In the spring of 2020, when New York City was the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States and as many as 800 people were dying every day, a group of historians, archivists, activists and documentarians in New York organized to explore the best ways to respond to the unfolding disaster. Working alone or across regional boundaries, in improvised spaces and in Zoom calls, they launched oral history projects, built websites, curated exhibits, conducted lectures and panel discussions, and collected artifacts.

Now it is time to ask: What have we learned? What is the relationship between what happened in New York City and the rest of the world? And how we can we best interpret the pandemic as history?

The strongest answers will emerge from a conversation that begins with the pandemic in New York City and then moves on to engage insights and queries from international perspectives. We will achieve this in a session that combines the detailed opening presentations of a roundtable with the interactivity of lightning round. This structure will create shared knowledge, foster interaction between the panelists and audience, and will enable participants to leave with ideas of what to do next in documenting and interpreting the history of the pandemic.

Our panel of four scholars and activists from New York City, prompted by questions prepared in advance with the moderator (who will not make a presentation), will begin with presentations of up to four minutes.

They will explore:

• The creation of archives that encourage large-scale collaboration while maintaining the individual voices of contributors;
• The challenges of reconciling activist, curatorial and historical integrity;
• The value of creating and documenting memorials during and after the pandemic; and
• What oral history can teach us about the uses of history in moments of change.

Then we will open up to questions and comments of two minutes apiece from members of the audience. We will begin by addressing what people learned, proceed to what they believe should be done next, and conclude with takeaway points that can inform future work.

Our moderator will manage the time of both panelists and members of the audience for brevity and inclusivity.

All in attendance will have the opportunity to explore questions such as:

• How does the experience of the pandemic in New York City compare to other cities?
• How did local, national and global factors shape the course of the pandemic?
• How can we best understand the relationship between the pandemic, Black Lives Matter demonstrations, and the insurrection of January 6?
• How do historical, archival, and commemorative responses to the pandemic compare to responses to 9/11?
• How did the pandemic confirm or confound the expectations and assumptions of historians?

To give all at the session ideas for future work, we will conclude by considering the following question from multiple perspectives:

What should historians do in the future to better understand the pandemic?