Year 2020 ２０２０年

2020… it was a difficult year. Although vaccine developed, and the healing begins, the scars of this year will remain with us for a long time. I hope to keep learning, keeping my head up and marching to next year.

２０２０年に撮影した写真をまとめました。

２０２０年はコロナ新型肺炎により前代未聞の世界のロックダウン。さらに社会の格差がさらに広がり、多くの方が職、セーフティーネットを失いました。私のコロナ取材の多くはボストン近郊で頑張っている人々にスポットライトを当てました。

５月におこった警察官による過剰暴力逮捕中のジョージフロイド氏殺害事件で始まった２０２０年のブラックライブスマターの取材で出会った人々の涙を私は忘れません。

１１月には数日続いた米大統領選挙でバイデン元副大統領の１月就任が決定しました。世界各地でワクチン接種も始まりコロナウィルスもいつか終結します。でもコロナ禍が癒えるのは長い年月がかかると思います。

私にとっても様々な変化があった年でした。働き方、家族、仲間とは。。。とを見つめなおす１年。２０２１年も前向きに頑張っていきたいと思います。どうぞ今後とも変わりないお交わりをいただけますようよろしくお願いいたします。

３月２５日　コロナロックダウン中のハーバードヤード。

March 25, Harvard Yard in the afternoon of March 25, 2020 in Cambridge, MA. Harvard University President Lawrence S. Bacow announced that he and his wife have tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday on March 24. Harvard University closed its campus earlier in March.　　

４月６日　自宅で近所の有志グループの一員としてマスクを縫うマサチュセッツ工科大学宇宙航空研究開発機構所長レベッカマスターソン博士。マスターソン博士が参加していいる近所のマスク作り有志グループ人数は７０人を超え、作成したマスクは近所の病院に寄付をする。写真撮影時４月７日の時点で５６０枚以上のマスクが寄付された。

Apri 6, Rebecca Masterson, an aerospace engineer and principal research scientist in the Aeronautics and Astronautics department and director of Space Systems Laboratory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, cuts and threads the elastic for face masks at her kitchen table.

Maserson is one of over 70 volunteers in her neighborhood group, making face masks to donate to Cambridge Health Alliance which has 29 locations in greater Boston area, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The group has delivered 560 face masks and more in the production line.

４月２５日　コロナ禍のなかレストラン業界救済と医療従事者の負担を減らすことを目的として結成された Off Their Plate プログラム用に食事を用意するレストランスタッフ。Off Their Plateは基金を募り、病院勤務の医療従事者に栄養価のいい食事の宅配をコロナロックダウン中のレストランに委託する。レストランは予算の５０％以上をスタッフの人件費に充てる。

April 25 Kitchen staffs preparing meals for hospital workers at Pagu in Cambridge as a part of Off Their Plate (OTP) program. OTP is a non profit established during COVID pandemic to commission restaurants to deliver food to hospital COVID front line workers. On April 22, 2020, OTP, works with World Central Kitchen has expanded in 9 cities, working with more than 50 restaurants and 110 health care facilities.

４月２２日　ボストンホームレスヘルスケアセンターのコロナ簡易テントの外に立つタラプラサド歯科医。

April 22, Dentist Tara Prasad outside of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless in Boston.

５月１２日　妊娠後期にコロナ感染し、コロナ入院中に帝王切開でビクトリアちゃんを出産したイザベアゴンザレスさんの退院。ゴンザレスさんはこの時初めてビクトリアちゃんと対面した。

May 12, Isabel Gonzalez seeing her baby Victoria for the first time, when she is discharged from COVID-19 Recovery Unit Spaulding Hospital in Cambridge.

Gonzalez, 34-year old from Chelsea, MA who was pregnant when she contracted COVID-19, delivered her baby Victoria via emergency C-section at Massachustts General Hospital on March 30, when she was initially admitted. She was transferred to the ICU on April 2nd, incubated and was on a ventilator until April 26th. She was admitted to Spaulding Hospital Cambridge on May 4th and now has tested COVID negative and recovered.

