June. What this month usually means for us here at the Gazette is covering many, many graduations, sometimes seven in one night. While May is for college graduations, June is all the high schools and sometimes even a couple of day cares. This year, the schools are trying hard to honor the Class of 2020, and as businesses and society slowly open up, administrators, parents and students are figuring out how to navigate all these different phases and stages.
Meanwhile, protests and the need for activism are effectively ending social distancing in many places around the country. Gov. Charle’s Baker’s next phase of his four-part plan is likely around the corner, and the question I am hearing from friends, colleagues, teachers, protesters and others I am photographing is: How do we do this? How close is too close? Will a mask really keep you safe? What are the risks, and what risks are worth taking? People are wondering if the responsible thing to do is to cancel vacations outright or just impose new rules about how to socialize when away from home.
One friend called to tell me that after spending the last two months being very vigilant about no contact, she finally broke and floated across the DAR State Park in inner tubes with another friend. She acknowledged the outing was as much for her mental well-being as for anything else, something I know I am taking into consideration as well.
I have watched protesters come together and come apart, graduating seniors saddened by what is lost and parents trying to create something special for those so special to them. I saw a line at Captain Jack’s in Easthampton as people gravitated to the comfort of food. And finally, I saw the simplest pleasure of all: the opening of Florence Soft Serve, signaling the start of summer and ice cream.
But this week, it’s the protests that stay with me most. They’re a reminder that while it’s so important to listen, it will take action from all of us to create real change.