(police sirens wailing) - So I'm on my way, on my day, and I just want to say this sh#*t, this some bullsh#*t. (solemn ambient music) It is like invasion of the body snatchers for real.

I mean people are dropping like this, (Rhonda snapping fingers) and I'm getting a little scared.

I mean, I'm in this because this is what God made for me to do.

I ain't never wanted to be nothing but a nurse.

I feel like God put me here for a reason Everybody has their army.

And I feel like this is the army that God put me in.

It's getting serious out here.

So show this video to whoever you can and say, "Listen, there's a nurse who work at the U of M, she is telling you that this stuff is serious.

People are dying."

Life of a home care nurse.

My job is 50% driving, 50% saving lives and stomping out diseases.

So welcome to my office.

I would like to introduce you to my coworker, Silver Pearl.

We've done a lot together.

Being at home care, you're not just the nurse, you're a social worker, you know, you're a friend, you're a cousin, an auntie, sometimes for the younger patients you're a mother figure.

We're in a pandemic.

I can go home and unknowingly give corona to my wife, and then she can unknowingly give corona to her 87 year old mother, who probably will not make it.

And I mean, I take every precaution that I can.

I mean, drastic measures for a drastic time.

(rhythmic music) So I have decided, this is my bedroom.

I've made the harsh decision to move into our dance room where we do dancing.

- The dancing is a bit part of our lives.

The way it came about was that I would always, you know, you know when you go to wedding events, or parties, and you see these couples dancing with one another, and it just looks so elegant, and they know each other's movement.

I was really struck by that.

The way we started teaching dance, I actually started at my job.

We had like yoga classes, you know, swimming, things like that.

So I was doing a line dance hustle just on my own.

So I was like, "Oh, I can teach a couple hustles".

Five, six, seven, eight.

Basic.

We both love music, and you know how if you just listen to music, if you like it, it usually affects you.

And in addition to the dance itself, we get to meet so many awesome people.

It's like a little family.

Just the love that we've gotten from people, I think that aspect of the dance is just as important as dancing itself.

(crowd cheering and applauding) (solemn music) - That's me and the Mrs. we got on our Sunday finest clothes, looking sharp there.

- My evening wear, some of it is in here.

Let's see what we can find here.

Some stuff that I was wearing, because of course we haven't done anything in a while.

This is one of the things I wear because I like the shimmies.

So when I turn, it's very, it spins.

So we had a write-up in a paper here.

So it's Go Dance Detroit.

It's a magazine.

They just spotlighted us, and like when we started, and why we started dancing, and how we taught ourselves at home, because of our sexual preference, we weren't comfortable going to a studio.

(upbeat music) - By us being a female couple, you know, if you go to some of these dance classes you know, some people are homophobic.

So didn't really feel it was safe to go and learn it in public.

So we found a guy in Detroit, he is known as Mr.

Smooth, he did these DVDs.

So I bought his DVDs and we kind of taught ourselves.

(alarm beeping) (solemn ambient music) (toothbrush whirring) Everyday I, you know just kind of say a little prayer, like Lord, you know, keep her safe.

And I think to myself, you know, what is she going to see today?

What is she going to be exposed to today?

I'm afraid for her every day.

It's scary because just for her doing healthcare on a daily basis, she's going into someone's home, where she doesn't know what goes on in that household.

So for her to just do that, that's just a part of her day, is pretty extraordinary.

And then if you add the pandemic to the situation, I fear because, oh, well what if she touches something by mistake?

Or what if her patient has some kind of episode?

Like what if she had to do some kind of, you know, mouth to mouth resuscitation, or just some kind of life-saving maneuver where she has to put her own health at risk?

- Did you taste that pineapple?

- Yeah.

Yeah, I ate a slice.

- You've got to eat another one.

- Rhonda's is my person, like she's my best friend.

I've never loved anybody love her before, and I've never had anybody love me like she does, so I just, I could not imagine life without her in it.

She makes my life better.

She makes me a better person.

I do things that I probably never would do because of her.

You know, she's just so outgoing, so fun, so gregarious.

I don't know, I always tell her she's the coolest chick on the planet.

And I honestly believe that.

I really got lucky.

I'm pretty blessed and fortunate.

(solemn music) We just have to take it one day at a time.

Like literally, I think that's the best thing to do.

I know that this is her passion.

So because of that, I'm 130% supportive.

Like if this is what you do, hey, this is what I'm down for too.

It's unfortunate that we've had to make some tough decisions.

Like most of the time she wears her mask, and I'm like, "we're home".

