How Covid-19 Has Changed the Way Different Cultural Groups Celebrate Community
When the coronavirus emerged in the United States in March 2020, the world was thrown into a pandemic, and quickly found itself going into lockdown.
In a New York Times article titled, ‘How Coronavirus Is Affecting Our Lives,’ Nina Westervelt expresses the severity of the situation: “The coronavirus has resulted in countless changes to daily life, with schools being closed, travel being upended, and sporting events being canceled or postponed. Taking a look at how the global pandemic has affected various aspects of life in the United States reveals the unique nature of this crisis.”
At the beginning of the year due to the coronavirus, many countries issued lockdown orders to ensure the safety of their citizens; these orders extended well into the summer.
As schools across the country were let out early and moved online, and as businesses of all sizes were shuttered, and as many individuals lost their jobs, the world was hit with an alarming wakeup call. Individuals were forced to separate from friends, family, neighbors, and other community members so that America might heal from COVID.
As the world dealt with a disease never conquered before the messages of #stayhome and #wearamask were dominating all conversations and were trending on all social media platforms.
With the world focused on individual health and safety, concerns of cultural practices and traditions were quickly swept to the background. This in turn left many minority groups to deal with the effects of the cultural adjustment all by themselves.
Now as the world enters a “new normal” and as the effects of social distance regulations and restrictions are being examined, it is clear that minorities are being disproportionately affected by Covid-19.
An article by USA Today says: “The coronavirus pandemic has had devastating economic and health consequences in the United States. Due to persistent racial differences in wealth, poverty, employment, housing, health status, access to health care, and other factors, Black and other non-white communities have faced significantly worse economic and health effects related to the coronavirus than white communities.”
“Due to the social determinants of health, minority populations are likely to experience a greater disruption to their lives during the COVID-19 crisis. While social distancing is a critical tactic to stop the spread of the virus, the practice of social distancing can increase mental and emotional health challenges,” says Maryland’s Department of Health.
Even though social distancing is keeping individuals safe, it is simultaneously straining minority cultural practices and traditions. When discussing the limitations that Covid-19 puts on certain cultural opportunities, faculty members of Gordon College, Yicaury Melo Jimenez (Director of Multicultural Initiatives and the Clarendon Scholars Program), and Dr. Nicholas Rowe (Dean of Student Engagement Lecturer) had a lot to say.
In an interview, Yicaury said: “every year, …we put a big dance party in the middle of campus somewhere, and we invited as many people as possible. But it’s just hard to have a party with only twenty-five people. And so, I think that the communal atmosphere has become more of a challenge, that’s because we really can’t do it.”
Similarly, Dr. Rowe expressed his thoughts on the matter:
“for whom the relational connection is a really really high value, and these are not to say that these are not important in other communities, but the sort of rational engagement, physical engagement, and physical community on a regular basis, I would think makes the Latinx community rather vulnerable because of this. Because it is a cultural practice, its cultural priority.”
As Dr. Rowe constitutes his thoughts on this “cultural crisis” he explains:
“You’re asking people for whom engagement on a regular basis is just something that is very important and now they can’t do it. Or they are restricted in how they do it.”
However, even in the midst of such dramatic change and adversity, students of color are not giving up on creating community. A more positive outlook was shared by Orlane Destin (Afro Hamwe’s President 20–21 and class of 2021):
“I think there has to be a lot more intentionality, which I would say is positive. going beyond yourself to get to know somebody and go beyond yourself to make time for people, which I think with our events in the past, it’s easier. Because everyone is going to come to that so I’ll see so and so and we’ll get to hang out, and that can sometimes be enough but with this, it has to be like they want to grab dinner let’s plan this and really follow through with certain things and it has to be more of an effort to get with the community.”
As the world adjusts to new opportunities for approaching daily life and cultural practices, Gordon College has found many safe ways to connect and celebrate culture in new and exciting ways.
Just this past weekend for Hispanic Heritage Month, Gordon College’s Campus Events Council, Multicultural Initiative Office, and La Raza (a student club to support Latinx campus members) hosted “Hangueando en San Juan,” on the quad.
This Puerto Rican inspired picnic offered Gordon’s students a space to enjoy different types of empanadas, provided by a local Puerto Rican restaurant. Piraguas, a traditional frozen treat best had on a nice sunny day and socially distant kite flying topped off the fun. It was all accompanied by lively Puerto Rican music in the background in an effort to truly immerse the campus in the celebration of Hispanic Heritage.
