#MaskTogetherAmerica
A journey of a mother who is determined to rally America to mask up against COVID-19.
MaskTogetherAmerica is a grassroots, social media, mask awareness campaign. Created for mask advocates, artists and the mask fashion community to offer each other support as we rally America to mask up.
People in all parts of the country are stepping up with one goal in mind — uniting the whole of America in an effort to mask up. The campaign seeks to create community and to share and promote each other’s work on the ground.
No matter where you are in the U.S., we can and need to join forces. It takes courage to be a strong advocate and set an example. We have courage, here in America.
Masked portraits show Americans championing this effort in uplifting, positive ways. People who modeled for these masked portraits want to send a message together. Collective action is the only way to stop the spread.
Young people live and breathe social media, and no one can stop them. I started the campaign on Instagram because I am a mother. I cannot sit idly by watching as case numbers surge exponentially. Our children’s futures are being made precarious by the tanking economy, the interruption in their education, their halted social development, and still, possibilities of another lockdown.
Advocating mask-wearing, a critical preventive measure, seems too much of a challenge for our country’s public health capacity. No government can afford to keep streaming fresh ideas every day on social media to remind people to mask up. This is why I decided to do something bold, by photographing people everywhere I went. Starting #MaskTogetherAmerica created a way to share the masked portraits.
To build a mask advocacy community, I scoured social media for posts with masked portraits. I wrote to many people — online bloggers, photographers, fashion designers, mask advocates and mask-makers — and invited them to join the campaign. We need to work together in a global health crisis. This work helps me stay hopeful.
I am 50 years old — a tech dino, I called myself. Years ago, I was needed at home to take care of my son. Unable to keep up a demanding career working at a top advertising agency, I gave it all up. Never would I have imagined that I would be photographing people on the street, and every night, laboring on each picture to make the person in the picture look as good as I am capable of, and then, posting each picture with words coming from my heart. All to rally America to mask up!
Even though my interaction with the person could have been just minutes, each and every one of the mask wearers is a person behind the mask. They are role models. Treat others the way you would like to be treated. That’s the motto of my life. I can never work hard enough to pay for their trust in me.
People of my generation are foreign to the social media culture, therefore, most of us feel helpless, and some of us consider that technology hijacked the young minds. However, the urgency of Americans masking up has made me approach this as an opportunity to learn and embrace the new technological world we are living in today.
Having gone through much trial and error, I am starting to grasp the essence of Instagramming. As practice, when my husband and I dropped off our son in Chicago to start college, I shared our journey in 48 posts on Instagram and Facebook. I showed the shield, gloves and disposable raincoats I wore — extra precautions I must take because of my compromised kidneys. People (like me) who have pre-existing conditions need masks at the very minimum.
My posts helped people see how my husband and I safely delivered our son to Chicago and returned home. Chicagoans smiling through their masks comforted us. I showed people how emotional it was to watch my boy take one last look at the disappearing image of his birthplace, as the flight took off from half-empty, locked-down New York City. We got tested, and I shared the video of my nose swab. My husband and I quarantined for 14 days, and then I went directly to get a flu shot, and I posted that story too. An antivaxxer attacked me for the flu shot, calling me a dingbat. I didn’t care because I learned that you can block people on social media.
During my struggle to assimilate as a naturalized American, many people have offered compassion and kindness — this is why I will always put others first. That’s why I am willing to dive into the virtual world, which can be considered a hostile unknown. I put my privacy at risk, in order to set an example. Sharing vulnerable truths wins genuine likes and following on social media. You need community support in order to boost your posts.
I cherish camaraderie, genuine friendships, shared purpose, and I have no desire to game algorithms. Initially, as #MaskTogetherAmerica progressed sluggishly in the virtual space, former colleagues of mine who are more social media savvy critiqued the project. One friend said I should read up on search engine optimization, giving me a list of books for dummies. One friend in marketing found my masked portrait campaign pedestrian, suggested that I should photograph celebrities or tag politicians. As an artist, who I photograph is entirely a personal choice. Yes, posting about Hollywood stars and politicians will certainly get me fleeting attention, but that will not earn me people’s respect.