She's like, "I'm not taking any chances".

We no longer sleep in the same room.

It sucks, but in order for us both to be safe, and for our families to be safe, this is kind of our life right now.

This ain't no knock knock joke, and it seems like people are not going to take it for real until it affects their life.

Believe me, you don't want it to affect your life.

My aunt just died, what, a couple of days ago.

Went to see her in a nursing home, she was coughing, had a fever, she got it.

Went to hospital, passed away.

This is some serious stuff, and people need to take it serious.

(solemn music) - It's a difficult thing.

You know, it just, it just kind of made me think about how bad things are right now.

And there are people going to the Capitol in Lansing saying, "Hey, we don't want to wear a mask.

You know, you're infringing on our rights."

(crowd chattering) (tense fast paced music) - [Protestor On Megaphone] I believe we're now up to seven citations, so if you haven't donated to help these people out, we'd really appreciate it.

Thank you so much.

- Why is it that things related to African Americans always have to be treated differently?

If you look at rallies, the people that was arguing about, "You're infringing on my rights because I can't go get a haircut", there was police presence.

Did they have on riot gear?

No.

No they did not.

Every Black Lives Matter rally, the police were out there with riot gear on.

Why?

Cause you expecting a problem.

(police sirens wailing) (tense solemn music) The killing of African American men, and the treatment of African American men, it's almost like a disease, and it's almost like a pandemic.

You know, it's at the hands of someone else, but it's kind of the same.

They're dying.

You know, we're dying.

- Say his name.

- George Floyd.

- Say his name.

- George Floyd.

- Say his name.

- George Floyd.

- Being in a pandemic is one thing.

The murder of George Floyd is another.

But adding the racial tension that that has caused has really thrown things over the edge.

(tense solemn music) I was just watching the George Floyd funeral, or I guess it was more like a memorial.

I am not an African American male, but I am a gay African American educated female.

I feel like I'm a threat to America.

If you see, I have a sign on my car here, and it has an M, and and it just kind of says, you know, nursing, because I don't want to give the police any reason to stop me.

I don't want to be a Sandra Bland, cause I'm mad.

I'm mad, and I'm not going to be nice if I get stopped by the police, and then they're not nice to me.

If I get an officer that's not respectful, and he's not telling me why he's stopping me because I don't matter, that's not going to fly with me.

As other people say, why do they talk back?

Why don't they just do what they're told?

Because we tired of it.

We tired of doing what we told, we tired of not talking back, we tired of being nice.

Being nice gets us where?

Nowhere.

So the only thing that's going to save you is to bleach your skin, and guess what?

Born this way.

I'm born gay, I'm born black, I'm born a female.

I can't change any of that.

If big black men scare you, well you don't need to be a police officer.

Because for years, who cared about black men being killed?

Who cared about, you know, black men lying and saying the police did this, the police did that?

Because they're going to believe the police officer, right?

Because they're a professional.

They have to be impartial.

No, that's not necessarily true.

And people are like, "Oh, why is this happening so often now?".

It's not happening so often now, it's been happening.

It just has not been recorded, so nobody could prove it.

There's no change in blackness.

It don't come off.

You can't change it.

You are who you are.

And the fact of the matter is, I was born a crime.

Black man is born a crime for sure, you know?

- Hi.

I'm Allen Martin here at WKAR studios.

We hope you are enjoying our WKAR original documentary, COVID Diaries: On the Front Line, which follows visiting nurse, Rhonda Lee from Ypsilanti, as she navigates her way through the first weeks and months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Rhonda's story is about two intersecting crises here in America, the coronavirus pandemic, and a heightened focus on racism, particularly when it comes to police brutality, following the murder of George Floyd.

Now one year later, where does our country stand on both of these issues that have ignited much needed attention and conversations everywhere, including mid-Michigan?

At WKAR, we believe it's important to reflect on what has been a year of loss, grief, hardship, and adjustment for Americans, but also a year of hope.

Rhonda's story exemplifies that so well.

And we've invited her here to our WKAR studios today, as we revisit her experiences from COVID Diaries, and talk with her about her emotional journey.

Now before we delve deeper into these complex issues, please know that WKAR is committed to bringing you impactful stories from our communities, like Rhonda's in COVID Diaries: On the Front Line.

Why, you ask?

Well, because your stories matter.

And we are able to tell these stories because of your financial support.

Every year, WKAR spends tens of thousands of dollars on local programming.

And we rely on viewers like you to help offset these costs and make public media freely available to everyone in our community, on a consistent basis.