５月３１日　過剰暴力逮捕によってなくなったジョージフロイド氏のプロテストラリー中の若きボストン黒人女性リーダーたち。

May 31, Black Boston activists at a rally against the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, in Boston.

５月２９日　過剰暴力逮捕によってなくなったジョージフロイド氏のプロテストラリー。

may 29 Black Boston activists at a rally against the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, in Boston.

５月２９日　過剰暴力逮捕によってなくなったジョージフロイド氏のプロテストラリー中に警官にペッパースプレイを吹き付けられた女性。ペッパースプレイの効果を緩和する牛乳で目を洗っている。

May 29 Black Lives Matter protesters pouring milk over another protester who were pepper sprayed outside of the Boston Police District 4 precinct in Boston.

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６月１３日　ブラックトランズライブスマターのマーチ。（黒人トランスジェンダー）

June 13, Protesters march for Black Trans Lives Matter rally in Boston.

６月２２日　過剰暴力逮捕によってなくなったジョージフロイド氏のプロテストラリー。

June 22, Black Boston activists at a rally against the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, in Boston.

５月３１日　過剰暴力逮捕によってなくなったジョージフロイド氏のプロテストラリー。

May 31 After a rally against the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, in Boston.

5月３１日　過剰暴力逮捕によってなくなったジョージフロイド氏のプロテストラリーのあと。長い間蓄積されていた怒りを破壊的行動で消化しようとしたプロテスターもいた。

May 31, Black Boston activists at a rally against the death of Geroge Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, in Boston.

６月２日　過剰暴力逮捕によってなくなったジョージフロイド氏のプロテストラリー。

June 2, Black Boston activists at a rally against the death of Geroge Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, in Boston.

8/28 マスク着用を拒否したトランプ大統領、選挙演説。

１１月３日アメリカ大統領選挙

November 3rd election in USA

１１月７日、バイデン勝利確定報道されたあとバイデン元副大統領勝利を喜ぶバイデン支持者（左）とトランプ勝利を主張するトランプ支持者。

Nov 7: Supporters of President-elect Joe Biden celebrate as a supporter of President Donald Trump protest the results of the election and leans onto Trump 2020 flag pole (R) in front of Massachusetts Statehouse in Boston. Biden defeated President Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States .

１１月７日、バイデン勝利確定報道されたあとバイデン元副大統領勝利を喜ぶバイデン支持者、とトランプ勝利を主張するトランプ支持者（中央）。

Nov 7: A supporter of President Donald Trump protest against the election result (center) as Biden supporters celebrate the result and counter protest Trump supporters in Boston. Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States.

１１月７日、バイデン勝利確定報道されたあとバイデン元副大統領勝利を喜ぶバイデン支持者. 　選挙の５日間をアメリカ現地ルポとしてダイアモンドオンラインに書かせていただきました。読んでいただければ幸いです。（クリック）

Nov 7: Biden supporters celebrate the result and counter protest Trump supporters in Boston. Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States.

１１月２５日　Project Restore Usボランティアによる、コロナ禍で失職した家族に対するサンクスギビング前日のターキーと食材の配布。 Project Restore Usはコロナ禍で結成されたレストランと地域団体とホランティアによる食のセイフティネット団体。

Nov 25, UFCW Local 1445 members deliver a grocery box and a turkey to a recipient in Everett during Thanksgiving grocery delivery as a part of Project Restore Us Thanksgiving food delivery. Project Restore Us is collaborative between restaurants and community to feed the families with with food insecurity.

レストランの厨房にいるレストランスタッフのポートレート　（６月６日撮影）

Restaurant staff in through kitchen window.

Spaceship 29

“We’re social distanced as if on a long spaceship journey.”

WHO declared Coronavirus outbreak a pandemic after it spread across six continents and more than 100 countries on March 11, 2020. Countries around the world have closed borders, declared state of emergency and placed strict measures in social distancing, in order to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus causing the COVID-19 disease.

