Photo credit: Virginia Small
Some say the COVID-19 pandemic is a “democratizing” crisis. Literally, no one is immune until a vaccine is developed for this deadly coronavirus. Nonetheless, some people are being affected more severely than others—whether medically, economically, or from ramifications of mandated shutdowns and quarantines. Survival, resilience and recovery will require extraordinary efforts, individually and collectively.
Even as physical distancing and staying at home as much as possible are the only ways to curb this pandemic, our “social infrastructure” became drastically impacted overnight with this shutdown. Places that provide safe havens and opportunities to gather, learn and socialize—including schools, libraries, churches, senior and community centers and coffeehouses—are mostly shuttered, at least physically.
Leading sociologist and author Eric Klinenberg recently told Ezra Klein of Vox that he’s frustrated with the “language of ‘social distancing’ because it seems to imply that we’re only going to get through this if we turn our backs on one another—and especially turn our backs on the people who are most vulnerable. The only way we’re going to be able to take care of and protect the people who are truly in need is if we build, or draw upon, whatever stock of social solidarity we still have…We still need to think about how we lend a helping hand.”
Social solidarity, said Klinenberg, is the idea of “recognizing, honoring, and sustaining the bonds of interconnection and ties of interdependence that allow us to flourish. “Rugged individualism” so essential to American self-identity, stands in stark contrast to social solidarity, which is about all of us being in this together.” A goal of inclusiveness is to create communities in which everyone belongs, where no one is invisible. However, now we all have become less visible, shielded by masks and the doors of our homes.
Photo credit: Virginia Small
Photo credit: Virginia Small
And while families sharing households face new pressures from being thrust together 24/7, those living alone are suddenly more socially isolated, which can lead to loneliness and other health risks. Klinenberg said that an unprecedented one-third of Americans now live alone, including at least 12 million seniors.
The principle “Think globally, act locally,” resonates more than ever. As essential workers serve nobly on this pandemic’s front lines, the rest of us can work bit by bit to mend our tattered social infrastructure. Making our community whole will require all hands on deck. Here are some ways to restore social infrastructure and help sustain our community.
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Check in on people. With mandated physical distancing, connecting in other ways is even more essential. We can all reach out to family, friends, neighbors, colleagues—whether by phone, email, or a care package on a doorstep. Saying “Hello in there,” as John Prine’s classic song describes, can lift someone’s spirits or even throw a lifeline. In this vein, Serving Older Adults has recently called all 5,100 people enrolled in Milwaukee County’s five senior centers, which the nonprofit SOA manages. Staff and volunteers are re-contacting everyone who requested ongoing check-backs. Morgan Morgan, director of senior centers for SOA, said “calls now often last longer, since people want to chat.” The centers also continue serving 330 lunches daily, either delivered or picked up. Any Milwaukee County resident age 60 or older may enroll in the dining program by calling their local senior center. Another nonprofit agency, VolunteerMatch, is working to link “the entire impact ecosystem—volunteers, nonprofits, corporate responsibility, government, and the public at large—in response to the unprecedented health emergency.” Also, the Dominican Center’s website lists wide-ranging COVID-19 resources.
Support local food vendors. Nourishing food is essential to sustaining our community. Jennifer Casey, Fondy Food Center executive director, wrote in a recent newsletter: “We are all interdependent. We depend upon our farmers, food producers, chefs, and food industry workers for our very survival…While you still may have other ways to get your food, many vendors do not have other sources of income.” Although the Fondy-sponsored Milwaukee Winter Farmers Market held at Mitchell Park’s Domes Annex was forced to close three weeks early, FFC rapidly regrouped to help people connect directly with vendors and restaurant partners. For example, Olden Organics initiated weekly delivery of their produce as well as products from fellow vendors. Many restaurants have restructured to offer takeout and delivered food. Local coffee roasters are delivering their wares. The Fondy Market, serving Milwaukee for more than 100 years, plans to reopen May 9th.
Pay it forward. In 1916 Lily Hardy Hammond wrote In the Garden of Delight, “I never repaid Great-aunt Letitia’s love to her, any more than she repaid her mother’s. You don’t pay love back; you pay it forward.” There are endless ways to pay it forward these days. For those who can afford it, continuing to pay service providers (hair stylists, barbers, nail technicians, cleaners, massage therapists and others) will help them weather this economic shutdown. Likewise, sidelined musicians and other performers face financial burdens. It’s a good time to stock up on performers’ merchandise and gift cards from quieted venues and arts organizations, and otherwise lend support to any struggling business or person.
Donate. Cash donations are ever-more crucial to nonprofit organizations so they can continue to respond to ever-growing community challenges. And with most people to soon receive relief checks from the federal government, those not dependent on that money could turn around and donate it. For example, Hunger Task Force is “working to create a network of compatible, easily-accessible locations to host ‘drive-thru’ distributions for emergency food.” That’s in addition to distributing “Stockbox”—a free box of USDA commodity foods—to more than 10,000 seniors each month. HTF also plans to resume its Mobile Market soon. This “grocery store on wheels” brings food access to those living in food-desert neighborhoods.