You can support our public media mission by becoming a sustaining donor.

Just go to wkar.org, or call or text "give" to 517-355-2323.

Your monthly contribution will be made directly from your credit card or checking account.

It is easy and convenient, and you'll feel good knowing that you are helping make public media freely available to everyone in our community.

And now I want to welcome Rhonda Lee, the focus of COVID Diaries: On the Front Line.

Rhonda, first of all it is such a pleasure to finally meet you.

- Nice to be here.

- What was it like working with us here at WKAR?

How did this whole thing come about?

And I have to know, on a weekly basis, how much did you film?

- Right.

Yeah, it was a fellow nurse, went to school with somebody from PBS and they were like, "Hey, you know anybody?

", then she said, "I'm not seeing COVID patients, but I do know this nurse that is.

", you know, and so that's how I got connected with WKAR.

And you know, the filming was just whenever I felt passionate about something, I just put up my camera and I just started driving and talking.

Just you know, talking and just saying what I felt.

Just putting my feelings out there and WKAR put it all into this nice, beautiful package.

(group chuckling) And you know, it was fun though.

It was fun.

I had my wife doing some stuff, I had my daughter doing some stuff, you know, some candid things.

- When you came to your wife Audrey and said, "Hey.

I'm going to let some cameras, you know, roll in our home and open up about things.

", was there any hesitancy from Audrey?

- Yes.

The first answer was, "No, absolutely not."

- Really?

She said no?

- "I don't want anybody coming in here."

Cause they wanted to come in and she was like, "No.

Absolutely not.

No one can come in here."

I mean COVID was still, you know, pretty high.

And I was like, "okay well you know, that's not going to work."

And then you know, we were doing it ourselves, and she kind of softened up a little, but cause it's private, it's very private you know, it's your home, and you know, whatever.

But she understood how it would educate the community, you know, and so that's where it all came together.

And it was like okay, we're doing this.

- This past year has really been trying for every one of us here in this nation.

For you specifically, being a nurse, being on the front lines, what are your feelings when you think about this past year?

- It has been very scary.

It's been very unpredictable.

It's been a lot of things.

It's been very emotional, at times depressing.

But as a nurse, I've got to keep moving.

- Well it wasn't just COVID-19 that had all of us emotionally heavy, especially in the black community.

The murder of George Floyd, and that collision with COVID-19, those two worlds colliding.

How do you sum up what it was like to be here in America as an African American witnessing that, and you also being a nurse?

- In one word, I can sum it up.

Hell.

It was, it's getting better, but the pandemic along with the racial divide that we have been experiencing the last couple of years on top of George Floyd's death, it has been a tremendous burden.

I feel like as a nurse for the COVID, and then just being an African American, it was very stressful at the time.

It still is very stressful.

Luckily, COVID is getting a little better.

But the racial divide, I feel like we have a long way to go.

- Rhonda, you've mentioned in the piece, just the contrast between a normal protest, normal protest, and a Black Lives Matter protest.

- Right.

- And how there are always guns present at a Black Lives Matter protest.

Where do you believe we stand as a nation today when it comes to racism?

- Even right here in Lansing, there was you know, riot gear and you know, all kinds of stuff.

And when it comes to other protests, there are not.

They don't have the shields, and the riot gear, and the head gear, and all that.

I'm not sure if it's that they feel safer.

I'm not sure.

I don't usually see a lot of guns and things at Black Lives Matter protests.

I can't say that there's not any, but I haven't seen any openly carried.

Not like what we had here in Michigan at the Capitol last year.

- Right.

Definitely.

And you know, being in the midst of a pandemic, you know, I know for me being a black man here in America, when I saw the the video that took George Floyd's life, right, Derek Chauvin, and him just placing a knee right on the neck of George Floyd, and it was a murder.

The COVID-19 pandemic for me took a backseat, just like many in the black community, which is why we saw so many, so many people of color out in the streets protesting.

For you, did you even think about COVID-19?

When that took place, and that video went viral, because you're also on the front lines as a nurse Rhonda.

And you're, we're we're trying to dissect and really just think about, okay, how do we stay safe as a nation when it comes to the pandemic, but then this happens.

Was COVID-19 on your mind at all during that week?

I'll just go to that week when that happened.

- Well, it was on my mind, but I will say it was a little in the back burner, just as a medical professional, I can't just let it go.

So it's still on the back burner, but definitely the George Floyd murder was on the forefront for me, just looking at the video, and the different videos, because the videos came out, they trickled out little by little.

