COMMUNITY IN THE TIME OF A PANDEMIC Karrington Simmons 5th Grade • Amelia Earhart Elementary
Not long ago, I questioned the value of community. Before recently, I just saw communities as groups of people that lived in the same neighborhood or town that did not have close connections with each other. At least that is how I saw my community. But, in the time of the pandemic, I have begun to see the true value of community, and I also understand what communities I am a member of and how I can contribute to their impacts. I am a member of my school, basketball team, church, neighborhood, the city of Chicago, the Black community, and most importantly, the community of the United States of America. Before the pandemic, I often overlooked the fact that I could be an essential part of communities because I did not see things always working together. During the quarantine, I have been able to see how neighborhoods have come together to brighten people’s days. In Chicago alone, I have seen multiple drive by’s for graduates, food pantries and churches provide food to those in need and the donations of masks to different hospitals. I’m amazed by what I’ve seen and I hope that it will continue when the quarantine is over. In March, the Governor of Illinois entered a shelter-in-place order, which was right before many luncheons, proms and graduations were scheduled to take place. Instead of having
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