Share talents, time and creative energy. Many people have resources and abilities that could address needs arising in the COVID era. Donica Lintner created The Masked Sewists for SE Wisconsin as a Facebook group to coordinate sewing of thousands of face masks for medical professionals. Other unaffiliated “craftivists” are stitching masks and sharing them widely. Intrepid volunteers can research other needs and ways to address them.
Do random acts of kindness. Opportunities abound to lighten another’s load or brighten their day. Residents at Harbor Chase, an assisted-living facility on East Capitol Drive in Milwaukee, were greeted recently by sidewalk-chalk messages visible from their windows: “You are loved!” and “Spread Joy.” Hand-lettered lawn signs along Humboldt Boulevard in Riverwest thank bus drivers, doctors and nurses, paramedics and EMTs and “Mailman Mike.” Homemade expressions of gratitude adorn many residential and commercial windows in the area. Numerous groups are planning “do-it-yourself” spring clean-ups instead of annual big gatherings. Some people don gloves and collect litter on their daily walks, perhaps aided by a trash grabber.
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Photo credit: Virginia Small
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Photo credit: Virginia Small
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Photo credit: Virginia Small
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Photo credit: Virginia Small
Collaborate. Our collective experience of “radical uncertainty” calls for thinking outside every box. Even before the statewide stay-at-home order, the all-volunteer steering committee of Jane’s Walk MKE https://www.janeswalkmke.org/ (on which I serve) began revamping its roster of resident-led urban explorations, originally scheduled throughout May. Chaired by Dominic Inouye and using only email threads, the group brainstormed within about a week to create “20 Ways to Still See Your City with New Eyes,” while keeping physically distant. Museums and nature centers quickly invited visitors to enjoy virtual experiences. Urban Ecology Center executive director Ken Leinbach said, “We’ve been able to offer our buses to others who need help distributing food and supplies. We’ve helped connect people to possible jobs and resources during a time of furlough.”
Keep meeting from a distance. People are creatively managing to stay connected. Video apps enable people to continue “gathering” virtually as classes, families and various formal or informal groups. The teacher of a long-running free community-focused dance class “holds that space” by sending an email to participants each time the class would normally meet. She shares inspiring quotes, links and suggestions for maintaining community. Many people are coordinating “drive-in gatherings,” whether for worship or to congregate safely within a social circle. Others meet in park spaces to chat from six feet apart or connect from sidewalk to porch.
Rewrite the script. Bethamie Wyatt, a trauma-informed dance therapist and holistic healer, focused a recent “Holistic Healing Dance” class, conducted via Zoom, on “generating an alternative message for our bodies. Rather than succumbing to a body state of contraction as a result of naming that we are on ‘lockdown,’ in ‘isolation’ and ‘confinement,’ Wyatt stressed “embodying the language of openness, freedom, wholeness and empowerment through movement. This can effectively raise our vibration and positively impact our health.” Wyatt usually teaches in physical spaces, including Center Street Wellness (2701 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive) in Milwaukee. In her recent class, Wyatt virtually linked far-flung participants: 17 people “beamed in” from Milwaukee, New York, Ohio, Virginia, Panama and South Africa. For more information on Bethamie’s current Zoom classes, contact her at beth.ama@gmail.com or find her on Instagram @bmoved.
Spread laughter, which is infectious, too. Whether you favor late-night yakkers broadcasting from their bunkers, New Yorker cartoons and satires, Randy Rainbow parodies, gallows humor, stand-up-comic specials, or classic comedy reruns, laughter indeed is potent medicine. It actually releases health-promoting endorphins. Forward funny stuff to others. Or try to retell a favorite joke by phone or video-chat. If you goof up, that will inspire even more laughs.
Participate in “mutual aid” initiatives. The concept of mutual aid emerged as an egalitarian approach to disaster response. Mutual Aid Disaster Relief is a grassroots disaster relief network based on the principles of solidarity, mutual aid, and autonomous direct action. Participants share “resources, skills, experience, knowledge and ideas without perpetuating relationships based on hierarchical power.” Angela Harris, a Milwaukee first-grade teacher, started Milwaukee Community Care and Mutual Aid to help connect residents needing support during the pandemic with those able to help. According to an article in Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, “Nearly 500 people responded to Harris’s initial survey that was shared on Facebook and open for less than a week…” Volunteers are reviewing responses to determine how to help fill gaps and provide neighbors with what they need.
Picture a post-COVID future. We will eventually emerge from this era, inevitably deeply altered. We can begin to consider now how we want things to be later. We can read and reflect about the roles of government, healthcare policy, climate resilience, public spaces and the common good. During this cultural watershed, what some call The Great Pause, we can reimagine how to care for each other, to collectively heal and grieve (especially for so many who are dying alone), to cultivate truly resilient communities. We can picture ways to rebuild a stronger-than-ever social infrastructure—the intricate ties and supports that weave the fabric of society.