It just kind of made things worse and worse.

Like this was definitely a murder.

Sometimes your mind plays tricks on you.

For me, I'll speak for myself as an African American, so many times you're told that it's this when with your eyes, you really see this.

So as video started coming out I'm like, "No, this is murder.

This is what this is."

- It was just so blatant in your face, right?

- It was so blatant you know, and just watching the trials, I just, everyday I was in front of the trials, and they just showed it so much.

I was just, it was very emotional.

- Rhonda, it is certainly a pleasure having you in our studios, thank you so much.

- Thank you.

- Alright, now we're going to pick up in our story where we left off, the days following George Floyd's death.

Afterwards, we'll talk with you once again for updates on Rhonda and Audrey, and we'll discuss recent current events, and where we are in regards to the pandemic, and race relations in America one year later.

Again, WKAR is able to produce impactful documentaries like COVID diaries with Rhonda because of your financial support.

We have a commitment to represent the diverse voices across the capital region and the entire Michigan community.

We are focused on tackling issues that affect all of us, as in COVID Diaries and our documentary, Right to Read, which focuses on childhood literacy issues in our state, and American Portrait The Story of US.

Throughout this past year, WKAR has been committed to keeping you informed on the developments in the fight against the pandemic, and news that affects you with local programming, like COVID answers and insight.

And Off The Record.

These local programs and documentaries costs tens of thousands of dollars to produce.

And we rely on viewers like you to help offset these costs, and make public media freely available to everyone in our community on a consistent basis.

If you've already made a contribution during this program break, we thank you so much.

If not, we hope to hear from you.

just go to wkar.org, or call or text "give" to 517-355-2323 to make a sustaining donation today and support the public media mission of WKAR and PBS.

Your monthly contribution can be made directly from your credit card or checking account.

It's easy and convenient, and with any sustaining donation of five bucks or more per month, you will also get access to a terrific member benefit, WKAR Passport, which you can enjoy through the PBS app on your streaming device, smart TV, phone, tablet, or computer.

The PBS app offers a great collection of series and shows, including original documentaries, like COVID Diaries, and most of your favorite PBS programs.

Now the conclusion of COVID Diaries: On the Front Line.

But please join Rhonda and me immediately after for an update on how she and her wife Audrey are doing one year after the pandemic began.

- So I'm at my client's house, about to gear up.

Put on my N95.

Even though I don't need the second mask, I like to put a second mask on for a little fashion.

- Hi Rhonda.

- Hey, how are you doing today?

- Pretty good.

How are you?

- Good, how are you?

- It seems like it's just taking a long time to get your energy back.

- Yeah.

It's just a weakness in my head and my body.

- So today we're going to take a picture, just a weekly picture of your wound.

Here, let me take the dressing off.

- [Ali] I hate this tape.

- [Rhonda] Yeah, this is like...

The worst part.

- [Ali] I'm still numb.

- [Rhonda] Right here?

- [Ali] Yeah.

It hurts so bad.

It's hurting me.

It feels like burning.

I remember that moment clearly, a hundred percent right now.

When the doctor came to me, he looked at me, he said, "It's time for a ventilator.

We're going to put you on a ventilator."

I said, no, no.

I've got to make some phone calls.

He goes, "You don't have much time Ali.

Listen to me.

You're going to lose it.

We're going to lose you at any minute, so we have to put you on a ventilator immediately.

Please cooperate with us."

And it was very emotional, I start crying, and it was a little difficult.

All that a member is a bunch of other doctors and services just surrounding in my bed, and I was really, really confused.

And I was like, okay.

And all of a sudden, I think I went to sleep.

That's it.

Yeah, it was, every time I think about that moment, I said, I hope no one, I wish this on no one whatsoever.

When I got diagnosed with COVID I was in a hospital in an excluded area for almost 30 days, and came home and I couldn't leave, couldn't go nowhere.

It reminds me like more, it's more like traumatized.

When I was in the hospital, in a small room, you can't have visitors, you can have family, you can't have hardly anybody that communicates with you, and you just sit there in that room.

It reminds me a lot like my childhood.

I lived in Palestine 'til age of 15.

Then I migrated to the United States in 1981.

I grew up under occupation.

Growing up overseas under occupation, you don't have much of a childhood.

You don't have much happy memories.

I remember as a child almost every week we would have, the IDF would come in with their jeeps and their army, and call a curfew for like hours or days.

No schooling, no work, no nothing.

I look at it as a child put in a cage, and just look at others living happy, and look around, their surroundings.

