’s Chicken to get my two piece and a paper!” Or, “Nothing like going to Black Jack Pizza and getting a pizza and a paper.”

The campaign went over so well that we had business owners contacting us to get involved.

In addition to running the ads, we featured the businesses in our publications, and we ran their ads on our websites, social media platforms, in our daily enewsletter and on a daily podcast where we provided critical information for our audiences.

We believe in under-promising and over-delivering. We felt as though it was important to stay focused on continuing to provide news and information. We wanted our readers to know that we are here for them during tough times and we will be with them for all times.

It has been a challenge for us but instead of furloughing or down-sizing, we pivoted and worked to keep everyone paid, clothed, housed and fed. We applied for grants and we helped one another with everything from babysitting to delivering food.

No, we didn’t receive huge checks from a flawed system that has folks going to jail for their fraudulent claims or multi-million/billion dollar companies receiving million dollar stimulus checks. Instead we relied on limited resources and support from those who value the Black Press and journalistic excellence.

Coronavirus Files

VIRAL INFECTIONS SKYROCKET, IMPACTING KIDS AND HOSPITALS

The flu virus took full advantage of family gatherings over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Over the week that ended Nov. 26, hospitalizations for flu nearly doubled, reports Richard Franki at WebMD. The number of positive flu tests that week, more than 34,000 nationwide, is the most ever reported, with records going back to 1997, reports Keren Landman at Vox — though that figure is in part explained by higher testing rates.

The CDC’s map of flu-like illness rates, normally a woodsy mix of green hues in autumns past, is now a patchwork of purple and red.

RSV and COVID are also going strong. Pandemic protection measures flattened both RSV and the flu in recent years, so the population lacks immunity, creating an ideal opportunity for them to come back strong.

Children in particular, and the pediatric hospital units that serve them, are suffering from the “tripledemic,” write Sallie Permar and Robert J. Vinci at STAT. Families are struggling to find children’s fever medicines, with drug store shelves nearly bare, reports Laurel Wamsley at NPR.

Most people do have some immunity to COVID this season. A recent preprint estimates that some 94% of the U.S. population has been infected by the virus at least once. That, plus vaccinations, should provide some measure of protection against the worst outcomes — but COVID hospitalizations still rose in Thanksgiving’s wake, reports Erin Prater at Fortune Well. The BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 variants currently circulating have a greater ability to escape prior immunity than previous variants, notes Michael DePeau-Wilson at MedPage Today.

New York City is experiencing a high rate of new COVID cases and COVID hospitalizations, report Corina Knoll and Sarah Cahalan at The New York Times, but it’s Los Angeles County — the nation’s most populous — that’s currently staring down the possibility of a new mask mandate.

LA County’s Department of Public Health has set two trigger points for the return of masking requirements. The first such trigger, 10 or more weekly hospital admissions for COVID per 100,000 residents, has already been met, report Luke Money and Rong-Gong Lin II at the Los Angeles Times. If the county hits the second mark — 10% or more of hospital beds occupied by COVID pa-

tients — it could prompt the return of a mask mandate in early January, said LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

While LA County, and the CDC, have already encouraged people to mask up to avoid the stew of circulating respiratory viruses, public enthusiasm for a return to face coverings is decidedly low, report Cahalan and Knoll.

“Three years in, it is extraordinarily difficult to mandate,” said Dr. Sara Cody, public health director for Santa Clara County.

WOMEN, BLACK AND ASIAN PEOPLE LEFT OUT OF COVID TRIALS

Amid a collection of 122 COVID trials, researchers generally failed to recruit participants who mirrored the general population, according to a new JAMA Network study.

Women were underrepresented among the pool of more than 176,000 participants, as were Black and Asian people.

Better representation is important because doctors can’t be confident in treatments only tested on groups with skewed demographics.

In contrast, Latino and Hispanic people were overrepresented. That may reflect the preponderance of trials in states like Florida, Texas and California, which have large Hispanic and Latino populations, reports Annalee Armstrong at Fierce Biotech.

The Pew Research Center recently released a poll on attitudes towards clinical trial participation, and found that Black and Hispanic individuals were a little less likely to say such trials are important than white or Asian people. In focus groups, some people of color pointed to past mistreatment of communities of color in medical research as reason to avoid being a “test case.”

OMICRON BOOSTER AUTHORIZED FOR KIDS AS YOUNG AS 6 MONTHS

The bivalent booster that targets the omicron variant has been authorized for children under 5, the FDA announced.

Eligibility depends on which shots kids got previously. Those who received two doses of Moderna’s original-formula vaccine can already get that company’s bivalent booster.

Children who are midway through Pfizer’s three-dose regimen for that age group can receive a bivalent booster for their third shot.

But those who already completed Pfizer’s primary series will have to wait.

The FDA has not yet received data to support a fourth, bivalent shot for those children, but expects to have the data in hand by January, reports Spencer Kimball at CNBC.

Cheryl Smith is the publisher of Texas Metro News, Garland Journal and I Messenger. An award-winning journalist, in addition to being inducted into the NABJ Hall of Fame, she was awarded Distinguished Alumni honors by the Florida A&M University School of Journalism and Graphic Communication and Editor & Publisher Magazine named her among the Top 25 over 50 .

Casey Thomas Dallas City Councilman

Norma Adams-Wade

Gov. Greg Abbott prohibits schools from mandating COVID-19 vaccine for students

Te xas law overrides a recent CDC recommendation, Abbott argues, and parents have the right to opt their children out from receiving the vaccine

BY MEGHAN MANGRUM The Dallas Morning News

Texas schools can’t require students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine despite a new recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott told Texas’ education commissioner Mike Morath and school superintendents that the vaccine — recently added to the CDC’s list of recommended childhood immunizations — cannot be mandated for students to attend school.

“Despite attempts at federal overreach into the health care decisions of Americans, in Texas we continue to honor and defend the freedom of parents to choose what is best for the health and well-being of their families,” Abbott wrote in a letter to school officials. “Regardless of what the CDC may suggest, in Texas, the COVID-19 vaccine remains voluntary. Texas schools shall not require students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine for any reason.”

In August 2021, Abbott issued an executive order prohibiting vaccine mandates by government entities in Texas, which also allows parents to opt-out of the COVID-19 vaccine for their children.

Last month, after a CDC panel first moved to recommend the vaccine for children, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton joined 13 other state attorneys general and urged the committee to not add the vaccine to its list of recommended childhood immunizations. The panel’s decision, which has since been adopted by the CDC director, formally adds the shot to a list often used by schools and health officials in making vaccination requirements.

But in a letter addressed to the CDC’s advisory committee and its director, the attorneys general argued that “children are at little risk of death from COVID-19” and that little is known about the vaccine’s effectiveness. Requiring COVID-19 vaccines for children could “undoubtedly accelerate a re-

jection by many American families of more traditional vaccinations due to the CDC’s increasingly sullied credibility,” the letter read.

Each state has the authority to set vaccination requirements for its schoolchildren as well as opt-out provisions. Texas officials made it clear throughout the pandemic that COVID-19 vaccine mandates would be unlikely.

In October 2021, Gov. Greg Abbott also issued an executive order cracking down on such mandates and banning any entity in Texas, including private businesses, from requiring vaccinations for employees or customers.

Abbott had called on lawmakers to pass a bill with the same effect during a special legislative session last year. After it failed to pass in the Legislature, Republicans instead challenged federal vaccine requirements in court.

What vaccines are required to attend school in Texas?

Prior to starting kindergarten, Texas students must receive multiple vaccines under state law.

The Texas Department of Health and Human Services requires students to be fully immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps and rubella, hepatitis A and chickenpox.

Boosters and additional vaccines, such as hepatitis B and the meningococcal, or meningitis, vaccines are also required as students age.

But Texas law allows for medical, religious or “reasons of conscience” exemptions.

Every year, school districts hustle to ensure students’ vaccination records are up to date in time for the start of the school year. Exemptions must be documented.

Many children still getting vaccinated

Some have worried that increasing pressure from families over “parental rights” would lead to an uptick in students requesting exemptions, especially as immunization rates nationwide dipped during the pandemic.

A September 2020 state report on the Texas Vaccines for Children program, which provides low-cost vaccines to eligible children, outlined steep declines in immunizations.

More recent data from the Department of Health and Human Services indicate that about 93% of Texas kindergarteners were up to date on required immunizations during the 2021-22 school year.

Still, those seeking religious exemptions climbed about half a percentage point with some school districts in North Texas suburbs, near Austin and San Antonio, and Amarillo reporting more than 3% of students seeking such exemptions.

Regardless of whether the COVID-19 vaccination is required, nearly 50% of parents are willing to get the COVID-19 vaccine for their children, according to an August poll from The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler.

As of Oct. 25, about 2.6 million Texas children ages 6 months to 15 years old have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, according to state data.

The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from The Beck Group, Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, Todd A. Williams Family Foundation and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott

This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.

Dallas County reports first pediatric flu death of 2022

Pediatric hospitals are inundated with flu and RSV cases as COVID-19 public health measures wane.

BY MARIN WOLF The Dallas Morning News

Dallas County Health and Human Services has reported its first pediatric flu death this year as flu cases continue to climb unseasonably early.

The patient, who was not an infant, had underlying health conditions, said Dr. Philip Huang, director of Dallas County Health and Human Services.

The county had no pediatric flu deaths during the 2021-22 flu season as COVID-19 public health measures kept the contagious virus at bay.

But that changed as masking and social distancing dwindled in the last year.

Pediatric hospitals are dealing with an onslaught of patients with the flu and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus.

Experts say children are finally catching the viruses they hadn’t contracted during the height of the pandemic.

While most older children and adults fare just fine against the flu or RSV, some populations are at risk for serious complications from the viruses. Infants, children with compromised immune systems and the elderly are more likely to experience severe disease from the flu.

Symptoms of the flu, RSV and COVID-19 look similar and can include cough, congestion, fever and body aches.

Pediatricians are also reporting that many flu patients are experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms, like vomiting and diarrhea, which can cause dehydration.

Good health hygiene practices, like regular hand washing and staying home when sick, remain some of the best ways to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses. Vaccinations against the flu and COVID-19 are available for most age groups.

This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.

UT Southwestern Medical Center COVID-19 Vaccinations Q&A

VACCINE SAFETY

• Do the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks?

Ultimately, this is the question you should ask yourself if you are unsure about whether to get vaccinated. But after evaluating the trial data and considering the documented record of vaccines in general, the answer is unequivocal: Yes, the benefits outweigh the risks.

Vaccinology is one of the safest interventions we have in patient care and disease prevention, and it has a long history of protecting the public – from smallpox to polio to measles. Yes, there are lowgrade side effects, but they seem minor compared to the protections and freedom that safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines can provide.

VACCINE GENERAL

• Why do the vaccines require two shots, and what happens if you miss the second shot?

The first shot triggers the immune response, and the second one, often called a “booster,” primes the body to memorize the virus so it will recognize it immediately in the future and fight it off. Many vaccines require boosters, such as tetanus, shingles, and MMR. The COVID-19 vaccines each require a second shot (21 days apart for Pfizer; 28 for Moderna). If you skip the second shot it’s less likely you’ll develop full immunity, not to mention wasting a valuable dose of vaccine. Health care providers will try to make it as convenient as possible to set up both appointments at the same time and will provide reminders to get the second shot.

• Do the vaccines have any serious side effects?

for 60 days after receiving their second shot, which is required before any safety data can be submitted to the FDA. Typically, if a patient hasn’t experienced severe side effects in 60 days, it is extremely unlikely they will. But because these vaccines are so new, significant long-term data are still being collected. According to clinical trial safety documents released by the FDA on Dec. 7, there were four cases of Bell's palsy, a condition that temporarily weakens the facial muscles, among Pfizer clinical trial participants who received the vaccine. The rates of Bell’s palsy, however, were no different than what occurs in the general population and there is no evidence the vaccine caused the problem. Still, the FDA is likely to recommend follow-up investigation.

AFTER VACCINATION

• How long does it take for immunity to develop after getting vaccinated?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) documents said the Pfizer vaccine showed 95% immunity seven days after the second shot and the Moderna vaccine showed 94.5% immunity 14 days after the second shot.

The booster is necessary to strengthen the immune response and provide near full protection. Also, keep in mind that exposure is still possible between doses, so continue to wear a mask and follow hand-washing and physical distancing recommendations.

• How long will immunity to COVID-19 last?

The Black Press believes that America can best lead the world away from racial and national antagonisms when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color or creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person, the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.

Some trial participants experienced arm soreness, fatigue, chills, fever, or headaches that lasted a day or two, most often after the second shot. But that reaction is typically a sign that the vaccine is working – triggering the immune response (or inflammation) indicating your body recognizes this never-before-seen pathogen and is mounting a protective response against it. The clinical trials will continue to monitor patients for side effects long after patients are vaccinated. The state of Texas will use the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), a national system co-managed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and FDA, to track vaccine safety and side effects. Texas will also employ an app called v-safe, which sends vaccine recipients text messages and check-in emails to keep tabs on their health, as well as remind them when it’s time to get their second shot.

• Do the vaccines present any long-term health risks?

Phase 3 vaccine trial participants were monitored

There’s no definitive way to tell yet, but some studies have indicated it could last years, even decades. The research showed that patients who contracted COVID-19 early in 2020 had robust antibodies six months later. Studies of survivors of SARS, also caused by a coronavirus, showed that participants carried immune cells 17 years after being infected. So there are some reasons to be encouraged, but scientists will need to continue monitoring the length and strength of immune responses in vaccinated patients.

• Do I still need to wear a mask and social distance after getting vaccinated?

Yes. People will be getting vaccinated throughout much of 2021. Until a majority of the population has been vaccinated – some estimates say vaccinating 70% of Americans would help us reach herd immunity – wearing a mask, washing your hands, practicing physical distancing, and avoiding large, indoor gatherings will continue to be important tools to limit spread.

