There’s no denying 2020 was a very difficult year, filled with fear and loneliness, anxiety and stress. But amid the gloom there were bright spots. There were enough of them, in fact, for us to launch a popup newsletter, Best of Times in the Worst of Times, that came out weekly from March to May, highlighting uplifting and good things happening in Berkeley.
The community rallied in a crisis. Residents chalked messages of encouragement on sidewalks, put teddy bears and rainbows in their windows, volunteered at food banks, organized neighborhood support groups and live music and singalongs in the streets to cheer each other up. Individuals and local businesses, as well as restaurants, joined forces to offer mutual aid to those most at risk of contracting COVID-19. Responding to market need and quarantine restrictions, many businesses pivoted and started offering pandemic-friendly goods and services.