And it's the things that they're doing, you want to do yourself, and you can not do.

It's a hard feeling.

It's like, why?

Well why can't I be like them?

Why can't I live like them?

Why can't I move freely?

I couldn't understand that as a child.

I wished I had all that, but I don't.

As a child you don't understand what racism means.

As you grow up and you look back, then you'll see, "Wow.

I can not believe that I used to live this life."

- So more about you're seeing your doctor.

- Rhonda is one of the best nurses I've ever seen.

Rhonda's putting herself and her health on in line to treat me.

It's something rewarding, something really special.

And I respected that you know, she's a caring and loving, and she loves her field, she loves what she does.

And she cares who she treats.

(equipment pumping) - A little snug.

- It changed my life completely.

It changed the people that are around me completely.

Yes, I'm a COVID survivor, I fought through the COVID.

Second day I came from the hospital, it was a nice, sunny, beautiful day, and I told my wife, I said, "I want to go outside."

So she put me in a wheelchair and she sent me outside, and my family had arranged a drive through basically.

(cars honking) - We love you Al!

- My entire family and friends drove by, and waved at me, and had signs that you'd beat COVID, and we're glad to see you get well, and things of that nature.

That was, it's a beautiful thing to see.

At the same time it was very emotional.

And how much your family and friends care for you, love you.

That was very supportive.

But there for a minute I lived in the moment, and then I was very happy to see.

But you know, afterwards, you know, you try to get your family to come and visit you, or you try and get your friends to come and see you because you feel alone, you know.

The hardest part was I had a new grandchild, that you cannot hold, you can't be with, or you can't spend time with.

What would I tell my grandchildren?

I would tell them about my experience.

Let them understand how I grew up and how I came to America.

The other thing is I have one grandchild right now, and as she grows up, I'm going to teach her to live her life to the fullest, and respect each other's differences, and always respect others, and make sure racism does not be in the way of their life.

Alright, so just a quick video.

I am numb right now.

I'm a little concerned about how COVID is being treated, and how part of the government is treating it as if it's a non-issue.

And I just feel like they're not really concerned about the the majority of people that this disease is affecting.

So I'm numb because I just got a call from my niece stating that my sister has been rushed to the hospital with suspected COVID.

I called her and I said, "Hey, what's going on?

You know, want us to wait for the ambulance?"

And she just, she could barely talk.

And just from my assessment on the phone, I feel like she's pretty short of breath.

So I'm very concerned, I'm worried for my sister, I hope things, things better workout because just, I don't know.

(solemn rhythmic music) - We lost three people in our dance community that we knew when COVID first hit.

It seems like they all passed away pretty close together.

It's just, it was really shocking.

When we heard of Ballroom Jack.

it was tough because we're like, we actually know someone who passed away from COVID-19.

Troy, he was an instructor.

He was so sweet.

One of those people that you feel like they can never be serious, even when it's a serious time.

He was like that kind of guy.

I think the saddest moment was when we found out that Gloria had passed away because she was the closest to us.

That was pretty sobering, I mean it was really, it was really sad to hear that she had passed away from it.

Dance as we know it is going to be changed for a while.

We do get back together, we're going to have so many memorials.

Like we'll just have to have a group memorial because it's so many dances that we lost.

My faith tells me you've got to just pray and be faithful, and I'm hopeful.

I think we will get back there.

We will survive this.

(rhythmic chiming) - I'm Al Martin at WKAR studios, and we hope that you enjoyed our special presentation of our original documentary COVID Diaries: On the Front Line.

Now with me to discuss both the film and where America is one year later from when the pandemic began, and George Floyd's murder, is Rhonda Lee herself.

Rhonda, first of all, thank you so much again for joining us here today.

I want to start here now.

You've always wanted to be a nurse.

You made that be known in the documentary.

- Yes.

- How has going through the pandemic changed your view, if at all, of the job?

- It has not changed at all.

I knew, maybe as a child I didn't know what I was getting into, but as these different things developed, I would say, starting with HIV on... Ebola, so forth...

I've decided this is what I signed up for it.

This is my destiny.

I believe that this is what God had in store for me.

And it hasn't changed.

This is what I signed up for.

This is what I get paid the big bucks for, so... (Rhonda chuckling) - But you know, COVID-19 is really an unprecedented experience for all of us.

- It's a different animal.

- It was so it was so different.

Was there a moment though where you know, maybe you were treating a patient and you said to yourself, "Wow, what I'm doing here is incredibly, incredibly important work."?

