Anniversaries are logical if sobering moments to reflect on the short-term impact of monumental events. But the anniversary of March 13, 2020—the day the pandemic forced most of us to lock down—has come and gone, while the impact of Covid-19 continues in daily life. And that impact will be felt long after all are vaccinated and herd immunity is reached.
The year 2020 also brought major social unrest and street actions, as well as a response to the change of federal administration unlike any other experienced in American history. It’s not a surprise, then, that In Real Time, our initiative to document Covid-19’s impact on everyday Washingtonians, has evolved into a destination for reflections on the local Black Lives Matter social movement and the Capitol insurrection.
Since we launched In Real Time in April 2020, hundreds of Washingtonians have participated. They’ve scanned and sent in sketches and diaries. We’ve received photographs, from street scenes to in-home looks at how COVID-19 required reimagining major life events such as military promotion ceremonies, weddings, and birthdays. And area residents have reflected in writing on life with masks and coping with loss.
Whether you have participated thus far, or have yet to do so, please consider sharing your story with us, at the year mark and beyond. You can do this by contributing to the In Real Time Story Bank (we’ve provided some prompts to get you started). Send your photographs that capture life today, or digital images of diaries you’ve kept, to collections@history.org. You can also identify small objects emblematic of this moment that you will keep safe at home until we can receive them at the DC History Center.
We’ve been collecting local history for more than a hundred years. We’d be honored for you to consider us the custodian of your story so that one hundred years from now, researchers may have a more nuanced perspective on how Washingtonians weathered the pandemic and the time of disruption.
—Anne McDonough is the Deputy Director of the DC History Center.