Compassionate patient care and advanced medical thinking go hand-in-hand at UT Southwestern Medical Center, one of the world’s top academic medical centers. We provide care in more than 80 specialties, many of which are ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report.

This is a Special Edition of Texas Metro News powered by the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the Chan Zuckerberg Institute

CREDO OF THE BLACK PRESS

To fight COVID-19, generously apply common sense!

BY ROYCE WEST Texas Senate

For how many of us did it take more than one experience to learn the simple lesson of ‘don’t stick your hand in the fire?”

Maybe you took your parents word, or saw what happened to others who did not heed the warning. But five months into a deadly virus that’s claimed more than 637,000 lives worldwide, there remain too many who still do not believe that the incendiary spread of the coronavirus is tragically real.

To hasten efforts to bring the virus under control, I offer a simple standard. If instructions offered to combat COVID make sense, DO IT!

If you hear something that doesn’t, DON’T DO IT!

For example, wearing a mask helps slow the spread of the virus. Since a cure has yet to be discovered and we know the disease is highly contagious, DO IT! Wear a mask!

On the other hand, most Americans were dumbfounded by ramblings from a White House podium which pondered ingesting bleach or other toxic disinfectants as a COVID remedy. Please, DON’T DO IT!

Worldwide, we have been given the message to avoid large crowds

and have learned the term “social distancing.”

The virus, experts repeat, is most easily spread from person-to-person when within six feet of another.

It makes sense that if you are not in close proximity to others, you are less likely to be contacted by spraying saliva droplets that could transmit COVID.

So keep apart. DO IT.

But last month, there was a rally in Tulsa and a Sunday church service in Downtown Dallas where social distancing was not observed; few wore masks, and one even had a packed choir stand from where days later, positive tests were reported. Indoor crowds, no masks, medical officials say loudly, “DON’T DO IT!”

Here are the facts. During the early weeks of the virus when national and state stay at home orders were in place and even grudgingly adhered to by most Americans, the spread of the virus appeared to be reasonably under control. When those lockdowns were lifted, the raging wildfire that is the coronavirus began to engulf the country cityby-city, state-by-state and region-by-region.

In Dallas County, on April 28, just days before the expiration of the stay at home order, the number of positive cases reported

since testing began totaled 3,240, with 94 recorded deaths.

Three weeks later, by May 18, those numbers had more than doubled to 7,679 cases and 177 deaths. The number of cases reported for June 15 in Dallas County had nearly doubled again to 14,232 with 284 deaths.

We were alarmed when the 7-day average of new cases climbed to 300. This month, beginning July 5, Dallas County reported more than 1,000 new cases for 16 straight days, with the cumulative total now exceeding 44,750 and nearing 600 deaths (7/24/20).

Statewide, about 370,000 people have contracted the coronavirus and the death toll has topped 4,700.

For a broader perspective, on March 27, there were about 540,000 COVID cases worldwide. But even then, the United States was a dubious #1, with more than 80,000 cases.

And although the U.S. comprises less than five percent of the world’s population, one-fourth of the 15.65 million COVID cases worldwide are in America. DON’T believe it when someone says America is doing a great job fighting COVID.

Yes, it is an unenviable task to strike a balance among competing interests of public health, the

economy and the need for Texans and Americans to earn a living. But what we have seen is an example similar to those in a canoe when everyone does not row in the same direction.

There’s a lot of thrashing and splashing, but the boat is not moving forward. Stern, single-minded direction is required.

When someone tells you that the reason there are more cases is because we are conducting more tests, DON’T fall for it.

And DON’T believe it when you hear that the outcomes of “99 percent of these cases are to-

tally harmless,” when more than 145,200 Americans have died.

But when someone gives practical advice like wearing masks, avoiding crowds and washing your hands will help slow the spread of a virus that has no cure, think once, twice if you must. Then DO IT!

Virus Can Have Long-Term Effects on Kids

BY DARRYL SELLERS

An outpouring of Black parents are lining up in vaccination centers across the United States to get Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for their children.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently authorized emergency approval for two small doses of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.

More than 9 million children between five and 11 years old have received at least one dose of the vaccine, bringing the FDA closer to making Pfizer-BioNTech’s low-dose vaccine available for 28 million children in this age bracket.

The call-to-action for Black parents to get their children ages five to 11 vaccinated also comes with a growing concern about long COVID, a condition marked by ongoing COVID-19 symptoms, including brain fog

and chronic fatigue, that is affecting more than 6 million children. Other children have been diagnosed with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), a rare condition that affects multiple organs. And others are struggling with their mental health.

Dr. Nina Ford Johnson, a physician at Cobb Institute and a pediatrician with Infirmary Pediatrics in Alabama, stressed the importance of protecting Black children from long COVID, Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome and other problems that are becoming more widespread in the U.S.

Dr. Ford Johnson is also the president of the Medical Society of Mobile County, a professional membership organization founded in 1841 that develops medicine to conserve and protect public health.

Last year, Dr. Johnson didn’t have any flu cases among her patients, leading her to think that the flu had been eradicated.

But this year, she’s seeing a sharp rise in the number of flu cases among her patients.

“A few days after I thought that, it popped up,” she said. “And I’ve been seeing it ever since.”

Dr. Ford Johnson reminds us that a flu shot protects kids and adults from the flu and other related illnesses, including pneumonia. And that we should see COVID vaccines in the same light.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is cautiously optimistic that the number of Omicron cases have already peaked and will now spiral downward. This month, there’s a growing concern that some states are prematurely dropping their indoor mask mandates.

Dr. Ford Johnson said this makes it even more imperative to vaccinate Black children.

“This is very concerning. We still have to stay on top of this,” Dr. Ford Johnson said. “This pandemic has not gone away, and we

can witness that with those who’ve lost loved ones. This is a public health emergency. This is something that must be done, not just to protect the child itself, but also to protect communities.”

Dr. Ford Johnson said Black Americans should have a collective mindset and get their children and themselves vaccinated, which will get them to the other side of the pandemic in 2022.

“We’re doing this to help each other,” Dr. Ford Johnson said. “I wish everyone would kind of see that from that light and from that standpoint. If we vaccinate each other and vaccinate ourselves, we are protecting each other. I hope that message comes across and is received.”

FIND OUT MORE

For more information about booster shots, visit CDC –booster shots. To learn more about the Cobb Institute, visit thecobbinstitute.org. To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines, visit hvaccines.gov.

Darryl Sellers is Director of the PR Team for Creative Marketing Resources, a strategic marketing agency in Milwaukee and a partner of the Cobb Institute.

Royce Barry West serves as a member of the Texas Senate, representing the Dallas-based 23rd District.

Editor’s Note: As the numbers continued to rise, Texas State Senator Royce West was one of many elected officials who addressed health concerns.

Texas State Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) receives COVID Vaccine. Photo:R. West

Dr. Nina Ford Johnson

Elected Leadership Supported Masks, Vaccine

BY CHERYL SMITH

Despite Gov. Greg Abbott’s issuing an executive order earlier this week, reopening Texas, other elected officials are cautioning against a rush to abandon measures that have “proved to be successful in dealing with COVID.”

During a visit to the Fair Park Vaccination Site in Dallas, U.S. Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30) Marc Veasey (TX-33) and Colin Allred (TX-32) discussed the challenges of getting the COVID-19 vaccination to citizens and their opposition to ending statewide COVID-19 restrictions.

The lawmakers were adamant that any efforts to lessen restrictions are premature and could be devastating. They toured the area to observe the process as hundreds of cars lined up to enter the Fair Grounds.

There were traffic jams in all directions, but uneventful as the lines moved fairly quickly.

With the heavy presence of members of the Military, Coast Guard, police and fire departments, County and City officials, and FEMA staffers on site, there was a visual of what appeared to be a smooth operation, but workers said a lot of coordination went into providing a process that was not foreboding and overwhelming.

According to Rep. Johnson, who has toured the megasite previously, the initial set-up was not as organized. With folks having to park and walk long distances only to have some turned away because they were out of vaccines for the day, well, it was somewhat frustrating.

While many concerns have been expressed about hiccups in the system, Marva Sneed found the process was seamless for her.

“It went so quickly,” she said.  “Even though I had heard several stories about issues, didn’t have any problem.  I was in and out in no time and I feel fine.”

And that was good news for workers, and elected officials; along with the announcement that at least 1 million doses of the vaccine was scheduled to arrive in Texas soon.

“We realize there are numerous concerns,” said Rep. Allred, adding that just as it is important to keep wearing masks and follow proven protocols, steps have to be taken to make the process easy for citizens.

“This is our federal support at work. We have active duty military here helping out with the public health officials."

Citing her background as a nurse and referencing her age, Rep. Johnson said it is important

get the virus and to also continue wearing a mask.

In a promo for Parkland Hospital, Rev. Dr. Tommy Brown, of New Mount Zion Baptist Church said, “As the pastor of a church, I have to serve so many people and be in so many different locations.  I thought it best to protect myself and my family by getting vaccinated.”

Rep. Veasey said the government is planning to help people affected by the Coronavirus

“Since the introduction of the Pfizer vaccine, I have been inundated with questions from people in this community and frankly across the country,” Price said.

“The doubt and skepticism around this issue concerns me.”

In addition to encouraging citizens to register and take the vaccine at their earliest opportunity, Price said he will focus on dispelling and dismissing some of the misinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding the issue.

to “follow the science” instead of “politicians who are making poor decisions for political reasons."

“I’m old and this is a hot spot,” said Rep. Johnson, who blasted efforts to relax restrictions. “It doesn’t make sense to stop using a mask in the middle of this pandemic!

“I really do not want people to subject themselves to a virus that is still killing people just because the governor said you can take off the mask.”

Even members of the clergy are using their “influencer”  status to encourage their congregants to

regarding healthcare, job loss, unemployment and the pending stimulus package.

“The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the existing health care disparities that face low-income communities,” he said.

Rep. Veasey’s message is similar to that of Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price who has been working to ensure fair and equitable distribution of services and vaccines; while also educating his constituents on information as quickly as it becomes available.

While coming short of criticizing the governor, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, on pretty much the same line as other elected officials, issued a statement,

“The people of Dallas should continue to mask up and take precautions to slow COVID-19’s spread and mutations. We are getting closer to achieving herd immunity, and now is not the time to let down our guard.

“Vaccines, masks, and social distancing are the best tools we have for fighting this virus, which has claimed far too many lives in the last year.”

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson

Rep. Colin Allred

Rep. Marc Veasey

Commissioner John Wiley Price

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson

In a promo for Parkland Hospital, Rev. Dr. Tommy Brown, of New Mount Zion Baptist Church said, “As the pastor of a church, I have to serve so many people and be in so many different locations.  I thought it best to protect myself and my family by getting vaccinated.”

St. Philip’s School and Community Center Uses

Pandemic Tools to Pivot Toward Success

BY SYLVIA DUNNAVANT HINES

Nationally schools across the country have dealt with confusion and conflict regarding health restrictions as they tried to find some form of normalcy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yet in the heart of South Dallas, St. Philip’s School and Community Center has used the challenging environment presented by the pandemic as inspiration for growth and innovative success.

“From the school side, we were able to convert to virtual learning,” said Kellee Murrell, principal of St. Philip’s School. “We also did a lot of professional development for our teachers. We provided resources for our families as they had to transition so that they could access and join in on-line.”

St. Philip’s School and Community Center is a private Christian school located just minutes from downtown Dallas with students PK2-7th grade.

“Once students were able to enter the building, we had some students whose parents wanted to keep them home. They were able to log in and we use cameras called swivel cameras which allowed those at home to feel a part of the classroom environment,” said Murrell, adding that much of their success was based on developing a task force and keeping stake holders and parents engaged during the various challenges of

the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was really just a combined effort from the school, our parents, the board and others giving feedback, as to how we were going to transition,” she continued. “We got a lot of great responses from our families that felt we really did a great job during COVID ensuring that our students didn’t miss out academically.”

Even though during the peak of the pandemic the school shifted to virtual learning, they used creative methods to try to include arts and physical education in the routine of their students.

“I would say one of our triumphs was that even though we were distant, we were still together. We over communicated to our families to ensure that they felt safe, and that their children were safe,” said Murrell.

Despite national averages that

showed Black and Hispanic students did not fare well during the COVID-19 pandemic, Murrell said their students academically continued to fare very well.

Dr. Terry Flowers, Executive Director of St. Phillip's, said that even in the midst of the COVID pandemic the school experienced an increase in enrollment.

According to a new report from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, enrollment grew 7% at charters between 2019 and 2022, while falling 3.5%, or almost 1.5 million, at traditional public schools over the same period.

“As a Community Center we have a food pantry. Our intention was to continue as best we could to provide services to our community,” said Dr. Flowers. “Our food pantry is an in-house shopping experience where people go

into the food pantry and shop as though they were in a store. We had to pivot, and we moved that activity and operation outside. It became more of a drive through model.

“We are one of a few food pantries in all north Texas that continued to provide services even though the need increased by 50 percent.”

Dr. Flowers attributes creative changes in the St. Philip’s Community Center to their ability to successfully provide services without interruption.

They also made changes to their senior citizen transportation program which allowed them to provide home deliveries for seniors so that this at-risk population did not have to get out into the community.

“Even though we were virtual we tried to continue to make it feel like school. We tried to add joy and fun by creating opportunities for kids to get together out-

COVID-19 Vaccination for Children

-Help prevent them from getting sick with COVID-19

There’s a new vaccine to add to the list recommended for children. The CDC now recommends children ages five and older get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is available in two age-appropriate doses. Kids ages five to 11 get a smaller dose of the COVID-19 vaccine given with a smaller needle. Kids 12 years and older can have the same vaccine dose as adults.