- Right, so the other things that had been going on was not so bad compared to this pandemic.

Never gone through a pandemic.

And I was not only concerned for myself, but I was concerned for my wife, and her aging mother.

So that's what made a big difference, and kind of what brought me out the field a little bit.

I don't see patients as much anymore.

I've been a nurse for over 30 years, and it's time for me to, you know, step back and let the younger folks deal with these things, you know, yeah.

- Okay, and we'll get an overall update in just a moment.

(Rhonda chuckling) Before we do though, I've got to ask, you know, there's so many components to this documentary, so many layers to it.

And when you're in the moment, you're in the moment.

You're just living your life and telling that story.

To see it all come together, to see your story told to the public, what was that like for you?

- It was awesome.

When it was all brought together and we sat down and watched it with our popcorn, I was like, "Wow".

And I mean, it was raw.

Like everything that I did, I didn't know what was going to be used and what wasn't going to be used.

I was just speaking from the heart, and these are truly, truly feelings that I felt.

And it was nice to see it all brought together and put it into one little package.

- So it wasn't a hard watch at all for you?

- Hell no.

- There weren't always where you were kind of like, "uh".

- Where I cringed?

No.

No.

No.

I had no regrets.

I, you know, I enjoyed making it.

And everything I said is exactly how I felt.

- Was it a watch party?

Who'd you watch it with?

(Al chuckling) - Well, not much of a watch party.

It was just me and my wife.

- Well, you know the virtual, I should say virtual watch party but okay.

The connection that you have to your patients, you really do become like a family member, because you're always visiting them, you're in their homes, that's a special bond that you share with them.

Can you talk about that connection a bit?

And also, can you give us an update on how Ali Mohammed is doing?

- Sure, sure.

Yeah.

So with most of my patients, some people you get a connection with, some people you don't, you see them so short.

But I mean, you become a social worker, you know, you're just, you're an aunt, you're a "Here comes my daughter", (Al laughing) you know, with older patients, you know, and Ali was no different.

I became very close with his family.

He was a very nice guy.

And he had so many questions, being that he was so critical, you know, at first.

And actually, I talked to his wife this week, and he is actually doing well, he is back to work.

- Wow.

- Yeah.

I think he developed an ulcer because he was bedded for so long, and that's all healed up.

And yeah, he's doing great now.

- That is so fantastic to hear.

- Yeah, that's not the story for a lot of people with COVID, just a lot of people still have, still have issues as far as energy, and as far as heart issues, a lot of them have high heart rates, stuff like that, that just don't go away as easily.

So he's lucky that he was so critical and he's, he's back to doing well, back to work.

- Without a doubt.

The majority of your patients who had COVID, are they doing well?

- Well, we lost a couple, let's just say that.

And the ones that I followed up with, they're doing okay.

Yeah, they're doing okay.

- I want to talk about you and Audrey now.

And we saw in the documentary, you had to move into the dance studio, right?

- Yeah.

Right.

- Just to isolate and make sure that you guys were safe.

Can you give us an update on how you both are doing, and update also on the dance studio that you guys are a part of?

- Okay.

Alright.

So we're both doing well, we're double vaccinated, her mother's double vaccinated.

I have moved out of the dance studio and back, you know, with my wife so that's great.

Although we have turned the dance, our little dance room into an office now.

I'll get into that later.

- No, you can talk about it now.

- I can talk about it now?

So now I'm working from home.

I have accepted a tele-health position, which is still with Michigan Visiting Nurses.

I still see patients, but not as much.

And I'm working from home, she's working from home.

So now our dance room is now my office, so yeah.

- Isn't that amazing?

So both you and Audrey are now working at home together?

- Yes, yes.

- And I guess making up for some lost time, right?

- Yes, for sure, for sure, for sure, yeah.

- For this past year.

- And I have to know Rhonda, because we're looking at, you know, how you go about treating your patients, and then you coming home and having that isolate from Audrey.

- Right.

- How did you deal with the anxiety of this professionally and personally?

How did you stay sane through this whole thing?

- You know, it was difficult.

It was difficult.

And you just have to take it day by day, you know, because different things were coming out each day about the virus.

So you didn't know what to do.

So everyone, I mean, I remember we were coming home and washing our groceries off, like we don't do that anymore, but you don't know.

- Yup.

I did it too.

- You know, at first you didn't know, and as things started coming out more and more in the world, knowledge is power.

Google, it's free, you know?

And you can find out more and more about, you know, things, things are getting better, but at the time it was, it was hell on wheels.

