It is almost one year on and things are finally starting to open up a little bit more, but please still be cautious as the virus hasn’t gone away. In fact now is the time to be more careful as so many other people will be letting their guard down. We are all suffering from covid fatigue.
The ever-changing restrictions and rules are exhausting, but we just have to crack on if we want to return to some kind of normality. It is only human for us to occasionally forget to wash our hands after shopping, or want to break the rules to see a friend or family member, but please bear in mind that if every one in LA County does the same that will amount to over 10 million ‘slip ups’.
It is extremely frustrating, I am sure I am not the only one who sometimes feels like throwing caution to the wind? But then I remind myself that could mean my efforts over the past 11 months were pointless. Just use your common sense, and try to consider those around you. If we all do the same we will get through it together and can be proud of ourselves for trying our best, even if most of the time the rules we’ve been asked to follow don’t quite make sense. If it turns out the scientists and experts have got it wrong at least we will be around to say I told you so. In recent weeks I have learned of more friends and acquaintances that have died from this horrible virus. They may well have had underlying health conditions but if covid had not come along they would more than likely still be around today.
I think at this stage I am probably preaching to the converted or the resolute deniers, but either way a gentle reminder can only be a good thing in my opinion….
All gatherings and celebrations are still virtual for the time being, which is far more appealing now that the temperatures have dropped. I was able to co-host our weekly Quiz night whilst wearing comfy ‘lounge pants’ aka jogging bottoms along with woolly socks and slippers – I did try to balance it out with a dab of lip gloss and a dash of mascara though!
We have been doing our best to honor Black History month throughout February too but we must give the credit to the many Brits in LA members who have contributed to this celebration. If you have missed the past few weeks you can find all the articles on www.Britsin.LA and also at www.British-Weekly.com
If any of our readers would like to contribute to this topic please drop us a line at BritsinLA@gmail.com . We are hoping that next year we can mark Black History Month with in-person events. In the meantime there are few engaging online events happening over the next few weeks, including a Virtual Exhibit of John Simmons photographs entitled ‘Capturing the Beauty’ which depicts the struggles of Black Americans. Details can be found here at tinyurl.com/CapturingThe-Beauty.
The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs have also joined the cyber events world and put together an entire program for the month of February. The first African American Heritage Month (AAHM) Celebration in LA began in 1949 when Mayor Fletcher Bowron issued the first proclamation calling for all citizens to celebrate the accomplishments of African Americans. In 1959, the opening ceremony was moved to City Hall. In 1976, the entire month of February was officially declared African American History Month in LA. Every Mayor since then has recognized the month, especially the late Mayor Tom Bradley.
Dr. Michael R. Davis (Chair, African American Heritage Month) reminds us of how fortunate we are to be part of a multicultural city where African families were among its earliest settlers. Apparently, slightly over half of the 44 families that founded Los Angeles were of African influence.
You can find the full guide at www.culturela.org. Make sure to check out the LA Black History Month Festival, which will be a livestream event on February 21st or visit lablackhistorymonthfestival.com for details.
If you have any questions, comments or an event you would like to share please do get in touch as we always love to hear from you.
Hope to see you soon!
Cheers, Eileen
