Marcella LoTang photographed by Lux Carlson

I really do think that these photos will create more empathy in the community, because they show that children are affected by this virus as well. Government officials and school boards want to send little kids back to school in an effort to see if it’s safe enough, under the claim that children are more resilient than adults. However, I think my photos show that children are affected just the same and can still get sick or at the very least have their lives greatly altered. Photojournalism is important because it isn’t just about capturing a visually appealing image; it’s about using photography to tell a story. Photojournalism provides another way of storytelling other than written words, and can be just as thought provoking. Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.