- Right, it certainly was.

- You know, coming home, not being able to greet your family right away, It was awful, you know.

- Your aunt unfortunately passed away at the end of March, as we saw in the documentary.

That was the pandemic really hitting home for you Rhonda.

How shocking was that for you?

- For sure.

It was very shocking because she had a cough for like two weeks.

I went to see her when they first closed down the nursing homes.

I went to see her and I said, listen, I'm a nurse, I usually see her.

And they, they didn't know any better, so they let me in, whatever... And I saw her and she had a cough, I said, "Hey, she has a cough.

Are you guys going to test her?

", "Oh, we're not testing anybody right now."

That's when testing was limited.

So they didn't test her, she went to the hospital, and two weeks later she passed.

- Oh my goodness.

- Yeah, yeah.

And it was, it was really, that really, besides my dance family that was passing, my family member passing was just like, wow.

And it was so fast, you know, it went so fast.

(Al snapping fingers) Yeah.

It was, it was very shocking.

- This past year has really been trying.

I want to go back now just briefly to, you know, the the George Floyd murder.

And you know, now we know that Derek Chauvin, he has been convicted of that crime.

Is there any part of you, when you look at that conviction, any part that brings you some kind of peace, or gives you a sense of, I guess, accountability, that he will go behind bars?

- Right.

I do feel that that sense of accountability, that somebody is being held accountable, because it is so often in the past that we do not get this result.

This is one thing that we can hang our hat on and say he killed that man.

He was convicted.

He killed that man, no matter what anyone else says, this happened.

No more you know, oh, he was exonerated, so maybe that didn't happen.

No, it happened.

We all saw it with our eyes, and he was convicted.

And I'm so glad because maybe this is maybe going to be a turnaround for maybe some police reform, you know?

- Yeah.

Let's hope so.

Let's certainly hope so.

And final question Rhonda, the dance studio you guys are a part of, I know you talked about maybe having a big memorial, you know, profiling and celebrating the lives of those those lost at the studio.

What's the update when it comes to the studio?

- The studio is no longer.

I believe that she sold it to, to someone else or whatever.

But she still has dance lessons.

She's looking for another studio.

Dance With Elegance is still up and kicking, so.

- There we go.

- Yeah.

Right.

- It's still alive and well then.

- It's still alive and well, and we're just looking for another space.

And we're starting back dancing, I think in about a month, there's going to be a white party.

Yeah.

- There we go, a white party.

I love it.

Am I invited?

I hope I'm invited.

- Come on, come on.

We'll teach you some steps.

Come on out.

- I love that.

Rhonda, I want to thank you so much for you sharing your documentary, you sharing your experience in the midst of this pandemic.

- No problem.

- And as well as your thoughts on race relations here in America.

- Thanks for having me.

- We really, really appreciate it.

- Thanks so much for having me.

- Alright, well folks I'm sure you enjoyed Rhonda's compelling story as much as I have.

It's a story that is important to WKAR, and we are able to produce impactful documentaries like COVID Diaries because of your financial support.

WKAR has a commitment to represent the diverse voices across the capital region and the entire Michigan community.

We are focused on tackling issues that affect all of us, as in COVID Diaries, and in our documentary, Right to Read, which focuses on childhood literacy issues in our state.

And in a moment you're going to hear from voices around the state, taken from our documentary, The Story of Us, a Michigan American portrait story.

We gathered personal stories from individuals in Michigan for a national PBS storytelling project on what it means to be an American today, then incorporated them into a half hour special.

We'll have those unique stories shortly, but first, these programs cost tens of thousands of dollars to produce.

And we rely on viewers like you to help offset these costs to make public media freely available to everyone in our community on a consistent basis.

We are here for you because of you.

If you've already made a contribution during this program, we thank you so much.

If not, we hope to hear from you.

Just simply go to wkar.org or call or text "give" to 517-355-2323 to make a sustaining donation today and support the public media mission of WKAR and PBS.

Your monthly contribution can be made directly from your credit card or checking account.

It is easy and convenient, and you'll feel good knowing that you are helping make public media freely available to everyone in our community.

And with any sustaining donation of $5 or more per month, you'll also get access to a terrific member benefit.

WKAR passport, which you can enjoy through the PBS app, on your streaming device, smart TV, phone tablet, or computer.

The PBS app offers a great collection of series and shows, including original documentaries like COVID Diaries, and many of your favorite PBS programs.