Benefits of your child getting vaccinated

The vaccine has many benefits for your child and your family. When your child gets the COVID-19 vaccine, it can:

-Keep your child from getting very sick if they do get COVID-19

-Help them safely take part in school, sports and other activities

-Protect other family members who can’t get vaccinated or at a higher risk of getting sick

Is the vaccine safe for kids?

Before COVID-19 vaccinations were authorized for children, clinical trials studied their safety in children. After reviewing the findings, the CDC concluded that the benefits far outweigh the

risks. And the vaccines continue to be monitored by the most intense safety program in U.S. history. Talk to your child’s doctor if you have any concerns or questions.

How to prepare your child

Take these steps to prepare yourself and your child for their vaccine:

-Talk with your child about what they can expect. Getting a COVID-19 vaccination will be like getting other routine shots. After getting their shot in their arm, your child will be moni-

side of class.”

Movie night is one way to gather the youth together.

“We rented a big screen and people were able to fellowship from their vehicles on blankets while socially distance outdoors. We also allowed families to gather at a local park where there was praise and worship. We called it praise in the park,” said Murrell.

Dr. Flowers said that even though the school has small classroom sizes social distancing was still challenging.

“We made some investments during the pandemic that are still active for us,” he shared. “We have temperature check machines; we have hand sanitized stations and masks. We created an isolation room for students that showed COVID symptoms and needed to be placed in a separate space. Many of these modifications will continue should we experience another pandemic.”

tored for 15 minutes before heading home.

-Tell your health care professional if your child has any allergies.

-Have your child sit or lie down to be more comfortable and prevent fainting.

-Prepare for potential side effects. While their body builds immunity, your child may have side effects like pain, redness or swelling at the injection site. They may also experience chills, headache, fever, muscle pain, nausea or tiredness which should go away in a couple of days. Ask your provider for advice on medications and other steps you can take to make your child more comfortable.

Get vaccinated

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine for kids, please contact your local health department or visit the CDC’s website.

Dr. Terry Flowers speaks at Praise in the Park.

Credit: St. Philip’s School

“I would say one of our triumphs was that even though we were distant, we were still together. We over communicated to our families to ensure that they felt safe, and that their children were safe,” said Murrell.

Parkland Medical Center Blog

Should your child get a COVID-19 vaccine?

CHURCHES, ORGANIZATIONS, FAITH GROUPS DEAL WITH PANDEMIC

Past worship practices remembered. Future changes inevitable.

By Norma Adams-Wade

Sam Cooke crooned in the mid-1960s that “A Change Is Gonna Come.” Now more than a half-century later, major change has come for countless churches and faith groups across the land.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought that change.

“Change has come and we’re likely not going back to old times that will not work anymore,” said Rev. Roy Locke, senior pastor at New Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, 2000 West Pleasant Run in Lancaster. “We’ve got to hold on to those times that were so meaningful; and at the same time stay tuned to where the Lord will lead us.”

Current trends indicate that Rev. Locke’s sentiments are being replayed in churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, kingdom halls, and various other worship sites globally. Why? Because the COVID-19 pandemic has left an indelible mark on how faith groups carry out their worship services and minister to congregants.

The government first mandated two years ago that worship groups must suspend in-person services to prevent spread of the coronavirus that was rapidly spreading across the land. The government and health leaders then slightly

relaxed the restriction allowing about a dozen congregants to gather.

Countless congregations have never returned to their packed Sunday and Saturday services. And where hundreds used to gather, now many worship services see less than 20 worshipers seated with respectable social distancing in nearly empty pews.

Will young members under the legal voting age continue these trends as they mature? Will they leave in-person worship services entirely – turning completely to social media as a way of worship?

And will social media worship become so entrenched that few followers adhere to the Biblical rule stated in portions of Hebrews 10:23, 25 (NIV) “23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, …25not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, …?”

Dr. Jerry Christian, pastor at Kirkwood CME Church, 1440 Sunny Glen Dr., in Oak Cliff, said among various ways to keep the

congregation in touch with each other – while in-person meetings were shut down, -- his members periodically would gather outside the building for “parking lot praise,” in addition to holding worship and meetings via social media platforms.

“To do anything differently, we would have to figure new ways other than what we’ve already

born shortly before the year 2000 and soon after – was a challenge that took much effort from youth leaders and church administrators.

At Kirkwood, youth leaders would hold youth meetings on Zoom -- abbreviated to no more than a half-hour to honor the youths’ short attention span and to prevent them turning off before the meeting would end. The meetings would include Bible lesson games and awards that the youth seemed to enjoy.

Rev. Dr. Ouida Lee has battled diverse issues over more than 30 years in ministry, including as a pastor at several churches in Dallas and nearby towns.

retired in 2019 as pastor at Church of the Disciple-United Methodist in DeSoto, then helped other congregations during the pandemic.

“Having to be isolated one from another made it difficult to address the youth without being present with them…(but) multi-media has been very impactful as relates to being in touch with your faith community. … You can be anywhere -- finishing soccer practice or wherever-- and still call in.”

Dr. Lee became a pastor again this past August and currently leads Haven Chapel United Methodist Church in Denison. She collaborates with public and private school administrators and faith leaders to help youth get on track after church and school closures during the pandemic.

done, meaning Zoom, emails, phone calls, and the “parking lot praise,” Dr. Christian said.

Dr. Christian and other ministers said holding on to their Gen Y and Gen Z members – those

Surviving decades of struggle being a female pastor strengthened her ability to inspire worshippers to stay strong during the pandemic. She always has sought to draw and retain youth and young adult congregants and admits that COVID-19 was an extra challenge.

“Youth ministry is a touchyfeely ministry,” said Dr. Lee who

Rev. Locke of New Mt. Gilead said parents often did ask him when the youth would come back to the church. He said his stock answer was: “They will come back when you bring them back!”

Denis Corbin holds dual responsibilities at two multi-ethnic Catholic churches in Dallas -business manager at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 4910 Bonnie View Rd, in Oak Cliff, and pastoral administrator at St. Anthony Catholic Parish, 3782 Myrtle St.

Rev. Joe Patterson

“We have to proceed with caution. The pandemic is not over. We have to consult with the Master and in all our ways acknowledge Him.”

Deacon

Denis Corbin

“If we had more funding, we would rely more on electronic means of reaching parishioners.”

Rev.

Dr. Ouida Lee

“We learned that although we could not be in-person, we could still be in touch (through technology).”

Dr. Jerry Christian

“A lot of churches are closing. Many others are not going to survive. Without adequate resources or technology,… the pandemic put them out of business. The question is: what to do with those members after closing who may not (join other churches)?”

Rev. Roy Locke

“What we would do differently is not to put so much stock in social media, but continue to have in-person services with people who actually are vaccinated. And we would follow all CDC health measures.”

WE WERE GUINEA PIGS FOR THE U.S.

-- it wasn’t just Tuskegee

BY DR. JULIANNE MALVEAUX

People who don't know Black history have probably heard more about the Tuskegee syphilis "experiment" in the last month than they have in their whole lives.

The chattering class has used the debacle of allowing hundreds of Black men live with untreated syphilis to monitor its effects to explain the resistance that many Black Americans have to accepting the COVID vaccination, thus imperiling the possibility of "herd" immunity.

It wasn’t just the men, enticed into the study with the promise of lifetime health care, who suffered. Dozens of wives were also infected because they didn't know their partners had syphilis.

At least 19 children were born with syphilis because they were untreated. There was no known treatment for syphilis when the study, which was supposed to last just six months, began in 1934.

Penicillin was the widely accepted

remedy in the late 1940s, but none of the men in the study were offered it.

The study is referred to as the "Tuskegee" experiment, but it really needs to be called the United States Public Health Service experiment. Our government initiated and funded this abomination and used Tuskegee as its base for this putrid study.

This was not the first time, though, and it is not likely to be the last when Black bodies were experimented on for white comfort. During enslavement, "doctor" often purchased enslaved people to experiment on them.

After Reconstruction, when Black folks died from being overworked, often their relatives were not told of their demise, but nearby medical schools used their bodies to teach medical students about anatomy.

It was legal in 32 states to sterilize Black women (and others considered "marginal" without their permission. In Alabama, in 1973, the Reif sisters, aged 12 and 14, were involuntarily sterilized in a federally-funded clinic.

An Essence magazine writer broke the story with the help of a whistleblower. The offending physician seemed to think the girls were mentally deficient and incapable of caring for the children they had not yet conceived. That was their decision

to make, not his.

Between 1929 and 1976, at least 7000 people were sterilized in North Carolina by judicial order. Thousands more were sterilized by order of local judges.

The state set aside $10 million in 2014 to pay some of the oppressive state policy victims, but many don't qualify because they lack documentation. Those sterilized were treated as guinea pigs.

J. Marion Sims, known as the "father

Sims performed many of the painful operations without anesthesia.

In other cases, Black women were given so much mind-numbing morphine that they became addicted.

Sims is credited with inventing the specula, a tool routinely used in most gynecological exams.

Actually, he used a spoon, then improved on it, for the examinations. Sims had quite the career, serving for a time as President of the American Medical Association.

There was a statue of him in New York's Central Park and tributes to him all over the country. Blessedly the Central Park statue was taken down in 2018, after several protests. Why was it there in the first place?

who was denied pain medication and was described as "intimidating" by the medical staff, illustrates how the medical establishment treats too many Black people.

Having said all that, I’ll still be standing in lines soon as my number is called for the COVID vaccination.

I prefer the Pfizer vaccination from the research I've done, but I'll take the Moderna if available.

Why? I'm over 60, diabetic, and thus at high risk for getting COVID. I want to travel again, get on a plane, and see my mama and my friends.

I don't know about eating out – my culinary skills have improved. But I know that my limited exposure to the world has gotten on my last nerve.

of gynecology," perpetuated some of the more chilling experiments on Black women's bodies. He performed sterilizations, unnecessary C-sections, and more on Black women and worked on them until he could perfect the technique to use on white women.

In her book, Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black American from Colonial Times To The Present (Doubleday, 2006), Harriet Washington details the many ways Black bodies were guinea pigs for white experiments.

That’s not all. The Institute of Medicine has documented that Black folk with broken bones are less likely to get pain medication than whites.

And the very recent COVID death of African American physician Dr. Susan Moore,

We were their guinea pigs, and the medical establishment has been negligent toward Black people.

By now, though, enough white people have had the vaccination that by some wicked irony, they are my guinea pigs.

Get the vaccination if you can, medical racism notwithstanding.

Black folks are twice as likely to die from COVID as white people. Protect yourself!

Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an economist, author and Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at Cal State LA.

Lamenting is Necessary for Preservation

BY DR. FROSWA BOOKER DREW

That week was unprecedented. If you weren’t directly impacted by the lack of electricity in your homes, you probably had relatives and friends over. If that wasn’t your scenario, you witnessed or heard stories of despair and hopelessness through the consistent coverage in the news and social media.

It was a lot to experience and process. My irritation goes beyond the experience. I am frustrated to see how so many of us went back to work Monday morning as if nothing happened and we continue to stay on the hamster wheel of non-stop motion---never taking the time to pause or even stop.

There were limited conversations or check-ins, just work as usual because we have fallen into the trap that profit and

productivity rule over people.

In addition to last week’s debacle, over 500,000 people have died from COVID or COVID related complications.

So many family members and friends have experienced loss. The institutional knowledge as well as the potential that we will never realize and know is now gone.

And yet, we continue to move on without taking the time to stop and realize the devastation of this unseen enemy that is taking a toll on life as we know it.

Our lives have radically changed. For many of us, we have been in our homes since March 2020 with limited human contact that is usually restricted to immediate family.

Hugs and opportunities to experience the presence of others is almost non-existent except for Zoom calls and Grocery store runs. Dallas Morning News (Febru-

ary 4, 2021) headlines read, “With 1 of every 5 high schoolers not attending classes with regularity, Dallas ISD launches reconnection effort.”

As much as we tell ourselves that our

In our quest, to keep up this busyness and desire to move forward, we are neglecting to pause, stop, and lament.

It’s interesting that in grammar, the comma represents a pause, and the period is designed to stop before moving to another thought.

Why is it that we understand that in language but have failed to see the correlation in our lives? Right now, we need to really sit back, reflect, and listen.

God is speaking and we are missing it big time by covering it up with more stuff to do that has yet to alleviate our pain and suffering.

The book of Lamentations is credited to Jeremiah.

ing of man caused by the decisions and actions of men. The city of Babylon had been invaded and destroyed.

There was a need for food and people were desperate. Lamentations 3:17-26 states, “Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is. 20 I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. 21 Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: 22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” 25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. 26 So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.”

children are resilient, obviously, they are not adjusting well, either. We keep running, moving faster as if it will suddenly go away and things will go back to normal.

It is a Biblical book of poems that illustrate the pain of a people whose city had been destroyed and who had lost many loved ones.

It is a book that ponders on the suffer-

Maybe it is time for us to pause, stop, cry, reflect and wait quietly to hear from God. Our very lives depend upon it.

Dr. Froswa Booker-Drew is the CEO of Soulstice Consultancy and the founder of the R2 Foundation. She is the author of four books and the host of the Tapestry Podcast.

Things Parents Should Know Sending Their Kids Back to School

BY BREONNA RANDALL Howard University News Service

For the first time since March 2020, millions of students, pre-kindergarten to high school seniors, will be attending in-person classes. Aside from attending class, they will be also participating in extracurricular activities, like sports, music and clubs. Parents have many concerns and questions.

Howard University News Service reached out to five physicians for answers, Dr. Hadie Shariat, pediatrician, Howard University Hospital; Dr. Katherine Hager, Infectious Disease Fellow, Howard University Hospital; Dr. Catherine Marshall, pediatrician at Balboa Pediatrics; Dr. Andrea Goings, pediatrician, Baby Doc House Calls, and Dr. Stacey Eadie, pediatrician at her own private practice, Peds in a Pod.

