Video summary
Nearly a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, life across Pennsylvania has undergone a dramatic transformation in how people work, socialize, and care for one another. While the state has endured a rollercoaster of emotions and faced significant challenges to keep loved ones safe, residents have largely persevered with remarkable tenacity. The First Lady reflects on this shared journey, noting how deeply compelled citizens have been to share their experiences, from maintaining safety protocols and social distancing to supporting neighbors and small businesses. These collective actions have defined the current moment, creating a unique historical context that demands recognition and honor for the efforts made by everyone involved.
To capture the essence of this extraordinary period, the initiative introduces a statewide digital exhibit titled "One Lens," which invites citizens to create a photographic portrait of Pennsylvania during the pandemic. This project seeks to document life as it is actually lived rather than waiting for outside observers to write history from a distance. The call to action encourages individuals to submit images that tell their personal stories, focusing on moments of admiration for others, quiet acts of gathering inner strength, and instances where communities united for a common cause. By sharing these visual narratives, the exhibit aims to preserve a fuller history that includes the diverse ways people have navigated fear, illness, and uncertainty.
The photographs are intended to highlight specific themes such as heroes and helpers, joy, compassion, kindness, and hope amidst overwhelming difficulties. These images will serve as a testament to the resilience and strength required for Pennsylvania to reach its current standing while fighting the virus. The project emphasizes the importance of using this opportunity to tell our own history in our own way, ensuring that the many facets of the pandemic are acknowledged and respected. Ultimately, "One Lens" stands as a tribute to the commonwealth's ability to endure and adapt, allowing all citizens to describe their lives during this pivotal time through the power of shared imagery.
Read the full video transcript
hello it's been nearly a year since we
entered the covet 19 pandemic
and life looks so different for all of
us
how we work how we play go to school
shop
and how we socialize has changed
dramatically for several months we've
gone through a rollercoaster of emotions
and efforts
to keep ourselves and our loved ones
safe
and for the most part we've persevered
and we've prevailed
the question now is how do we honor our
efforts of this past year
how do we pay homage to what we've
endured and how do we recognize our
tenacity
something that i have noticed throughout
this time is how compelled we have been
to share our experiences
with one another how we are staying safe
and social distancing our outdoor
adventures
checking in on families and neighbors
and supporting small businesses
all these things and more have defined
this moment for us
so i began thinking what do these
experiences
look like in pictures if we could
capture single moments what story would
they tell about pennsylvania in 2020
and that is why we are asking you to
help create a photographic portrait of
pennsylvania during the covet 19
pandemic
we're introducing a statewide digital
exhibit
one lens sharing our common views
so that all the citizens of the
commonwealth can describe their lives
during this time
the moments when you've admired the work
of others
those quiet moments where you gathered
your own strength
and the moments when your community came
together
for a common cause we want to share it
all
we encourage you to show us your heroes
the helpers in this time
show us where you saw joy and compassion
kindness
and hope show us how you were navigating
this year where fear and illness
overwhelm us still all of these aspects
carry their own significance but they
are also part of a fuller history
and these images will write that history
of the commonwealth
as it fights this virus these images
will document life as we see it in
pennsylvania
during this extraordinary moment rather
than waiting for observers who stand
apart
from our experiences to write our
history for us
it is important that we use this
opportunity to tell
our own history in our own way
and by recognizing the many facets of
the pandemic we are honoring the
strength and
resilience it took pennsylvania to get
here
thank you
you