Each August, students from across the country and world descend into Carbondale, and other college towns like it, to start the new school year. This month marked the same rite of passage for many first-time college students who left their homes for the first time in their lives. This fall semester looks a bit different due to the global pandemic – including increased cleaning, social distancing, mask-wearing, and the cancellation of all fall sports. Yet, students seem eager and excited to get back into the swing of things and start a new chapter in their lives. Like at SIU, this month has heavily revolved on COVID-19 reporting including caseloads and how the university is handling the pandemic with a couple odds and ends sprinkled in.

The social justice movement continues to blaze on in Southern Illinois and I was able to document a local march commemorating the 1963 March on Washington. I've put a curated collection of images from demonstrations across the region in my project "Rural Justice." In a change of pace, I was also able to round out the month doing some visuals for Nellie Baril's inspirational story on how a local family is using the healing power of art to bring people closer together during unstable times.

Stories written for The Southern Illinoisan
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