On March 10, 2020, President Price announced Duke’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, implementing safety methods such as virtual classes and frequent testing. Meanwhile, the Duke Health System focused on caring for COVID-19 patients in the area. In response to the Duke experience during the pandemic, this booklet was created by students in the 2021 Duke Immerse “Pandemics, Health, and Power” program. Through archival analysis, creative pieces, interviews, and illustrations, the students uncovered the stories of marginalized populations at Duke during COVID-19 and past pandemics. In the group’s closing letter, they advocate for an emphasis on the humanities in the pre-med curriculum: “Organic chemistry does not teach what to do when ventilators are running out and you have to decide who gets the care rations … How can we expect a broken health care system to change when those being funneled into it have no sense of justice to fight for those the system continues to oppress?”
(In)visible: COVID-19 at Duke. (Durham, NC: Duke Immerse: Pandemics, Health, and Power cluster, 2021), Duke University Archives, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
JANUARY 8, 2024 – DECEMBER 15, 2024 Duke University Libraries