Author Description

Although teenage years are always filled with challenges, this was a time like none other and teens found themselves on the front lines. As the COVID-19 pandemic imposed illness and death across the globe, teens experienced extreme isolation as a result of quarantine, social distancing, masking, and virtual learning. When a brave teen used her cell phone to capture the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, the quiet of pandemic life was abruptly and urgently interrupted. A generation of teens born online experienced these events while they were physically separated from their communities and each other but more connected than ever by social media. In Reflections: Social Media, Social Justice, and Social Distance During a Global Pandemic, twenty teen authors pen essays which describe their thoughts, experiences and lessons learned as they navigate the cataclysmic collision of a global pandemic and a social justice crisis. In this insightful work, the authors discuss a range of topics such as loneliness, the realities of virtual learning, the pros and cons of social media, and social activism. Reflections: Social Media, Social Justice, and Social Distance During a Global Pandemic will encourage introspection and inspire readers to be resolute, creative and socially responsible when confronting life’s challenges. Reflections: Social Media, Social Justice, and Social Distance During a Global Pandemic was written by teen authors in the Alexandra-Mount Vernon Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated, including Alex Armour Jr., Madison Bell, Jurnie Brayboy, R. Alejandro Bynum, Daniel Franklin, Bryce Gaines, Heather Hawkins, Conrad Hutchins, Jaqueline Hutchins, Colin Jackson, Christopher Lewis, Andrew McCoy, Sophia Anne McCoy, Jarrett McKinney, Bailey Moore, James Moore IV, Elijah Powell, Scott Price II, William Price, and Christopher Shorter Jr. The authors wrote this book to give voice to their real-time historic experiences an