Boca Locals: Help Document The Pandemic For Posterity

It goes without saying that the current pandemic has had an indelible impact on our community, the country and the world.

Because it’s the mission of the Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum (BRHS&M) to collect, preserve and disseminate artifacts and information relating to the past and the evolving history of the community, the organization is inviting locals to participate in its Curating COVID-19 campaign.

“This benchmark in our nation’s history will long be remembered by all who lived through it and those yet to come,” says Susan Gillis, BRHS&M curator, according to a press release. “It is incumbent upon our organization to document this moment in time as seen through the eyes of Boca Raton residents.”

Adds Mary Csar, executive director: “There are few events in the history of our country that have impacted virtually every citizen on some level. World War II was one of the events, along with the tragedy of 9/11 and the current coronavirus pandemic. It is imperative that we accurately document the response so that future generations will understand this unprecedented time in history.”

The BRHS&M is requesting that residents of all ages – children and adults – contribute to the campaign’s Letters to the Future project by submitting written accounts, photographs, drawings or videos that reflect how the coronavirus has affected their lives. All submissions will be reviewed by the BRHS&M curators and then archived. Selected contributions will be shared on the website’s Spanish River Papers section, on the organization’s social media channels, in an online exhibit and in a future onsite exhibit.

Residents should send submissions to research@bocahistory.org with the subject line Letters to the Future or mail submissions to the BRHS&M at 71 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, FL 33432. 

(Note: Upon receipt, all contributors will receive an acknowledgement of their submission – via email or regular post – along with a written release.)