Should I get my child vaccinated?

The unanimous opinion among our doctors was if your child can get vaccinated, they should. The only thing that has proven to be effective so far in fighting COVID-19 is the vaccine, they said. While a tiny fraction of people has died from the vaccine, more than 600,000 have died from the disease.

What if my child is too young for the vaccine?

In this case, the doctors advise, your child should stay away from unvaccinated adults, stay away from crowded indoor places, always wear a mask and keep practicing social distancing and good hygiene. Also always remember to keep up with your local safety guidelines. Guidelines and prevalence of coronavirus are different in different cities and states. Residents may need to be more careful in some locales.

What kind of mask should my child wear and how many do they need?

CREDO OF THE BLACK PRESS

7

The readily available blue and white surgical masks are the best option for students of all ages. They will protect your child if they are wearing them properly. The mask should cover their nose and their mouth. If the mask falls to the ground or gets wet either by sneezing into it or from water, they should be discarded, and a new mask put in place. Younger children should carry about a half a dozen surgical masks with them a day.

Students in grades 9-12 should not need to change theirs as often. They may only need to have about three. For older children doubling up by wearing a surgical mask and a cloth mask on top throughout their school day is the best option.

If your child is most comfortable wearing only a cloth mask, that is fine, but remember it needs to be cleaned daily, never wait more than a day to clean or rotate your child’s cloth mask.

N-95 masks are said to be the best option, but only if they have been fit tested by a doctor to a child’s face. Children with disabilities who are not able to wear a mask all day should wear a shield.

What should be on my back-to-school shopping list?

Jeremiah, 6

You should buy everything that you would already get but more. Make sure your child has more than enough supplies, so they won’t need to ask their classmates to share. Young children like to chew on their pens and sharing those supplies could increase the spread of germs. Aside from masks, you may want to add new items like hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes. What are some school habits my child needs to break and ones they should include?

The number one habit that children of all ages need to break is sharing. They should not share toys, school supplies, food, drinks or anything else. It won’t be easy to get young children to unlearn “sharing is caring,” but it is very important that they try their best.

Other habits that students need to break is any unnecessary touching. Hugging or kissing other students is a no-no. Students have been away from their friends for a very long time, and they may want to show physical affection towards each other when they reunite but it is very important that they don’t as much as possible.

They should also use disinfectant wipes to clean their desks between classes and the

handles and locks to their lockers. Finally, most schools do not have automatic sinks or dryers. So, students should consider using paper towels to turn handles off and on and opening doors after washing their hands for at least 20 seconds.

Are there warning signs that my child may have been exposed to the coronavirus?

Children, especially younger children, seem to always have a sniffle or runny nose. However, in today’s climate, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Every day after you child comes home, spend two minutes with your child and let them tell you about their day without asking any specific questions. In that time, they may tell you if they shared toys or snacks with anyone that they shouldn’t have. If your child is having a cough or runny nose, yes it could be allergies or a common cold, but do not risk the safety of your family and others. Keep your children home and quarantine them until they can take a Covid-19 test at a medical facility, not an at home rapid test. A two-year old may get sick and have just a runny nose or sore throat from the disease, but if they infect their grandmother, for example, she could end up in the hospital on a ventilator.

Are extracurricular activities okay for my child to participate in?

There is nothing wrong with your child returning to their extracurricular activities, just as long as these activities are supervised and are following all Center for Disease Control and Prevention and local health guidelines.

This year, the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) celebrates 195 years of the Black Press. NNPA is a trade association of the more than 200 African American-owned community newspapers from around the United States. Since its founding 75 years ago, NNPA has consistently been the voice of the Black community.

The Black Press believes that America can best lead the world away from racial and national antagonisms when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color or creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The unanimous opinion among our doctors was if your child can get vaccinated, they should. The only thing that has proven to be effective so far in fighting COVID-19 is the vaccine, they said. While a tiny fraction of people has died from the vaccine, more than 600,000 have died from the disease.

Nickolas

Relative deals with various challenges during pandemic

BY RASA SNIUOLYTE

The entire education system had to be reoriented and reorganized in a short time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Children's education form changed. This sudden change, going from direct to remote, caused by unforeseen conditions affected the interaction, involvement, and roles of the participants in the educational process (children, parents, teachers).

I would like to share my close insight into how the COVID-19 pandemic affected my family member: an 11-year-old boy named Christopher.

During the time of quarantine, when everyone was studying remotely, screen time increased dramatically.

faced was disrupted sleep.

During the pandemic, he would sleep at midnight as opposed to 9:30 in the evening before.

He also had a habit of waking up in the middle of the night and checking his phone, which was noticed by his mom.

Unfortunately, this led to mood swings, bad eating habits (he had strong cravings for junk food), and difficulty concentrating.

It is worth mentioning that there is a bright side to this: Christopher was able to be in bed longer because he did not need to wake up early to prepare for school.

Longer screen time also led to more frequent somatic physical complaints. I noticed that Christopher expressed more stomach, head, and back pain than ever before.

It also affected his motivation and desire to spend more time outside and explore the

Living with Autism Called for Numerous Changes

Screen time and its effects on children's physical and mental health have been extensively studied by scientists in the last decade.

The relevance of these studies was promoted by the constantly increasing availability of various mobile devices and their excessive use in educating children of various ages.

One of the biggest issues the kids have faced with increased screen time was an addiction to the technologies.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends no more than two hours of screen time per day for kids between 10 and 15 years.

Unfortunately, the hours for Christopher was higher, averaging between six and eight hours a day.

This has led to various mental, physical, and behavioral issues for him, which I would like to discuss in greater detail.

One of the biggest issues Christopher

world.

Finally, because of COVID-19, activities after school were canceled. This led to isolation from his basketball team friends and it change his socialization habits.

Christopher became more reserved and easily irritated with the mobile phones now being used as a coping mechanism for calming down and taking attention away from the main issue.

To sum it up, the COVID-19 pandemic was tough for Christopher and kids his age. Christopher‘s well-being and issues were nothing compared to the people who were fighting the virus.

I hope the educational system will improve in the future in order to help young kids to face fewer consequences.

Rasa Sniuolyte is a student from Lithuania, currently studying at Dallas College. She found her passion for kite-boarding during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BY MELISSA CORONADO

COVID was a tragic year for most children that I know. Kids are behind on their studies and some have been held back a grade.

My son, Liam Stojnic, is one of those young students who suffered because of COVID.

Liam was attending Dallas Independent School District’s Oran Roberts Elementary in 2020 when his school closed and went virtual.

Going completely virtual wasn’t an easy task for him since my son is Autistic. He struggles with a learning developmental disability and has difficulties speaking. He’s been going to speech therapy since he was five years old and adding his therapist to virtual on top of school was stressful. It’s very difficult for him to sit still in front of his laptop and concentrate without being distracted.

So, after a week I realized I needed to be home Monday through Friday to help him with every assignment and speech.

It wasn’t easy!

I had to quit my job and break my apartment’s contract to save every dollar I possibly could.

Liam went from having his own bedroom, TV, game system setup, and a computer at our apartment, to sharing a room with me that barely fit my queen-size bed and our TV.

He wasn’t happy about that, but what kiddo would be?

Overall, we were blessed with a roof over our heads that was rent free, I loved that part.

Months went by and Liam turned in school assignments but deep down I knew he wasn’t understanding any of it. I ran out

of ideas to try to help him understand the assignments to his level. It amazed me that my child was passed to the next grade when I knew he wasn’t ready.

They did it anyway.

Soon after schools reopened, I took it under my hands to change his school into a private school.

I found Oak Hill Academy, a school for Autistic children with different disorders. Some had speech, behavior disorders, and learning disorders.

This was the school I knew was going to help my child and it sure wasn’t cheap. $22,000 for the school year was what they were asking for.

I went forward with it, but the school recommended that Liam repeat the same grade and that I should hire a reading, writing, and math tutor as well.

So, I did.

I called every nearby tutor and prayed they’d take Medicaid insurance and I found nothing. The cheapest tutor with great ratings was about $150 each subject a month.

Liam’s weekly agenda was Monday school, Tuesday school and speech therapy, Wednesday school and Reading tutor, Thursday school and Writing tutor, and Friday school and Math tutor.

By the weekend my son was about to explode. I knew he couldn’t take on any more than what he was already taking.

As much as my son loves soccer and plays every year (other than the year 2020), he refused to enroll and just wanted to be home on the weekends to relax.

I didn’t blame him; I was exhausted too.

Melissa Coronado is a full-time student at Dallas College (El Centro). A lifetime Dallasite, she is a huge Dallas Cowboys/Mavs fan! The mother of nine-yearold son, Liam Stojnic (half Hispanic and European) and she is a phlebotomist at Hillcrest Medical in Highland Park.

Melissa Coronado and son, Liam Stojnic

Rasa Sniuolyte

Credit: sniuolyte

Christian, 11, likes Robotics. credit: family

Parents had their own challenges while also meeting

COVID-19 and My Journey Now!

turmoil because my grandson was on what the Baptist Church tradition calls the "sick and shut-in list."

I got to spend a lot of time with myself, a thing that, before that time, had a negative connotation. But, in the end, it was the bestthingthathappenedtome.I realized my potential as an individual.

edifice on Sunday morning. A sanctuary that traditionally held two services with 1200 to 1500 congregants was bare and empty now.

V

The dice finally seem to be falling my way.

But within seven weeks of my first grandson's birth, the hourly news cycle was filled with some newfound crap. COVID-19 was on the loose, and the world was about to shut down.

What made everything worse was everybody else's world shut down but mine.

I finally began understanding the "Essential Worker" tag on our employee roster.

It made me feel "some type of way" that my 15-year-old daughter was barricaded in our house all day, and I couldn't be there. As a single father, we were always each other’s lifeline.

Anyway.

The whole pandemic phenomenon was not hard for me to believe.

In our crew of about 30 men, approximately 25 had been sick. I mean really ill. The virus, or crud, or whatever, hit us around the last

week of December 2019.

BY VINCENT L. HALL

There were flu-like symptoms, but no one had the flu. There were upper respiratory problems that could not be explained.

This sickness they shared wasn’t allergy related. The doctors said it wasn’t bronchitis. However, five or more had to go through an emergency room. All of them went to the doctor.

After the pandemic was formally named, none of my crew was affected until the new "variant" appeared some months later. I escaped it, but my team had COVID before COVID was COVID.

Meanwhile, the media outlets began to speculate whether some petri dish experiment had gone global or someone was spreading germs from monkeys.

It was no small matter. My brother, a pastor in Jamaica Queens, New York, lost four people to COVID in 48 hours. He performed more funerals in six months than the previous six years.

So, my “Baby” daughter was in

I don't think I saw him in person until he was 10 months old. She was overprotective, but understandably so. Hailee, my high school student was in torment. She had just begun the second half of her sophomore year at Townview High School.

Hailee is an exceptional student and the consummate nerd. Not being able to go to school was vexing to everything she knew and loved. She even missed her teachers!

She shared some of her memories about the pandemic with me for this penning. What she says is what I thought was happening but to a lesser extent:

“As everyone knows, COVID was a scary, uncertain time, especially at the beginning. I was scaredofgettingCOVID,andmy familygettingsickfromit.Many of my friends and their families being impacted by it, and it was spreadingsomuchthattheworld basicallyended.

No one knew what was goingtohappenintheend.Iwasa sophomore in high school when the pandemic started, and now a freshman in college, I'm glad I wentthroughthepandemic.

Ilackedconfidenceinmyabilitytodoanything,butbecauseof my time during COVID, I overcame my insecurities. Even more thantime,havingsomanypeople IknewdiedfromCOVIDshowed methatIdon'thavetimetowaste worrying.

We only live once, and I could no longer allow myself to lose time over wondering if I was ‘goodenough.’”

She blossomed after that shutdown experience in ways I never imagined. We got a lot of help from our Youth Pastor and his staff. She made connections with a local leader in the NAACP, and she thrived.

She made the best of her time during the worst of times.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci, et al, were holding what seemed like hourly press conferences. The world hung on every stupid ass word the 45th president uttered.

And boy, did these episodes reveal the depth of his rudeness and ignorance. By virtue of his endless vitriol and baseless invectives, Trump caused more deaths than we can ever discern.

For Hailee, it was school.

My pain came from not being able to fellowship with my church members. But, the absolute worst of the worst was the feeling I had when I walked into this majestic

Our church services were only available over social media. Unfortunately, this change meant our programming had to be reconfigured to accommodate cameras rather than the eyes of a praised filled audience.

Under the auspices of COVID-19 protocols, normalcy meant arriving at church two hours early for testing, rehearsing a few songs with five or six others, and being "masked up" the whole time. There were never more than 20 people in that church.

The loud choruses of hallelujahs that usually accompanied the sermon were replaced with dead silence.

But even in that dilemma, we overcame it. We learned how to share Christ with a distant audience and our members.

On the home front, this experience brought my siblings, our children, and our parents closer. We bonded in our every Friday night two-hour Zoom sessions.

My grandson is healthy and thriving. Hailee lives her best life on a college campus in a city we never imagined.

COVID-19 hit like a thief in the night. It was the worst of times… and it was the worst of times.

But Maya Angelou’s first book of essays in 1993 captures my sentiments exactly.

“Wouldn’t take nothing for my journey now.”

COVID-19 was bad, but it made some of us better!

the needs of their children...

Hailee is with her father, Vincent Hall during visit to Vanderbilt University.

Credit: Hall Family

incent L. Hall is an author, activist and award-winning writer, living in Dallas. TX.

POINT/COUNTER POINT

Teenagers Should Get Vaccinated

BY JENNIFER IGBONOBA

Vaccines and kids.

Two words that when mixed together can cause mass hysteria.

With COVID-19 cases on the rise, it is time to turn our attention to the younger citizens of our society. It is time to explain to teenagers why they should take the vaccine.