Spaceship29 is a text thread during COVID-19 pandemic among current and former residents of 29 Monadnock Street, a house owned by Bob Haas, a long-time community activist in Dorchester, USA.  “We’re social distanced as if on a long spaceship journey.  Mars takes 2 years?  This is shorter” as Bob puts it imaginatively. “I hope each one of us is well and coping with new reality.  Please, let’s hear from each other about the ways we can be more supportive and caring”. 

Keiko Hiromi is a current resident of 29 Monadnock Street.

Genny Peterson during her morning walk in Dorchester.
On the text thread, Genny texted “I want pictures of flowers :) Or cats! It’s the little things. I’d be more depressed if Covid was hitting us in January and February”. Genny is a native of western New York who considers Boston her second home. She is currently working from home as a project coordinator with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston where she is also finishing her master's thesis about the anime "Gundam Wing" and Postwar Memory in Japan. On the thread she regularly shares pictures from her daily walk, calling them “A bit of Boston Beauty and Hope”.

Austin Pinilla at his dining room in Dorchester
“I move around the houses with my two computers” the Panamanian graphic designer and animator says. Working from home, Austin is actually busier than ever with his remote projects. Although, he misses his routine, such as saying a prayer before leaving for work and once more at night. Austin first forgot his prayer in the morning, when he stopped leaving the house for work. He now switched to quick thank you in the morning. “I keep you in my prayer” as he texted. Austin at times plays Nintendo to help clear his mind so that he could focus on his projects during work from home.

Rahema Mooltrey at her back yard in Dorchester
“I wish I were in Trinidad right now” if she had only known that she would be working remotely, Dorchester native says. As a Boston Public School teacher, she teaches on-line class twice a week with Google teaching. She has mastered the program but now has to learn to be more resourceful when teaching to her special-need class. She also heads the non-profit organization “Radical Joy, Kill Fear With Selfcare”. She is working on grants to help families with rent money during COVID-19 pandemic. She texted “Definitely a time of reflection to think about how we let ppl in our lives know that we love them”.

Andrew Harmon at his front yard in Dorchester
“I received a nice bread baking book for my birthday. Working from home lends itself to kneading and baking breaks well” Andrew texted. A Michigan native who works for St. John the Evangelist Monastery and Guest house at Harvard Square says “This is my first full time job”. Andrew feels grateful that he has economic stability during this trying time. Two months ago he moved in with his girlfriend to a house next to #29. He could not be happier. “We are finding out we are really good for each other. That’s just growing a lot of love.”

Ben Gadwah in front of his condo building in Somerville
The new Somerville resident adopted a cat from Feral colony on Saturday, April 4. “I’m started to feel isolate and trapped living alone here” He had texted to the thread. He named the cat Early Grey for its hazy and muted fur colored like the grey fog in the early morning. They are spending bonding time now. “We are listening to Jazz right now. I hope someday he’ll sing along.” he texted. He sometime shares updates on his 15 years old sister on the text thread, she is stuck due to lockdown in another state while visiting a family member. She is going through a difficult time. He struggles to find a way to comfort her. He texted to the thread to ask “What if I say: “You and the world matter and valuable. Thank you for being honest. I know you can get through this. If you need professional help, there is probably ways to get that in Kansas. Caleb and I have been video calling our therapy sessions. Do you want to meet my cat sometime soon? He’d love to see your face”.

Bob Haas stands inside the window of his front parlor in Dorchester on April 3, 2020.
Bob purchased his house, then a dilapidated Victorian mansion in 1971, and subsequently restored it with a group of friends. An Ivy-League educated man, he worked at first in electrical engineering jobs at several Boston-area defense contractors, but later found his calling in community activism. He has an underlying heart condition, which makes him high-risk for serious complications from a virus infection. He has not left his house since March 19. He texted, affectionately to his housemates: "I love you all -- you make this house be really home for me, and I hope also [home] for you."