Photo by Max Thomsen
Despite the promise of vaccination, we remain bruised and dazed by the pandemic, pandemic politics, the “contested” election and massive overexposure to TTL (Terrible Toxic Lies) emanating from high places and spreading like COVID throughout the land. In 2020, we cancelled most of our usual activities and travel plans, lost loved ones and jobs, and we spent a lot of time confined at home and on Zoom.
Total COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin number more than 542,000. The New York Times ranks Wisconsin 7th highest in the United States in COVID cases per capita with more than 10,000 cases per 100,000 people, ahead of states such as Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas.
All this while Wisconsin state legislators are proposing legislation that would repeal Gov. Evers's mask mandate set to stay in place until March 20. The legislators claim that mask mandates are unconstitutional, although 36 other states have mask mandates in place. The proposed mask mandate repeal would also put in jeopardy nearly $50 million in badly needed federal aid for food assistance.
Though cases have declined from November and post-holiday spikes, the CDC projects that the highly transmissible UK variant will predominate in the US by March. With vaccination not expected to provide herd immunity until late summer and with Wisconsin lagging other states in vaccination, science and common sense would dictate that now is not the time to throw our masks to the wind. Many of our elected state and national officials were (and some still are) TTL propagators, failing to support science-based public health measures that likely would have saved us from so much sickness and loss. Had better preventative measures been kept in place, many fewer than half a million would have been sickened and 5800 would have died in Wisconsin.
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Yet as we are in the middle of what might be a long winter of even more disease, death and discontent, which demands continued vigilance, we still dream our private dreams of what we would most like to do when the pandemic is finally over and give thanks for whatever good that has emerged from the pandemic.
Off the Cuff talked to a few Milwaukeeans about what they would like to do when the pandemic is over and asked if the pandemic had a silver lining.
Angela Lang
Courtesy of Angela Lang
Angela Lang
Executive Director of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC)
What do you most want to do when the pandemic is over?
I can't wait until I can hug people and hang out with friends and family in person. 2020 has been tough, and we aren't able to grieve and heal in person the way we conventionally would.
Were there any good things that came out of the pandemic?
I learned to create boundaries for myself and extend myself grace. This year was a challenge and I had to be intentional to be kind to myself with so much happening around me.
John Gurda
Milwaukee writer and historian
What do you most want to do when the pandemic is over?
Go into any Milwaukee bar or restaurant I want without worrying that it will kill me.
I've been a freelance writer for almost 50 years, working from home and setting my own schedule, so my life hasn't changed all that much. It feels like the world has slowed down to catch up with me.
Were there any good things that came out of the pandemic?
More time with family, more time in nature, more time to think about what to do next.
Gretchen Schuldt
What do you most want to do when the pandemic is over?
1. Stop looking at and thinking about prison COVID case numbers. 2. Have a beer in a bar with friends.
Were there any good things that came out of the pandemic?
The decline in vehicle traffic. Serious effort to reduce jail and House of Correction populations.
I don't want to wish time away, but I won't miss 2020.
Photo by Tyler Nelson
Caitlin Cullen
Caitlin Cullen
Chef and owner, The Tandem restaurant
What do you most want to do when the pandemic is over?
I am going to go out to eat and buy lots of drinks and tip well and wait to go home until they turn the house lights off and kick me out.
Were there any good things that came out of the pandemic?
The pandemic exposed a broader audience to a lot of systemic mess that we knew was there, and if we all learn from this experience, it will be a “good thing.”
Kathleen Dunn
Courtesy of Kathleen Dunn
Kathleen Dunn
Retired Wisconsin Public Radio host
What do you most want to do when the pandemic is over?
I want to hop in my car and take a long road trip to Houston to visit my son. We haven’t been in the same dwelling for almost a year. Later, I’d hop in the car and day after day head to every swimming pool and lake in the area and enjoy long swims. When we can be face to face, maskless, may we relish the bonds we have with friends and family, and enjoy laughter and happiness.
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Were there any good things that came out of the pandemic?
It made me much more politically active. The pandemic didn’t need to be so tragic for so many in this country. I worked hard to help achieve a change in national leadership. I also thought more deeply about my father, who spent four years away from home in WWII. I began a form of prayer each night, asking for guidance from my ancestors.
Tom Barrett
Courtesy of the City of Milwaukee
Mayor of the City of Milwaukee
What do you most want to do when the pandemic is over?
We are all craving human interaction. I am looking forward to people leaving their homes and coming together. Once the pandemic is over, I want to see lots of maskless gatherings, celebrations and rejoicing.
Were there any good things that came out of the pandemic?
Gratitude. I am thankful for simple pleasures like walks in nature, home cooked meals and quality time with family. The pandemic took away many things, but also reminded us to appreciate what we do have.
Marcelle Polednik
Courtesy of the Milwaukee Art Museum
Marcelle Polednik
Donna and Donald Baumgartner Director, Milwaukee Art Museum
What do you most want to do when the pandemic is over?
I want the museum to be standing at the end of this pandemic, and am looking forward to opening our doors again and welcoming our community inside. It is estimated that 30% of the art museums across this country will not reopen.
Were there any good things that came out of the pandemic?
This pause has allowed us to contemplate what is most important for the Milwaukee Art Museum, and we’ve learned as an institution to be nimble and adaptive in the face of frequent changes and obstacles.
We have tried as much as possible to give energy to small successes, or the silver linings of the pandemic. For example, within a week of the shutdown in March, we had transitioned many of our programs to online experiences, providing some continuity and a space for our visitors to connect and find inspiration online. These efforts, underway before COVID-19, were by necessity accelerated and will continue after we open things up again as we work toward further broadening accessibility to the Museum and the art. We’ve also been able to utilize this time to make strategic hires, such as Kantara Souffrant as curator of community dialogue. And thanks to support from grants, we’ve been able to focus on important behind-the-scenes initiatives that advance the objectives outlined in our Strategic Direction.
Bela Suresh Roongta
Courtesy of Bela Suresh Roongta
Bela Suresh Roongta
Artist, writer, former Pfister Hotel Narrator in Residence
What do you most want to do when the pandemic is over?
Hug my people. Give big huge hugs. And travel. Near and far. First, to see my sister. Then, anywhere and everywhere. To my favorite cities and unknown places. To see my friends and adventure alone.
Were there any good things that came out of the pandemic?
Rediscovered time, admiration and love for my kids, friends and community. And gratitude for my health, my art and Milwaukee's rivers and lakeshore, where I have spent a lot of time walking, running, biking and reflecting on the state of the world and my own personal fears, hopes and dreams.
Pardeep Singh Kaleka
What do you most want to do when the pandemic is over?
I want to connect, I want to embrace, I want to hug, to shake hands. I want to go to the restaurant or café and see people make eye contact and genuinely feel a sense of human kinship where the division of race, religion, ethnicity, language, gender, ability, sexual orientation, etc., no longer seem to matter as much as appreciative connection.
Were there any good things that came out of the pandemic?
There have been lots of great things to surface during this pandemic. Kindness, empathy, love, sacrifice and healing were on full display. Tragedy is such that there are always silver linings.
Another hope is that the lessons that were taught on how injustices and inequities continue to plague the world are not soon forgotten. I hope that the urgency to work towards a cure for COVID-19 is as urgent as a call for us to commit our lives to working for a cure to racism, oppression and dehumanization.