The first, and by far most obvious reason for taking the vaccine, is to slow the spread of the virus.

Before vaccines were widely available to the American public, masks were used as a way to slow the spread due to COVID-19 being an airborne virus.

Now, with mask requirements being more lenient in Texas, vaccines serve as the tool to slow the spread of the virus and its more contagious variants; the most common one right now being the B.1.617.2 (Delta).

Historically speaking, the widespread use of vaccinations for a particular disease can significantly lower its transmission and, in the case of smallpox, eradicate it, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The second reason teens should get vaccinated is to protect those who are unvaccinated. At this stage in the pandemic and vaccine layout, it is easy to dismiss those who are unvaccinated as anti-vaxxing conspiracy theorists.

However, that is not always the case.

Currently in Texas, children under the age of 12 are not authorized to get the COVID-19 vaccine, which places them more at risk to contract the Delta variant.

Also, while not unauthorized to get the vaccine, people with less common underlying conditions like those allergic to certain ingredients in the mRNA vaccines may not be able to take the vaccine because the side effects could worsen their condition.

In order to protect those who are medically not able to get vaccinated, widespread

vaccination among those who can is important.

Finally, you must protect yourself.

When I talk to my peers, most tell me that because they have a lower chance of dying from the virus, they should not worry about or get the vaccine.

Despite that belief having a factual basis according to reports from the CDC, it does not put into context the long term effects of the virus.

While young teens are less likely to die from the virus compared to older adults, they are also just as likely to be asymptomatic and unaware they have the viral particles in their immune system.

The strain the virus puts on the immune system distracts it from defending the body

Just Say No to the VACCINE

BY CAMARION JOHNSON

COVID-19 is the latest impending crisis that the entire world is experiencing. Everything from gyms, restaurants and many other inside establishments are now reopening, however, they are requesting citizens be vaccinated in order to go inside.

Nonetheless, people that have already received the COVID vaccine are still catching the Delta variants.

By the end of each week, there are at least 137,783 COVID cases, and according to the CDC by the end of this year there will be 49,050,748 active cases of the variants across the United States.

Nonetheless, people’s loved ones still believe that the vaccine should be able to protect citizens from catching or causing someone else to catch the Delta variant.

In a recently released report by the CDC on the impact of COVID, more than 600,000 people in the United States have died from this national health crisis that has left more than enough damage.

If we don’t get the vaccine, the Texas Travel Health Notice (THN) level can possibly become a level 4 of COVID-19 according to the CDC.

We can all agree that this virus is very unpredictable; causing the whole world to be on lockdown and panic in fear about what will come in the future.

COVID-19 in general is a lethal situation in billions of people's lives, but many feel that the vaccine could be just as lethal.

against other minor illnesses which can cause those small illnesses to have a greater effect on the body than they usually do.

Throughout this pandemic, we have all missed out on typical American milestone events; like proms, graduations, birthday parties, and all the events we’ve been looking forward to pre-pandemic.

Now, we finally have a chance to return to a somewhat normal life by being safe and protecting those around us.

Together, we can all slowly limit the spread and potentially eradicate the virus, by simply getting vaccinated.

Jennifer Igbonoba wrote this essay when she was a graduating senior at Rockwall High School in Rockwall, Texas and a Scripps Howard Foundation Emerging Journalists Intern with Texas Metro News through the University of North Texas.

This brings to question: Are we supposed to feel safe when the President of the United States says he will require “every living American” to be vaccinated?

Are we supposed to [blindly] follow mandated guidelines while millions are still getting COVID; just hoping for the vaccine to work or for the opportunity to return to work?

According to the President, COVID-19 vaccinations help protect people from getting sick or severely ill with the virus. It is also said to help protect people around us, however, people who are fully vaccinated can still get sick because no vaccine is 100% effective.

Personally as a young adult, I believe we shouldn't push ourselves or get our hopes up just to get them crushed because there are still people catching COVID.

While teens like myself want to become adults and provide for ourselves, we don’t believe we should have to get a shot or vaccine to get a job because it violates our free will and freedom of choice.

Many citizens around the world already feel like they are losing important time with loved ones that they can’t be made back up due to current COVID-19 guidelines.

These restrictions are keeping people six feet apart from their goals, aspirations, families, and resources that could get many teens out of

harsh environments and conditions.

A vaccine mandate and COVID-19 restrictions will only make it harder for teens like myself to be successful.

Camarion Johnson wrote this essay when he was a graduating senior at Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas and he was a Scripps Howard Foundation Emerging Journalists Intern with Texas Metro News through the University of North Texas.

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND THEIR COVID-19 EXPERIENCE

By Jesus Maria Garcia

In March 2020 of my junior year of high school, everything went to a shutdown.

Not only did my siblings and I stop going to school, but my dad also stopped going to work and all of us remained in the house together.

SCHOOL PROVIDED LAPTOPS

At my school, they prepared students that needed a laptop by assigning each student one.

I was one of those students that received the laptop of course by signing a paper. If anything were to happen, then I would be held responsible for paying $200 for the damages or losing it.

Obviously I made sure to take care of it. Also, the school created their own website in which we students needed to stay con-

nected with everything when it comes to news, class codes, and resources.

At first, I thought COVID 19 would not be so important and that the spread would not reach the U.S borders, but no! I was wrong about the outcome.

I did feel scared about the pandemic as the news was updating about the large numbers of people getting affected, people passing away by COVID, people calling it a hoax, any doctor's recommendation of how to safely deal with the situation.

I felt safe being in my home and not being exposed to people who had it.     Normally school would continue, but it was online. At my home we did not have Wi-Fi of our own. You may be wondering how I did my assignments and attended classes by Zoom?

To answer your question, I used McDonald's Wi-Fi behind my backyard. I was surprised about it as well and utilized it to my advantage until school was over.

However, I probably was not the only one since the McDonalds Wi-Fi is free, so sometimes it was slow. I’m so glad McDonald’s was here when I needed it!

By Asia Nicole Alcorn University of North Texas

It’s been two years since the pandemic began, and sadly, we’re still in it. However, COVID should n’ot ruin your plans. There are safe ways to have fun and here’s some tips to reduce the risk of infection:

• Consider getting you and your family members vaccinated if you haven’t already. Children 6 months and up are now able to receive Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.

• Wear your mask indoors and outdoors. COVID-19 is an airborne virus, and it can spread quickly. Always better to be safe than sorry.

• Always make sure you have extra supplies on deck. This includes wipes, hand sanitizer, masks and plastic bags to store your trash in.

• Wash your hands and or sanitize regularly. And keep some hand lotion so you stay moisturized!

• Choose short road trips over traveling by plane. Many airlines no longer require wearing masks, which could put you and your family at risk.

• If you plan on having a large gathering, make sure activities are outdoors. This will allow more room for social distancing.

• Always choose curbside, drive-thru or other non-contact delivery instead of dining in. Or better yet, you can make/bring your own meals!

• Keep tabs on the areas you’re traveling to. If you notice an increase in infection rates, maybe you should consider changing plans.

• If you want to keep cool, try using the sprinklers or a backyard pool instead of going to a community pool. This will minimize the number of people you come into contact with.

• Consider purchasing

ON LOCKDOWN

During lockdown I liked it that I did not have to wake up too early to get ready and then go to school. Also, for me as an introvert it was great to not go to school because I would dread socializing.

DEPRESSION

Since I was dealing with depression due to my mom passing away in the summer of 2019, the Fall of 2019 I was not doing so well and did not want to be surrounded by people.

When teachers or students would casually talk about death it would trigger me to the point of crying. I am aware that some people do not like being isolated or feeling caged in their own home.

I, on the other hand, felt I needed to isolate myself from people and try to find myself, even though I live with my siblings and my dad.

The challenging part for me during the pandemic was ensuring my younger siblings were attending Zoom meetings and doing their assignments; while also help-

ing them out in areas they needed help on.

SENIOR YEAR

In my senior year I continued the online classes since my dad felt like it still was not safe for me and my siblings to go to school. Finally we got Wi-Fi of our own.

I would say for graduation they only wanted us to make sure we all passed the STAAR exams, apply to at least the college of our choice, and pass all our classes to be able to purchase the cap and gown.

We did the ceremony in person, but they gave each student a limited number of tickets, eight per student, which is okay for me. But the ceremony was weird because it has been like ages that I have seen my fellow classmates since the pandemic.

Overall, I am grateful to still be alive, have achieved my high school diploma and to be currently attending the college of my choice.

College and she hopes to

some at-home COVID-19 test kits. This will be a lifesaver, especially if someone in your household is experiencing symptoms. And they only take 15 minutes!

Have tons of fun! Stay safe and stay cool!

Asia Alcorn is a 2022 Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of North Texas with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

Jesus M. Garcia attends Dallas

eventually become a Dental Hygienist. Currently living with her siblings and dad, she enjoys creating art.

Jesus Maria Garcia

How COVID impacted my life and education as a student

BY NATHALY VAZQUEZ

Lives were changed during the year 2020 when COVID-19 officially started being a concern in the United States.

My life was changed on March 13, 2020; little did I know that that day would be my last day as a regular student.

I had never experienced a pandemic. I was still in middle school when the country had to go through being quarantined, and it was towards the middle of my eighth-grade year.

That year I changed a lot because I became more confident in myself and a sort of social butterfly, but everything changed after COVID.

Pre-pandemic I was doing really well with my grades and I was not afraid to speak in front of other people or to be who I was.

I was so social to the point where I would help a lot of people around my school when volunteers were needed and I was proud to talk and I was not shy at all.

When online learning began no one I knew had any idea how to navigate through it and that made learning really difficult.

There was also lots of awkwardness because it was the first time everyone saw each other through technology.

There were endless problems with the technology, the internet, and the means of communication; so in the end the pandemic took away my last months of being a middle schooler before transitioning to high school.

I personally, to this day really hate the way things went because my eighth grade year was supposed to be a great one and the way things were going I

also believed I would have been really happy with my academic life.

The few months that I did spend doing online classes for my eighth grade year were nothing compared to how overwhelming the next months would be due to the fact that I had to figure out what school I would be attending for high school all through phone calls and emails that would usually not be answered.

The virus and pandemic both also took quite a negative toll on my mental health because I was not used to staying at home with my four siblings.

I felt as if I had no room to breath at times and felt trapped.

I also began to overthink a lot and began to make myself panic by making my mind believe that I was isolated and that I would never be able to live a normal life again or the life I did before everything happened.

Even though there were a lot of negatives to the pandemic, some of the good things that came out of it were that I learned how to use technology better and learned that some relationships that I had were actually just acquaintances and nothing more.

In the end, I believe that COVID is something that affected every individual in one way or another.

We as a nation learned to slowly overcome it and now we should do anything and everything possible to not be in that position again,.

But if we were to go back, this time we would not be as lost as we were during the Coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 Was Life-Altering for One High Schooler

BY ABDUL IBRAHIM

Since COVID-19 first started everything has been downhill for me because I could barely go out and meet my friends and people that I have known for years.

I was hoping to have a great school year but everything changed when school had to close due to COVID-19. Ever since then everything in school has changed completely, such as all the students have to sit one row apart from each other and all students must wear mask at all time for safety.

When I had to do online classes, it was very hard because I couldn’t ask questions that I would have asked in person such as, “is it okay for you to show me how to solve this problem?’’

It was hard for the teacher to show me how to solve the work problem so instead he would tell me to go to the school website and watch the three-minute videos.

It was also very hard to stay at home for online classes because sometimes your internet will go off or we were having

bad Wi-Fi.

Also some do not even have a laptop so they have to work from phone. Some people I know have bad laptops which is hard to work with. Some of the things I have experienced with online classes is that I have to find a quiet and peaceful place rather than getting interrupted by family or siblings; especially if your siblings are between four months and five-years-old.

When school reopened there wasn’t a pep rally or event that we usually have in school.

It was very sad that everyone in school has to wear a mask and sometimes I couldn’t recognize some of my friends because everyone has changed.

Not all students show up to school. Only a few students show up to school most of the time. Many students will not be participating in any of the school events because they are scared they might get COVID-19.

Unfortunately in 2020 and 2021 there were canceled soccer and Karate tournaments that I have trained for since 2019 to win my second Dal-

Churches, Clergy deal with COVID-19,

in South Dallas/Fair Park.

Corbin said the parish youth have faith-training classes. He said he and other parishioners noticed symptoms in their youth similar to those the public and media mentioned in students at Dallas public and private schools that also were shut down.

“For about six months (during the pandemic), we had ceased all activities,” Corbin said of the two Catholic parishes ruled by the Catholic Diocese of Dallas. “The kids came back with learning deficiencies like those they would experience if they took a six-month-long summer break. There was remedial work that had to be done.”

Rev. Joe Patterson is pastor of Greater New Zion Baptist Church, 2210 Pine St. in South Dallas/Fair Park.

He and his congregation faced a tsunami of multiple catastrophes during the Texas power grid freeze in February 2021, followed about a month later by the government’s mandate that faith groups cease in-person services. The freeze destroyed the church sanctuary, then unrelated state road construction cut off accessibility to the church entrance. Currently, the church still has not reopened because of continuing recon-

las Karate Championship and win my three Gold Summer League Soccer Championships.

This past summer I have focused on myself and loving myself.

COVID-19 has changed everything in my life to downhill.

I have to admit it. Even though COVID-19 has destroyed everything I love, COVID-19 has also brought me and my family closer together. We went from hardly seeing each other to seeing each every day, doing family fun things at home such as playing board games, watching movies and helping each other around the house.

While we were in school, even though it was online, I still passed my grade because I would have to go school and talk to the teacher one-on-one while wearing a mask and using hand sanitizer.

Now I have a chance to talk to my teachers and get my grades up.

For these and many reasons, I hate and love COVID-19.