Through my lens, I show my audience a never-ending parade of people from all walks of life. We simply crossed paths. I asked to take their portraits to encourage others to mask up. I want to capture the beautiful diversity of America by visiting neighborhoods that have been hit hardest by the coronavirus. Many of my super models are members of communities in Jackson Heights, Harlem, South Bronx, Brooklyn, Lower East Side and Hell’s Kitchen. Not only did mask wearers proudly model for #MaskTogetherAmerica, some people continue to show support by following and liking the posts. Some followers, whom I’ve photographed, just write to check on me.
After photographing over a thousand people on the ground during this pandemic, I can attest to the fact that individual political stance has little to do with wearing a mask. People don’t like to be forced. If they see others masked up, with enough encouragement, they will come around. Lots of people who modeled for #MaskTogetherAmerica are voting red.
I consider myself a tiny speck of dust in the universe. This keeps me humble and working hard, expecting nothing, but really appreciating the power of togetherness. It still gives me goosebumps every time someone proudly stares into my camera with twinkling eyes, smiling through a mask.
#MaskTogetherAmerica is beginning to be recognized.
Maskbassador’s Instagram page has featured the #MaskTogetherAmerica hashtag, and the author is calling me her counterpart in New York.
Based in Victoria, Australia, Maskbassador’s Instagram page shares masked selfies and reposts from other mask advocates, to raise awareness. It’s an honor.
To support Make Good Together, a social group that advocates leadership in this dreary battle, I joined Michelle Lukezic and Eric Nixon in their coalition and proudly made a pledge to be a leader within my social circle to help annihilate COVID-19. I feel very fortunate that my alma mater, MassArt, hosted MASKART, a mask design contest that my husband Dr. Kapil Mathur and I initiated and sponsored. The award announcement was digitally featured by Boston 25 News on December 10, 2020.
From Wisconsin, Lori L. Stiefvater had styled up some of my posts by adding music. Traveling in Paris, Napua Davoy @puadavoy posted videos of herself singing, wearing her mask and nothing else. We collaborated when she returned to the U.S. Steve Sanchez, a photojournalist in New York, tagged me on some of his beautiful work that shows masks that project strong protest messages. From Las Vegas, lvelectrofied, specializing in black and white photography of city landscapes, has interspersed a stunning series of masked portraits. From Charlotte, NC, a mom makes chalk art. Some of CLT’s chalk art leaves lasting impressions for mask awareness. In New York, artist Andi Sustrin Filonow features her vibrant and whimsical illustration work on unique mask designs. Mary Conde, from New York, and Matt McCormack, from Wisconsin, are masters of masked selfies.
Also in New York, AJ Stetson’s Masked NYC -Witness to Our Time project features masked portraits of New Yorkers. To help address the pandemic’s disproportionate effect on communities of color, Stetson’s website indicates that profits realized from this project will be donated to the Know Your Rights Camp COVID-19 Relief Fund, founded by Colin Kaepernick.
MaskTogetherAmerica is on Instagram and Facebook. A private Facebook Group called Mask with Us was created for advocates to have a place to share knowledge and insights on mask awareness.
#MaskTogetherAmerica has exceeded 2,000 posts on Instagram today because of camaraderie. Supporters of the hashtag include mask ambassadors, artists and mask designers from all over the country. It’s a great feeling to be working alongside other talented Americans who are dedicated to the cause.
Every mask matters. Be a mask ambassador. Help build awareness of masks as a life-saving preventive measure. Demonstrate camaraderie by masking up and protecting the community. Our battle will not be over until the surge dies in every state.
In my life, I have run one, and only one, NYC marathon. This was two decades ago, but it was a long journey I will never forget. Climbing the hills was especially painful. But the joy was immeasurable when I crossed the finish line, when I reached the end. I know we will get to the end of this pandemic. America will cross this finish line. Even though we have hills to climb, we will get there together.
