Liz, Dan, and Amelia With Jaja

Elections matter. With the outbreak of COVID-19 we see just how important it is to elect good leaders. Dr. Liz Sheehan is running to represent the 5th District on the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council. She is actively campaigning in these uncertain times to bring together and uplift all of the voices in our community. She and her family are practicing social distancing and staying safe at home while working. Like many educators, Liz and Dan are remotely teaching their UK courses online; Amelia is completing her NTI. As a family, they’re supporting local businesses and nonprofits, sewing face masks for essential workers, and enjoying time with their new family member, Jaja.

Liz believes the current crisis made the gaps in our systems very apparent. Low wage jobs that don’t provide health insurance were a threat to identifying and treating underlying health risks before mass layoffs due to this outbreak. Our black and brown neighbors are seeing disproportionate rates of deaths related to COVID-19 across the nation due to systemic discrimination and barriers to health insurance, the healthcare system broadly, and environmental injustice that existed before this outbreak. Looking towards the future, we need forward-thinking leaders who invite everyone to the table when decisions are being made that impact all of us. To learn more about Dr. Sheehan, visit www.lizforex.com.

PS – see that TeamKY Yard sign? As a board member of Compassionate Lexington, Liz has also been heavily involved in the organizing and delivery of #TeamKY #TogetherKY yard signs that are popping up across the region. You can get one at www.lexgiveback.org.

Lexington in the Time of COVID-19 is an artwork about people practicing social distancing at a time of a deadly virus. And also offering kindness.

Kurt Gohde and Kremena Todorova capture photographs at the periphery of American culture, where drag queens, discarded couches, and abandoned motel signs exist.