(rhythmic music) Again, to support WKAR as a sustaining donor and get access to WKAR passport, just go to wkar.org, or call or text "give" to 517-355-2323.

And thank you.

(rhythmic ambient music) - I'm going to say America is racist.

I'm going to say America has some racist institutions, and they also have some racist groups, and some racist people.

But from the civil war to the civil rights movement, and to present day, all of America has not been racist.

You've had guys who fought in the civil war for the freedoms of his fellow Americans.

You have people during the civil rights movement, who put their lives on the line for the rights of their fellow Americans, even though they didn't look like them.

To present day time now, you have guys right now fighting in the streets right now for their fellow Americans, and they don't all look alike.

They from all different walks of life, religions, colors, creeds, and any other thing you can think of.

And they all standing side by side right now to this day, it's right there in the writings of the forefather's fathers.

All men are created equal.

You know, everybody has a right to life, liberty, and a pursuit of happiness.

You know, if we started living up to the dreams of the forefathers of this country and probably many other nations, we would probably live in a better place and it would be a better world.

- We talk about gender inequality, we often have the conversation through the lens of income inequality.

And so a woman makes 80 cents on the dollar for an equivalent job a man has.

And we've really tried to kind of attack the problem through that, through that angle.

We have to look at racial inequality through the same framework.

The average black family in America is only worth 10 cents on the dollar of the average white family.

It's appalling, you know, the average white family is worth 10 times the average black family.

And I think if we really focus on solving for wealth inequality in this country, we'll go a long way in solving for racial inequality as well.

- An anti-racist America is one in which we truly begin to take interest in, and find validity in the pain of those for whom this country has not provided just outcomes.

And in order for that to happen, we're going to have to learn how to stop seeing others progress as a threat to our own wellbeing.

- I hope we have learned how to become more human and less materialistic.

I hope that we've grown appreciation for our fellow brothers and sisters across this globe.

I hope that we've learned to appreciate one another to the best of our abilities, that we take family and friends serious.

And I hope that we also learn to be kind to one another, and we put away the bipartisan politics and unite under the banner of humanity.

- A day's work as a teacher in an urban school district is wonderful and tough all at the same time.

I sometimes think I wouldn't do anything else.

And then sometimes I'd come home and think, how am I going to get up and do this all again?

I'm a teacher, I'm a mom, I'm a life coach, I'm a counselor, I'm a social worker, I'm the fan in that student's cheering section when they don't have anybody else.

A day's work is filled with so many whirlwinds that at the end, I sometimes can't even name one thing that I did other than hug a kid, support kid, make a kid a better human being.

But at the end of the day, I'm reminded of the student that picked up trash in the middle of the hall that I didn't have to tell, the student that supported their peer when they didn't have to be prompted, the student that had that aha moment.

It's all worth it.

- To me, work means something different everyday.

I create for a variety of reasons; personal enjoyment, expression, experimentation, therapy, and activism, as well as communicating my ideas, and collaborating with others.

Not all of this may appear like work to some, but creating is actually problem-solving, each and every single step of the way.

When asked what kind of artist I am, I often laugh because there isn't a simple answer.

I create using whatever medium makes sense for each project.

I love repurposing thrifted or found objects and giving them new life.

Symbols and layers of meaning keep me interested in each piece.

One doesn't have to be an artist to create, but when it comes to problem solving, it definitely helps to be creative.

- To me, work is pride.

As a union carpenter, we're the first ones in, and the last ones to leave.

From pouring the concrete, to putting the rough iron, to putting the doors on, to putting your hardware on everything, in your kitchens, bathrooms, all of those things.

That's what that means to me.

That's something that you can be so proud to do.

(equipment whirring) You come in, you do your work, you see your results every day, and you can go home, and you can be proud of it.

You're tired from it, but you're also very proud of what you've done.

I am, anyway.

That's it - I see my neighborhood with its character, its history, its houses.

I see the streets filled with cars and community.

I see the blue skies of a Michigan summer.

I see the downtown, I see buses that a whole city relies on, I see construction and change, I see art, and I see emptiness, but I see home.

- When I step outside my door, this is Detroit.

We known for abandoned houses, burned down houses, open fields, a lot of violence, and reckless activity.

Look at this block.

You see a lot of light, but we still got good people here.

Detroit is making a comeback.

Most people would think that that's not a city that I want to live in, but I look at it, opportunity.

Opportunity for us to make a change.

Look at that house right there.

It's beautiful.

We're going to make it to a point to where all our houses in the city look like this again.

This is my goal.

It's the future of high believing.

(ambient chiming)