Articles on PR for People

Rachel Baucom often toils in her garden under the hot sun of Albuquerque, New Mexico. A school teacher by trade and by calling, her summers are short and intensely hot. She’s back in the classroom early in August, where she teaches a first-grade class at a public school. Most of her children are from families who are Hispanic and among the working-poor. The parents of her children are service workers and during the pandemic are considered essential employees. Some parents work as teachers and health care workers. Others are housekeepers or are employed as fast food workers, custodians and construction workers. Rachel is very concerned about returning to the classroom and being able to ensure safety, for her kids, their families, and for herself and her family—the entire community.  

Rachel Baucom is woman of courage and an authentic voice of the pandemic. This month we also profiled an unusual library, the Ernie Pyle Library in  Albuquerque, New Mexico. Ernie Pyle was a Pulitzer Prize winning Journalist who covered stories about soldiers during World War II. Ernie Pyle is legendary for putting a human face on the grit and raw honesty of the young men who served our country. In the same manner that Rachel Baucom is a voice for teachers, Ernie Pyle was the voice of the American Soldier during World War II.

Kitchen ballet is live performance at its best. Dancers imagining a reality greater than the four corners of a small space becomes its own form of collaboration—as it should be. After all, we are all moving through time together, transforming space at a dizzying speed. Deckers says, “It’s such a gift to dance. The connection among body, mind and spirit is essential for dancers to thrive, and when you come right down to it, drawing forth that connection is important for any one of us to thrive.” In the age of the pandemic, no one knows for sure how much longer dancers will be stuck dancing in place, but we can be sure that dance will keep happening.

In this issue of the Connector, Barbara Mc Michael has written about how vote-by-mail can help to generate higher voter turnout. Her feature article explores what is going on with voting in Wisconsin, South Carolina and the state of Washington, as well as the current status and capabilities of the United States Post Office. Voting by mail has major ramifications for the outcome of the 2020 election.