The Center for Sacramento History is asking the public to submit personal stories and coronavirus artifacts to help future generations understand what it was like to live through the COVID-19 crisis in the Sacramento region.
The project aims to collect Sacramentans unique experiences during the coronavirus pandemic, especially from teachers, students, City and County workers, health care workers, small business owners and historically underserved communities, the organizers said.
The Center is accepting digital photos, videos and audio recordings. Select submissions may be posted on the Center’s social media sites and some may be preserved in their onsite permanent collection. The Center will also be accepting physical objects, printed photographs and documents for donation at a later date when physical distancing requirements are lifted.
“We have so much information and avenues to collect coronavirus stories, but we want to make sure this program focuses on Sacramento’s point of view,” said Marcia Eymann the Center’s manager. “It is the community’s reactions and thoughts that makes it personalized. We want people to share a day in the life so that future generations are able to look back in detail on this time in history.”
Examples of digital materials include photographs of signs from local grocery stores or videos of kids making chalk art. The Center is also looking for recorded stories of how this has affected individuals, families and school children and what the community has done to cope, adapt and survive through these difficult times.
Anyone living in the City or County of Sacramento can participate. The program is expected to be online and collecting for at least a year. Submissions received by the Center may become a part of their permanent archival collection.
Those who wish to contribute can do so by completing the online form to submit files and stories at: https://forms.cityofsacramento.org/f/CSH_COVID19_Stories