WASHINGTON — A new digital exhibit at the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum wants to show how local communities persevered through the coronavirus pandemic. The new exhibit is called Moments of Resilience and they are looking for more local stories.
For a little over two months, we have all had to adjust to a new normal and the community-based museum wants to document it.
"When we look back on this 3-5 years from now, we want to share some positive stories about how people are coming together," said Melanie Adams, the museum's director. "We really want to show some of the ways people came together during this pandemic."
Since the museum launched Moments of Resilience, stories from all over the country have come in, but they want collect more from locals. Some of the stories include firsthand accounts of volunteering on the front lines. Another story describes what it has been like teaching remotely.
"We've been getting a great collection of stories from around the country and here in the D.C. area," Adams said. "People who are volunteering with local organizations, whether it's food kitchens or things like that. It's also people just working together."
The stories can be uploaded on the museum's website. Once submitted, the team will review then post the stories in the digital collection. Twitter users can also follow the stories using the hashtag #MomentsofResilience.
"We don't want to be lost among the data. We want to make sure we have the personal stories of people in SE, NW, and all the parts of D.C. (on how people) really came together to persevere at the time," Adams said. "The nice thing is that because it's digital, it will be able to live beyond this experience."
A hotline will be available in a couple of weeks, where you can call in and record your story. Share your story here.