Unprecedented. Unsettled. Unreal. Adjectives describing 2020 tend toward the negative. The year tilted on its axis mid-March when a global pandemic hit home. As COVID cases rose, health workers scrambled for safety equipment and office workers fled downtown offices. Whole sectors of the economy faced uncertainty. Then came George Floyd’s death and its aftermath — a raw plea for racial justice that, in the reverse of the pandemic, started here and spread across the world. The backdrop to it all was politics, with elections playing out against the unfolding crises. Which way would Minnesota swing? By the time Nov. 3 rolled around, the sense of anger — and exhaustion — was palpable. Yet somehow, daily life carried on, with different rhythms and fewer up-close interactions; less entertainment and shopping but more home cooking, schooling and binge watching. Through it all, Star Tribune photographers witnessed and documented our collective upheaval and history in the making. They entered hospital rooms where patients clung to life. They watched buildings set ablaze and fire in protesters’ eyes. But also, they captured a curious penguin at Como Zoo. Sunsets and NEOWISE. Marriage ceremonies affirming love. One adjective for their work? Unstoppable.
Sue Campbell, Star Tribune Magazine editorial director