Abdul Ibrahim is now a student at Dallas College, Dallas, TX.

struction delays and setbacks. Additionally, poor WiFi reception at the church has meant that leaders must broadcast on social media from home. And construction workers recently hit a wire that shut down transmission.

“It’s been one thing after another, compounded on top of another,” Rev. Patterson said.

Holding the interest of young congregants, as well as some adults, also has been a major task, he said.

“We work hard to offer the young people incentives and awards, including $25 gift cards to Walmart and other stores, to keep them interested,” Rev. Patterson said.

Youths who were pre-teens when the pandemic hit now are teenagers, he said, and have lost the benefits of face-to-face worship. “We have to be more interactive with the parents to try to keep the youth involved.”

Pastors and leaders at all the churches contacted said they have learned major lessons:

Rev. Roy Locke: “What we would do differently is not to put so much stock in social media, but continue to have in-person services with people who actually are vaccinated. And we would follow all CDC health measures.”

Nathaly Vazquez is a 16-year-old junior enrolled at Lassiter Early College. The oldest of five she has a goal to be successful and help her mom out in the future.

COVID-19 Provided Many Challenges for Seventh Grader

BY VANESSA DE LA PAZ

COVID-19 has impacted many lives and made everyone go through tough and struggling times.

When we were all living through the pandemic it was a very scary and panicking time which made our lives difficult.

In the beginning when we got sent home due to COVID, I was in 7th grade, and classmates including myself were looking forward to it because we all thought “yay! No more school,” but after a while of being stuck at home it was becoming very depressing because I would be around the same people and relive the same day doing nothing.

Also, not being able to see my family was another

back for students learning environment.

Once we had the option to be at home or in person it made it a bit easier, but the masks were another challenge to get used to during this time because to wear a mask for about 7-8 hours every week was not easy and certainly hard to breath and talk through; but it was all for our safety.

The pandemic was a life changing event. This pandemic was certainly not an easy thing to get through.

During the pandemic I tried to make the most out of it and make it fun because the pandemic allowed us to have so much free time that gave me time to focus on myself, come to realizations, and spend quality time with family.

In the beginning when we got sent home due to COVID, I was in 7th grade, and classmates including myself were looking forward to it because we all thought “yay! No more school,” but after a while of being stuck at home it was becoming very DEPRESSING...

thing that affected my life during this time because before we would always have family gatherings and when this pandemic occurred it made it a struggle being away from family and becoming distant.

Not only did COVID and the pandemic impact my personal life, but it also impacted my learning experiences.

School days during COVID were troubling times because learning online was difficult to get used to, hard to navigate and learn from.

Some people like me were not strong visual learners and needed to be in person which was a set-

These things, especially family, helped me get through the pandemic because I was not alone in this and had people to be isolated with instead of being on my own.

In conclusion, COVID and the pandemic had a significant impact on my personal life.

As a student it most certainly affected my educational life but I learned a lot and am still learning from the experience.

Vanessa De La Paz is a student at Wright Lassiter Academy where she is a dual credit student who will graduate with her high school diploma and her Associates Degree from Dallas College.

Prom Season, Sports, Graduations Affected

MakeUp Artists Manage to Survive During COVID-19 by Encouraging a Healthy Regimen

BY DR. LINDA AMERSON

What does our skin do for us?

The skin protects us from microbes and the elements, help regulate body temperature, and permits the sensations of touch, heat, cold and pain. It is the largest organ of the body.

The scalp tissue can also feel the soothing touch of a good shampoo, heat when a flat iron, pressing comb or curling iron touches it, coldness of the winter season and pain of any trauma to the scalp. Put simply, your scalp tissue has a tolerance level, just like your skin.

Remember that.

Tips for healthier skin: cleanse at least twice daily… morning and at night.

Moisturize daily to protect your skin from environmental dryness.

Wear a sunscreen during the summer season…sun damage can be painful, as well as darken/damage your skin cells.

Pamper your skin with a facial every week to two weeks time line. Excessive sugar in your diet affects your facial skin. Eat fruits, vegetables and hydrate by drinking water…half your body weight.

I am thankful for MUAs! Crystal Scott has assisted me with five Magazine Cover Girl glam looks! The pandemic has impacted her makeup service business and she shares about her survival.

According to Crystal, who is the owner of Crystal Scott Artistry, she has been a make-up artist for seven years. She tells of challenges during the pandemic, “At the beginning, COVID-19 caused a decrease in business during prom season. But, with the influx of high school seniors wanting senior pictures and

the opening of business amid wedding season, business has now increased.

“I haven’t had to incorporate many changes. As an MUA, sanitation and cleanliness are very important. I have always used disposable wands and refrain from double dipping in tubes products. I sanitize my tools after every client.  I now use gloves with clients and wear a mask as the major change.”

Crystal is also in the classroom.

“I have not received much feedback at this time, regarding questions from customers or new customers about my services, I am also an Elementary School Teacher,” she said. “We adapted to teaching our students on-line after spring break.”

Two tips she shares with her customers: “Always wash and sanitize your tools after you purchase them and make sure that your MUA is using clean tools when offering services. Your facial skin reflects how well you take care of it.

Crystal can be reached at: Crystal Scott Artistry, www.crystalscottartistry.com cscottartistry@gmail.com, 817.938.3112

Dr. Linda Amerson, Board Certified Trichologist, 817 265 8854 and her award-winning products may be purchased at Hairandscalpessentials.com #ScalpDoctor #39yrVeteran

Make-up artist Crystal Scott credit: CScott

Fit for the prom from head to toe credit: facebook

BY DOROTHY J. GENTRY

Like so many, Shanda Spears has struggled since the pandemic hit. So much so that her own personal self care has gone out the window.

“I think I have focused more on making the pandemic easier on other people and not taken care of myself during the pandemic,” said the married mom of a 22-year old son, Noah and 12-year-old daughter, Olivia.

“I have not practiced self-care and I think the stress has taken a real toll on me. I am having physical pain that I think is attributed to stress and I am having more stress headaches and muscle pain. I am not able to balance the need to make sure others are okay and still take care of myself.”

What makes Spears' case so special is she is an educator balancing teaching students both in person AND on Zoom daily, motherhood, a husband with health challenges and elderly parents.

And she’s not alone.

When the global COVID-19 pandemic hit the education system was profoundly disrupted across the country and world. The pandemic changed what classrooms and learning looked like.

Students - if they were allowed back - wore masks all day, had to bring their own water bottles to school and in most cases, sat behind plastic and glass partitions to prevent the spread of the virus.

Ask any teacher; the last two-plus years have taken an emotional toll.

According to a report from Fidelity Investments and The Chronicle of Higher Education, after nearly a full year of either putting themselves at risk in a classroom or struggling to reach students remotely, many now say they may change careers or simply quit.

“Teachers have been feeling the brunt of how drastically this pandemic has changed our world,” said Colin Sharkey, executive director of the Association of American Educators, a national professional association. “The demands that are put on them are off the charts.”

THEY WERE ALL HER CHILDREN!

And Spears knows this firsthand. The 14-year English/Language Arts/Reading teacher at Lady Bird Johnson Middle School in Irving, felt torn between meeting the needs of her students and of her youngest child.

“As a teacher, I felt like my students needed me at school. I teach 6th graders and I feel like they have missed out on

some milestones in education and growing up,” she said. “I am experiencing this as a mother as well. My daughter is a 6th grader just like my students. They missed the end of their 5th grade year, their 5th grade graduation from elementary to middle school. I think there are grades/ages that the school side of the pandemic has been harder on.”

Spears also watched her son, Noah, miss out on his college senior activities

to stay home and protect my family until it was too late.”

So she returned to school and has been teaching all year. Yet she remains cautious and concerned about states easing up on or entirely lifting precautions.

“I am still afraid of a family member or close friend being exposed to COVID. I think people are prematurely easing up from CDC guidelines for health and safety and the result is added stress that I internalize,” she admitted. “As a Christian, I have spent many hours praying for the safety of my family and friends. I do think that God has protected my family and I think I am able to keep a good attitude at school because of the strength God gives me.

environment while we are at work.”

Davis said she handles the pressures of being an educator, wife and mom during a still-ongoing pandemic by prayer, focusing her time and attention on her family, and “being as present as I can in my career and various relationships. I am focusing the most on what I can control so that I do not feel so helpless as when the pandemic first began.

“I am leaning on my faith and being grateful for what is actually happening in my life.”

Both Spears and Davis said they have learned a lot about themselves as mothers and educators throughout this pandemic; knowledge that will serve them the rest of their lives.

at SMU where he played football on an athletic scholarship. He missed his final season on the field, senior game and May graduation, although they did have a ceremony in late August.

“I think these things had a big mental impact on students. As a mom, it was especially hard to watch both of my kids miss out on these activities,” Spears said. “As a teacher, I felt even more empathy for my incoming students. This was one reason I felt like I needed to be at school for my students.”

COVID brought about a number of worries for Spears: her daughter being in a classroom with students that might get COVID or be a carrier of COVID; her health or her getting sick; her elderly parents being exposed and getting sick and her husband, Will, who is in the end stages of renal failure.

“I have been constantly worried about myself or my daughter bringing home COVID from school.”

Adding insult to injury, Spear applied to work from home and was approvedbut not notified until it was too late to accept the approval.

“I was not contacted by HR or admin at my school to let me know I was approved to work from home until the day before my students returned to the classroom. At that time, I felt it was too late for me to make preparations in my classroom so I made the decision to stay in the classroom in-person,” she said. “It was very disheartening that not one person in admin let me know that I had the option

“I haven’t really turned to anyone for help. I talk to my husband about my concerns and I pray constantly.”

I WAS ALREADY ON MATERNITY LEAVE!

Karonda Davis, an educator for eight years, experienced COVID-19 from an even more challenging perspective. The math teacher and Spears’ colleague at Lady Bird Johnson, was on maternity leave when the pandemic hit.

“I felt helpless; I was stuck in my home for a long time because I was already on maternity leave and then everything shut down right as I was about to return back to work,” she recalled. “I felt scared for my new baby and my family, and I missed my students. I was unable to say goodbye to my students that were heading to high school and it made me feel cut off from my job as an educator.”

Davis received help from those closest to her; like her husband who is also in education, and her mother.

““I am so grateful for my husband because he has really been so supportive and an amazing leader in our household during the pandemic; being the voice of reason, being the brave soul that made sure we had groceries and supplies, and he was the sense of calm during this pandemic.

Her mother has been “super helpful” David said, watching now two-year-old Brandon while his parents are at work. “We are blessed to have him in the safest

“I have learned to be a more patient and grateful mother and person throughout this pandemic. Things do not always happen as we want them to, but all things work out for the good,” Davis said. “I have learned to focus on what is most important and that is my relationship with God, my family, friends, and my colleagues with whom I work because it keeps me grounded.”

As she continues to juggle daily, Spears said she has learned her strength as a woman and has discovered her true passion for helping others.

“In my 14 years working in education, I have never had a better attendance record,” Spears said. “I think that my students need to know that I am available for them every single day and I think that passion created a big strength in me to show up every day and greet them with a smile and let them know they can truly count on me to love and care for them.

“I have learned that my own children see me as a strong woman who really cares about others.”

Both women offer advice for mothers who are also educators and are still struggling with the changes the pandemic brought to their lives.

Spears advises those educators still struggling to “lean on God for strength. You have to take time to take care of yourself. You have to let your students know that even in a time of confusion and stress, they can truly count on you.”

Davis agrees: “My advice is to pray or meditate in order to maintain a sense of peace within yourself, stay active and involved in your community or career, and to focus on what you can control; your attitude, your faith, and your relationships.

“We cannot change that we are in a pandemic but we can choose to love on each other and be appreciative for what we do have right now.”

What Teaching in a Pandemic Taught Me

BY DOROTHY J. GENTRY

We could see it looming on the horizon.

After weeks of anticipation and marking off days on the calendar; it was finally around the corner. The proverbial “light at the end of the tunnel.”

Spring Break!

Teachers at my school - Lady Bird Johnson Middle School in Irving ISD, where I taught 6th grade math – me included, were hurriedly finishing grading and front-loading lesson plans so we wouldn’t have to work over the break, and making plans to rest, relax and recharge.

Students were sharing their Spring Break plans excitedly in the halls – family trips, sleeping all day, playing video games and watching movies all night long and most of all – no school for a week.

Like every other district in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, staff, students and administrators left for Spring Break 2020.

And we never came back.

The COVID-19 Pandemic hit in full force while we were all on Spring Break – literally shutting down the world.

It was the last time we saw our students – and our colleagues – in person again for literally months. A world-wide health challenge had gripped the nation, and no one was immune.

Teachers who studied Math, English, Science, Social Studies and more in college, had to become technology, IT, computer experts overnight. We had to shift and shift quick – as we “returned” from Spring Break – feet away from our couches and televisions to a table with a computer. We had to set up engaging lesson plans online, hold classes on Zoom, hold staff meetings on Zoom, communicate with everyone and everything via technology.

It was our “new normal.” We still woke up at the same time, but our commute was seconds instead of minutes or hours.

It was challenging for sure. We couldn’t make the kids get on Zoom; sure, we took attendance, but who could fault kids for not getting on a Zoom session at 8 a.m. in the morning, during a world-wide pandemic while their parents were at work or worse, at

Gentry

home having lost their job due to the pandemic.

It was challenging and stretched me as an educator in ways I never imagined. I, too, was dealing with the effects of the pandemic, worried about family, friends, myself, and wondering what this COVID-19 was and where did it come from.

All the while learning to “teach” 70 kids in a day via an app. Some had Internet, some didn’t.

There were those who didn’t want their cameras on; some who did. There was all kind of background noise in various homes; some kids logged into the Zoom

still in pajamas and in the bed.

But I had to press on: “What are prime numbers? Give me examples of… Johnny please turn your camera on…what is the opposite of a prime nu…Maria please mute yourself, we can hear your television sweetie...”

