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Maps, pandemics, and reckoning with history

Geospatial data has long been an important tool for scientists and scholars, but now, as society grapples with both coronavirus and a history of systemic racism, can maps help chart a path toward a brighter future?
People standing at a large map posted on a wall, pointing at significant landmarks
(Pre-pandemic image) Students participating in July 2019’s Map Room event for Krystal Strong’s Re/Member Black Philadelphia Project, which brought students from Penn and the School District of Philadelphia to talk about maps, resource disparity, and Philadelphia. The workshop was taught by Digital Scholarship Librarian Jennifer Garcon and Mapping & Geospatial Data Librarian Girmaye Misgna. (Image: Marc Holley)

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