At times there were just too many obstacles to overcome ranging from no Internet at home; spotty Internet at home; trauma from the pandemic and more. And grading -ha, that was near impossible.

But there were also some positive eye-openers for me while teaching in the midst of a pandemic.

The quiet student in the classroom suddenly found her voice at home on a Zoom camera. Students had to become instantly responsible for their own learning in a way – since there was no teacher to stand over them and demand they get the work done - and many thrived on the newfound freedom.

This experience stretched me as a teacher and a person. It taught me empathy and compassion for my students in a different way

than being in a classroom ever could because I could now effectively see what they were dealing with at home, away from school.

It taught me that I didn’t often give my students the freedom to own their learning; to try and make mistakes.

I was always quick to correct, did too much of the thinking for them and guided them way too much when, sometimes, they needed – and wanted - to learn to guide themselves.

Perhaps the longest lasting lesson I learned as a teacher is that we– students, principals, teachers, coaches, parents - we are all doing the very, very best we can on any day with the circumstances handed to each of us.

A little grace, patience, mercy, compassion, understanding, love and forgiveness goes a long way.

And for many, a world-wide pandemic was just what it took to learn those valuable lessons.

Dorothy J. Gentry is a 20-year educator and 30-year journalist. She teaches 7th Grade English/Language Arts/Reading in Irving ISD and is sports editor for IMessenger Media/Texas Metro News.

One Teacher is Counting Blessings

BY ANGELA KING-POPE

On March 29, 2020, I experienced mixed emotions of happiness and panic when my school district, Houston ISD, issued a stay-at-home order.

My job as a public-school special education speech therapist has become more stressful with paperwork and data demands, so sad to say I was a little bit happy about staying at home. I am a homebody. I felt like, “I can do this better from home” but had no idea what that would require or look like.

The concern was that the virus was not just a China issue now, it was spreading and becoming a global concern. People were getting sick and dying, and that was scary.

It didn’t help that I had zero faith in the White House administration and their decision making. Thank goodness for Dr. Anthony Fauci and folks who made it make sense as much as they could.

While at home, I found joy in reconnecting with family and friends through video calls, phone calls, and Facebook. I found comfort in taking care of myself, my home, and my family. Let’s just say a lot of purging of things and feelings took place.

One of my favorite things was looking through my photo streams, reading old letters, and cooking. I baked so much banana bread and made all my favorite dishes that I gained a few happy pounds.

It was fun posting about what I made and seeing what others posted about dishes and ways to cope with the stay at home order and the COVID scare. I think we all gained a little weight and insight from each other.

Once Houston ISD adjusted to not returning to school after spring break came the massive shift and rush to reach out to students’ families and to arm them with devices and hot spots to learn virtually. That was not an easy task and it was quite stressful.

It required many phone calls, emails, scanning and uploading documents to gain parental permission to provide services to students virtually. With that process came a new kind of stress of sitting for far too long.

A new learning curve was required when the new platform was introduced, and the training required to learn a whole new way of providing services. The learning curve for implementing the on-line program was sometimes annoying and defeating, due to

the WiFi instability (everyone was on the Internet) and the program’s glitches.

Eventually, parental permissions were obtained, and speech therapy schedules and services were underway again.

Once the dust settled, I was back to being preoccupied with thoughts about my family and my mom's health and safety. She was 84 at the time, a fragile age group. I was thanking God that my family was being shielded from the virus.

Then came the mask order, which provided a little relief and the feeling that we had a way to protect ourselves along with getting the vaccination.

Upon returning to school on October 12, 2020 I was a little reluctant, but I felt somewhat rested and ready to get back to in-person learning again. It helped that wearing masks was going to be mandatory. There was so much controversy surrounding whether to wear a mask or not to wear a mask in public. The school district provided PPE and did every-

thing to make us feel safe.

With all of the ups and downs, I found peace and solace in praying, counting my blessings of being healthy, and having the opportunity to help my students and their families through this difficult time.

And most of all, being lifted by the love of my friends, family, and super supportive sorority sisters who I communicated with via Zoom meetings which were highlights during a very dark and challenging time.

What I learned most from the stay-at-home COVID experience is that I have great faith, am blessed and resilient, have a lot to be grateful for, and am a lot stronger than I thought.

Angela King-Pope has been employed by the Houston Independent School District as a Speech Therapist for 27 years. She is a 44- year member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. As an educator, she believes that faith, resiliency and the ability to improvise is imperative. Those were skills tapped into during the stay-at-home order and navigating through the process of providing services on-line.

Dorothy

Angela King-Pope

TIME FOR A CHANGE Tough Decision Made

BY EVA D. COLEMAN

Coveringupcreativityfeltunrealtome.

As I’d previously enjoyed watching my students’ fingers massage their keyboards as they edited videos, wrote scripts, etc., something appeared off.  Wayoff.

One student wore her mask like everyone else, however, the blue, sterile gloves she wore as she typed bothered me in a classroom where I felt tactile response was electrifying in the creative process.

I had taught audio/video production for well over a decade.

Starting the 2020 school year with COVID-19 restrictions, precautions and educational options was where the rubber, like that of my student’s gloves, met the road for me to consider switching gears in my journey as an educator.

The school district in which I had spent my entire educator career was dubbed one of the fastest growing in the nation.

Known for its premiere educational opportunities and small school philosophy, I was proud to have contributed to the success of countless numbers of individuals who had experienced my classroom excitement and professional culture.

Over the years, I had started three different award-winning television programs on three different campuses throughout this school district. My latest venture was an attempt to revitalize an existing audio/video production program on one campus, in addition to teaching social media marketing classes.

This school year, students and their families were granted options. Students could come to our socially-distanced classrooms wearing required masks, or they could remain at home and take classes virtually. Myself and several other teachers had the honor (insert sarcasm here) of also teaching hybrid classes. This involved having students both virtually and in-person at the same time.

Hybrid classes were a daunting task, however I was up for it to ensure students had an opportunity to succeed. The stark advantages and disadvantages of one group over the other had me constantly contemplating the definition of “success.”

I had the privilege (insert sarcasm again) of teaching all three models: in-person, virtual only and hybrid classes.

Virtual and hybrid classes were riddled with technical difficulties. As a longtime educator in this property rich district, I was keenly aware of economic disadvantages that existed among families.

It was debilitating to watch several students, mainly minorities, struggle due to internet capabilities and speed. Some students would send messages, via their phone, to another classmate to share their connection difficulty stories with me.  But if they could communicate via phone… I digress.

Not having connectivity via a computer or school district-issued Chromebook became a crutch for not participating in class at all.

I decided to focus energy on those who were present, physically or virtually, however I still wor-

ried about the repeat offenders who did not engage.  One student logged on pretty regularly from India! She and her family moved back there at some point in the school year. The time difference did not deter her opportunity to learn.

I wondered how school districts were handling those scenarios because clearly, students were not residing in areas zoned to attend certain schools. Random thoughts such as these creeped into my mind, however, I had to redirect my focus on the young minds that showed up to learn.

While I would not hesitate in doing whatever it took to keep my in-person students safe, I despised the requirement to wipe down desks with the cleaning solution and towels provided by my campus.

It became a vital part of my end-of-class routine. I recall being extremely upset about a teacher whom I shared a classroom with throwing his dirty towels on the teacher’s desk upon which I’d teach afterwards.

I’d also watch his dirty towels pile up, instead of being placed in the teacher workroom in the dirty towels bin as instructed. I reported this behavior, and was informed that a conversation would be had, however little changed afterwards.

Mental taxation and fear of the unknown forced me to take a hard look at what was important for my health. The health of my own children and all students I served was top of mind. The extremely heavy load and satisfaction in the number of lives I’d already touched made me decide it was okay to walk away from classroom instruction.

A few of my COVID-era students have reached out to tell me “Thank you” and request letters of recommendations for college or other programs. This brought me great joy, because as I tried to hold them up and keep things together, no matter how rough it may have seemed, they truly saved me

Eva D. Coleman is a national award-winning multimedia producer and two-time recognized national media educator. For nearly two decades she imparted her professional experiences into high school media students, helping them grow in a field she loves and garner national awards as well. Coleman specializes in assisting individuals and entities in effective maximization of content in the digital space, keeping a focus on community impact.

MCI provides safe testing

Colleen Payne-Nabors is focused on helping test and provide vaccines for citizens during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

She had a vision for MCI Diagnostic Center, but she had no idea that in her lifetime the world would be facing a pandemic that would kill millions worldwide.

When the nuclear medicine technologist opened MCI, she wanted citizens to be able to come to a “sterile, inviting, efficient and secure” facility that services clients of all ages.

In addition to training church parishioners so that they could begin testing the millions in the D/ FW metroplex who needed to be tested, the center has performed numerous tests and vaccines since moving from Oklahoma.

Payne-Nabors said many of those tests and vaccines have been on school-age children.

According to staff, experienced an increase in youth who came to MCI, which is one of the few Black-owned testing centers of its magnitude in the Country.

Part of the increase could be attributed to the community outreach of Payne-Nabors and team; participating with area churches, schools and programs, to educate citizens about their services, as well as the importance of taking precautions to avoid infections.

Located at 1155 Kas Drive, Suite 180 in Richardson TX 75081, MCI has the capacity to process thousands of tests per day which Payne-Nabors says helped to save lives.

To register to secure a test, log on to www.mcicovid.com. Walkups are also welcomed.

Eva D. Coleman

Colleen Payne-Nabors

School Nursing During Covid - What an Experience

We were overwhelmed and quickly burning out. We were responsible for things such as: contact tracing, pool testing, identifying positive cases, alerting families, assisting outside COVID testing agencies with weekly COVID testing in the schools, and many other COVID related duties.

By Hafizah Ahmad-Bennett, RN, CSN

I am a recently retired school nurse who worked for the Newark Board of Education in Newark, New Jersey for 28 years. Most of my career was spent in Secondary Education (High School).

The last couple of years in my career were very challenging because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Having worked in Health Care for over 30 years, I never experienced the level of pressure and stress caused by the global pandemic.

We, as school nurses were overworked and overwhelmed.

Until my last year, I loved being a School Nurse. In fact, I honestly believe I would not have retired had it not been for the duties and responsibilities that were required because of COVID-19.

The school nurse shortage has always existed, but presently it is at an all-time high.

My school district protocols were guided by the local Health Department which closely followed the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As a result of the uncertainty, district policies and guidelines were constantly changing and we were not able to put some of the protocols in writing.

This made it difficult to communicate the length of quarantine times, which were determined by the date of exposure or the date of positive result and whether a person was vaccinated or not.

We were handling situations on a case-by-case basis and at times we were unable to give concrete information to the staff or our parents.

Our teachers felt unsafe and we were unable to allow the transparency our families were accustomed to. At one point it became almost impossible to keep up with the dai-

ly COVID cases and the lengths of times for quarantining.

As the School Nurse, it was my responsibility to keep abreast of all positive COVID cases in our school and to communicate with parents as well as coordinate with teachers and guidance counselors for students to get their class assignments while they were home quarantining because of exposure to someone with COVID or students that were themselves positive.

There were some students home experiencing symptoms while some were just home with no symptoms.

Therefore, teachers were expected to provide classroom work via Google classroom.

Sports and athletics created more problems for the school nurse. In a couple of instances because of positive cases the entire Girls’ volleyball team and the entire Boys’ basketball team had to be sent out for COVID tests and then quarantined.

As a result, the game schedules were impacted, and many students had to be absent from school, which caused more anxiety and uncertainty. These instances were followed by interactions with angry parents and upset coaches.

The school nurse received the backlash as a result because she was the one designated to communicate the situation to the families and the Office of Health Services.

We, as school nurses are responsible for keeping students safe. In addition to per-

forming our regular duties, we had to take on an enormous amount of COVID-related responsibilities. We were overwhelmed and quickly burning out. We were responsible for things such as: contact tracing, pool testing, identifying positive cases, alerting families, assisting outside COVID testing agencies with weekly COVID testing in the schools, and many other COVID related duties.

All these extra COVID-related responsibilities left little time to get our regular work done. This left many of us very frustrated and dissatisfied with our roles.

My school district implemented Ingress/Egress Protocols upon entering any school, consisting of 4-Step Ingress Procedures:

Step 1: Symptoms Screening (questionnaire given upon entering the building), for staff an app could be downloaded on your cellular phone, or the paper form could be used); Step 2: Temperature Check; Step 3: Footwear Sanitizing; and,

Step 4: Hand Washing/Sanitizing. We followed the CDC guidelines for protection against COVID 19:

1) Wear a mask

2) Practice social distancing. Remain 3 feet away or more from other people

3) Frequently wash hands for at least one minute

4) Stay home if you have a fever of 100.4 or higher

5) If you take a COVID 19 test, you must stay home until you have negative results in hand. Report positive results to the Office of Health Services. COVID-19 created many challenges for everyone. Overall, we all did our best, as a result of having to quickly put together COVID-19 policies on quarantines, masks, and other safety practices. It impacted all our daily lives, but we did it!

Hafizah Ahmad-Bennett, RN, CSN is enjoying life as a retiree after almost 30 years as a school nurse in Newark, NJ. A wife, mother and grandmother, she graduated from East Orange High School and North Carolina Central University.

Hafizah Ahmad-Bennett, RN, CSN

Growing up Pandemic: How to live in a post-COVID-19 world and take education seriously

By La Lonnie Denice Moore

Think of kids in congregate care like petals on a flower. Once the flower ceases to bloom, you run the risk of losing a bright young mind forever.

Mix in the complications of contracting and transmitting the Coronavirus to children in group homes, foster care placements, residential treatment facilities, and psychiatric hospitals, and you have a recipe for disaster.

COVID-19 hit hard and fast. The country was not ready, especially urban cities.

COVID made it that much easier for inner city youth to simply ignore their education: their petals shivered, withered away, and died.

Populations from the foster care and group home settings already experience issues with truancy and a lack of desire to attend school regularly.

delphia Tribune, “A little over $7 million came from donations from local companies and organizations: $5 million from the Aileen and Brian Roberts Foundation, $2 million from Philadelphia Sixers owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer, $100,000 from Bank of America and $25,000 from Crown Castle.” Chanel Hill, 2020.

Parents who dropped out or barely passed and graduated are now full-time instructors.

Even parents from the affluent neighborhoods struggled quite a bit to be teachers in their homes simply because learning structures have changed over the years. The use of third-party tutoring has become much more popular because now children are playing catch up.

The one absolute is that this is the new norm.

If the children did not want to participate in school in person, they had even less motivation to participate on-

Parents who dropped out or barely passed and graduated are now full-time instructors. Even parents from the affluent neighborhoods struggled quite a bit to be teachers in their homes simply because learning structures have changed over the years.

Couple that with hopping around from place-to-place, school stability is not the number one priority.

When COVID-19 hit, the School District of Philadelphia scrambled to ensure that all children in the district had computers, Chromebooks, tablets, or whatever electronics they needed to be successful during the school year.

It took private companies such as Comcast to step in and donate devices so that the children in the city wouldn’t suffer because of their circumstance. They donated $5 Million in devices to lend a helping hand.

According to the Phila-

line.

Children these days and in this generation have no problem with navigating a cell phone, downloading an app, or even breaking into their parents’ various accounts; but put a computer in front of them and ask ed them to use technologies such as Microsoft office or the Google Drive, sheets, documents, slides etc. and the children are even at a greater disadvantage.

We noticed in my area that after the first full year of children going to school on-line during the height of the pandemic, many districts, depending on whether they were in the green or

the yellow zone, went back to school in person even if it was for half a day. The further the district from an urban city such as Philadelphia, the quicker they were back in the building.

Others stayed home by their parents’ choice. Now these same children, in a post-pandemic era are going back to school to try and re-acclimate to in-person learning.

Even my daughter said while she spent an entire year in the virtual classroom, “I’m not learning anything, I am just being pushed through.”

Talk about a second-rate solution to a catastrophic problem! Institutionalized children exemplified the phrase “you can only do what you know.”

They followed all foes and detractors, “COVID is a hoax, it’s not real.”

It was much easier for them to accept a peer dying from a gunshot wound.

Now all these kids are playing catch up because education to them was just a means to an end. They didn’t care about it before the pandemic, why should they care about it now?

Now, let's talk about colleges and universities. When COVID was prominently on the scene, colleges and universities were evacuating dorms very quickly. Populations such as teens with no

home to return to and international students were even told that they had to leave campus.

There were other extenuating circumstances where certain accommodations were being made for individuals who could not leave but they made things very difficult, and some schools even required students to have the COVID vaccinations before they could reside on campus.

In some scenarios once college students were moving back between breaks or in between school semesters, they were told that they had to test prior to moving on campus. Should they have an inconclusive test or a test that is positive, there were entire dormitories that were reserved for quarantining.

These young adults could not leave their dorm rooms. Meals were brought to them, and they were segregated.

How’s that for your first college experience?

Adult Learners deciding to go back to school to earn their undergraduate or even graduate

degrees found that the models had changed as well.

Many states have instituted colleges that are on-line only. Once again this is not necessarily a new model because there were places such as University of Phoenix who paved the way for other schools to institute 100% virtual learning for their degree programs.

For example, Claremont Lincoln University in Claremont, CA has a master's degree program. Those individuals never have to come to California to complete their coursework and attending graduation in person is optional.

Private institutions have discovered ways to profit because they have an absolute need.

During the time of COVID, private institutions lost money, so much that when they did allow students to come back, their admission processes changed quite a bit.

The SAT and ACT were no longer the standard and requirement to go to school.

The GMAT examination

for individuals getting their master’s degree, seems like a distant memory for many. Nothing is the same since COVID-19, but those who are committed, intentional and want to see the flowers in their garden flourish, will rise above if they continue to water passion, inspiration, spirituality, and personal development.

These children and young adults are our future. In the richest country in the world, we must stop taking life and education for granted.

Stop using things like a pandemic as an excuse or a crutch.

So what things are different, differences are a part of life.

If you didn’t finish school, go back. If your child is truant, sit next to them in each and every class. Push success because failure does not exist, it is not an option.

La Lonnie Denice Moore is the Engagement and Opportunités Assistant Education Liaison for Child First Services. La Lonnie’s contact info: La_ Lonnie@childfirstservices.org phone: 484-744-0676.

La Lonnie Denice Moore

EDUCATING TWEENS AND TEENS IN ERA OF COVID-19

Shutdown reveals key factors in quality K-12 education

BY MYIA GRIFFITH

Spring semester 2020 started like any other - except for the feverish push to continue to raise funds for a grand road trip to Nashville for the National High School Journalism Convention and our preliminary plans for the end-of-year Journalism Gala; not to mention Student Council service projects and celebrations.

The point is, we had grand plans. The mention of yet another infectious disease caught our attention and we should have taken greater notice when it surpassed the 24- or even 72-hour news cycle.

My students and I went about our days, taking time for our restorative circles, or “togetherness time,” the face-to-face engagement that did more than break up the usual learning cycle. Those games of Trash, Speed, Uno™ and Just Dance helped my students build relationships and develop greater camaraderie, strengthening our program overall.

We hosted a “Valentine’s Jam,” complete with a VIP section and amazing parent volunteers and co-workers working behind the scenes. Truly a team effort.

The evening ended with most of us in a crowded gymnasium with arms locked shoulder to shoulder in a swaying huddle as the DJ blasted Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.”

That was February 13.

A month later, we would be one week into the world’s longest Spring Break.

A CHANGE IN PLANS

This piece is supposed to be about my experience teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some might question why I spent the first 200 words NOT discussing STAAR testing, learning objectives, benchmark testing or homework.

As I prepared to capture with words the experience of educating students during a time when the world turned upside down, what I remembered first was most important - the one thing that was missing most during the height of the pandemic: authentic human interaction.

When we didn’t return to school the third week of March, then the fourth, I remember students rejoicing at what they thought was the ultimate vacation opportunity. I reflected on the editorial cartoon that one of my students created entitled “COVID-19 World Tour” long before a high volume of cases was reported in the U.S.

THE DIGITAL DESERT

For the month of April, still no in-person learning - but “asynchronous” lessons were mandated. Internet-ready devices were distributed to families as needed,

one per household. The disparity between tech-savvy and those lacking WiFi access at home gave this generation of students a fresh look at the “haves and have nots.”

Some parents opted for paper-based assignments, forcing teachers to create online assignments and additional activities that could be completed on paper in hopes that students would put in the effort to do the work.

A nice gesture, but not a game changer for families who had 2, 3, 4 or more children across various grade bands. For example, the elementary and middle school students were asynchronous because the high school students had to be in class according to their scheduled time in order to meet requirements for coursework.

So if Mike is a high-school junior, his younger siblings had to wait for him to finish with his classes before they could take turns to log in and do their asynchronous assignments for their six different clsses.

The school community was a virtual ghost town (no pun intended). We were allowed to come to the campus only a few staffers at a time on certain days of the week - based on last name and department, to ensure social distancing.

We retrieved our most essential items and made copies of the glorious packets for students as needed, then we retreated to the safety of our homes where we could resume asynchronous lessons for our on-line students - the ones who chose to show up and learn despite the circumstances.

THE GAP

I have heard claims of a learning “gap;” that students just didn’t (or couldn’t) learn during the forced virtual landscape.

That’s not 100% across the board. I have proof.

However, I do know that some students were left to tend to themselves and did not have structured guidance to ensure follow through on academic responsibilities.

We’re all paying for that now with students whose social-emotional and academic growth has been stunted. Learning deficiencies seem to be most prevalent among students who did not fare well during the pandemic.

The switch to virtual learning platforms wasn’t a hardship for those of us who had already used on-line learning management systems like Google Classroom, Canvas and Nearpod.

It was quite interesting when students reached out, not for help with assignments, but to request a special weekly Zoom meet-

ing just to check-in – have our “togetherness time.”

Students who would have squealed with delight at the prospect of school being closed were now wishing for time with their classmates - and their teachers!

When May rolled around and the campuses were empty, I had a special task to consider: What is the best way to distribute all of these yearbooks?

Yes, we actually completed our yearbook, and our publisher worked miracles with a skeleton crew at their plant to get thousands of yearbooks printed, packed and shipped on time. A precious co-worker and friend volunteered her time to assist with drive-thru yearbook distribution.

A BREAK IN TRADITION

Typically, students would enjoy this tradition - but no students were allowed on campus this time around. Since we still had to deal with our social distancing rotation, I made sure I had my principal’s permission to be on campus for several consecutive days.

We had a “drop box” for parents to place their payments (no-contact service) and all of the yearbooks were packaged in a protective plastic sleeve that we delivered with gloved hands.

As parents filed through the line, several of my journalism students stopped by (rolled by) to say their good-byes. One student brought her mom, and they drove through with huge smiles. My student asked if she could jump out of the truck to give me a hug, and I reluctantly told her that I couldn’t do it - because of the “rules.”

We didn’t know at the time how easily COVID-19 could be spread, or who was carrying the virus and was unaware. So, I got as close as I could to the truck and we performed air hugs and blew kisses while we waved goodbye to each other.

She was part of the group that continued to meet for weekly virtual check-ins which eventually fizzled out as those students prepared for the start of their high school career.

TEARS, AND MORE TEARS

In November, this young lady’s mother, whose smile I can still remember vividly, died in a tragic accident at home. We were back on campus for classes and when the counselor came to my classroom to tell me the news, she ended up covering my class. I walked out, devastated, trying desperately to hide my tears from my students.

The Friday before Thanksgiving, I visited the young lady (she’s an only child) and her

family who had gathered to celebrate the mother’s life. I fought tears again as I stood at the door, reluctant to cross the threshold.

Despite how badly I wanted to just hold my student and grieve with her - or laugh - whatever would comfort her, I kept my distance.

Earlier that week, I found out that I had been exposed (“close contact”) to students in class who had tested positive for COVID-19. With even the remote possibility that I may be carrying the dreadful virus, I dared not bring more tragedy to that family. The interaction was awkward.

After the Thanksgiving break, some were still gathering for large family meals and the positive cases began to spike.

More students were missing from classthat was a blessing to some kids who enjoyed the quiet, the opportunity for more smallgroup interaction with teachers, and the chance to roam the halls without the usual traffic jams that 1,500+ middle schoolers bring. Masks were mandated, but didn’t do much good when worn incorrectly.

I split my time between my in-person students and had to steal away to a quiet place - a conference room - to have my weekly meetings with all six of my classes, plus another student group I advised.

NEVER-ENDING SITUATION

We made it work. We had dauntless substitute teachers who stepped up, and when we still came up short, fellow teachers split classes to make sure students were properly supervised. We showed grace to our students who struggled, especially those whose immune systems were so compromised that the coronavirus put them in the hospital for weeks at a time.

We listened to our students, to each other, and tried to provide support while we each fought our own war against this virus that no one thought would still be a buzzword two years later.

Like the Bounty advertisement that shows the desperate attempt to stop the spilled liquid from damaging everything in its path, my family avoided COVID-19 at all costs. I even had a plastic shower curtain bunker built around my teacher’s desk - then I realized that I don’t usually teach from behind my desk.

I bought a voice amplifier so I could try to keep a safe distance from the students during the 2020-2021 school year. Teachers were cautioned to stay out of the teachers’ lounge, unless warming up food or retrieving items from the copier, to help stop the transmission of the virus.

The 2021-2022 school year brought all students back to campus, and with a school board vote, the controversial mask mandate was replaced by a strong recommendation to wear face coverings. We still kept our distance, using disinfecting wipes and blowing through bottles of hand sanitizer (70% isopropyl alcohol).

Myia Griffith

Hugs, handshakes, and high fives began to emerge as students and staff seemed to think the worst was behind us. I admit, I relaxed my boundaries somewhat, but with family members who have compromised immune systems, I never let my guard down completely.

To no avail.

CLOSER TO HOME

January 2022 showed me that I should have had a bigger roll of Bounty. I should have known something was terribly wrong when my husband, recently complaining of “allergies,” had a fever that spiked above 103.°

Due to a sharp increase of demand for COVID tests, his most recent test result took weeks - not days - to arrive. My symptoms mirrored bronchitis or a sinus infection, so I was tested at a local urgent care center.

When my husband’s results finally arrived, I had to report them to my school district. The benefits department asked me to come in for an official test with their COVID (command center) while I was still waiting for my other results. By the time I left the Walmart down the street picking up cold remedies and supplies for my husband and me, I had received an email from HR. The first thing I saw was a huge red “POSITIVE.” And just like that, I became a statistic.

In 20 years of teaching, I had never missed the start of a semester with my students. I was devastated.

More than being concerned about the effects of the virus, I believe it was a blow to my overinflated ego. I did what I thought I could to avoid this virus, and it snuck up on me anyway.

I had to meet my new students for the semester via email and a ZOOM meeting. Horrible. But, because we had the opportunity to start to build community again with our “togetherness time,” I had students I could trust to take care of business whether I was in the classroom physically or not.

MORE CHANGES

Now that I have embarked on a new adventure with a different school district, I have carried with me the lessons learned from educating teens and tweens during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Education is so much more than assessments, data analysis and rote learning. While they are

absolutely essential, what is more vital to our students’ long-term success is resilience and empathy - the human factor.

If nothing else, COVID-19 has been a stark reminder to take nothing for granted, value people over profits (including test scores), and if someone reaches out for an embrace, do all you can to receive it.

I wish I had.

One of many ZOOM calls during the school year.

photo: M. Griffith