The world came back to a new kind of life in 2021. We returned to some things we love — to the theater, to the gym, to work, and to school — albeit with new protocols and risk calculations.
But the recovery has been slow, and while grappling with an ongoing pandemic, the Philadelphia area faced catastrophic flooding and tornadoes, and a rampant gun violence epidemic.
Here’s a view from WHYY News photographers of how the last 12 months unfolded in real time.
The race to vaccinate
The year began with a massive effort to distribute COVID-19 vaccines. To get things started, Philadelphia turned to a student-led startup. Philly Fighting COVID launched an ambitious mass vaccination clinic at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, but that effort soon crumbled when the city cut ties with the group, and resulted in the resignation of Deputy Health Commissioner Dr. Caroline Johnson.
![vaccinate 2021 01 29 k paynter PFC Andrei Doroshin-6.jpeg Philly Fighting COVID CEO Andrei Doroshin invited reporters into his apartment building for a press conference claiming dirty city politics were to blame for the city’s cutting ties with his company](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/vaccinate-2021-01-29-k-paynter-PFC-Andrei-Doroshin-6.jpeg-1700x825.jpeg)
![vaccinate 2021 01 11-e lee-sewell rowan college of south jersey-mass vaccination covid 19 waiting line gloucester county ems Hundreds of people, mostly first responders and medical workers, line up at Rowan College of South Jersey in Sewell, N.J.,to be vaccinated against COVID-19.](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/vaccinate-2021-01-11-e-lee-sewell-rowan-college-of-south-jersey-mass-vaccination-covid-19-waiting-line-gloucester-county-ems-1700x825.jpeg)
Another effort, by Dr. Ala Stanford and the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, brought vaccines and testing to underserved communities in Philadelphia hit hard by the virus.
Stanford went on to found the Center for Health Equity in North Philadelphia, with a new mission to deliver primary care and behavioral health services.
![vaccinate 2021 10 27-e leedr ala stanford pastor glen spaulding-philadelphia-dr ala stanford center for health equity ribbon cutting Dr. Ala Stanford speaks glowingly of Pastor Glen Spaulding of the Deliverance Evangelistic Church, which provided the space for her new medical clinic, Black Doctors COVID Consortium, in North Philadelphia.](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/vaccinate-2021-10-27-e-leedr-ala-stanford-pastor-glen-spaulding-philadelphia-dr-ala-stanford-center-for-health-equity-ribbon-cutting-1700x825.jpeg)
![vaccinate 2021 02 19-e lee-edna evans-philadelphia temple university liacouras center-black doctors covid 19 consortium vaccination clinic Edna Evans, 88, gets a COVID-19 vaccination at the Liacouras Center at a vaccine clinic organized by the Black Doctors Consortium.](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/vaccinate-2021-02-19-e-lee-edna-evans-philadelphia-temple-university-liacouras-center-black-doctors-covid-19-consortium-vaccination-clinic-1700x825.jpeg)
Meanwhile, a Philadelphia activist staged a hunger strike outside City Hall, urging leaders to do more to confront the gun violence crisis and treat it with the urgency of the coronavirus pandemic.
![Jamal Johnson resumed his hunger strike on Monday, March 1, 2021. He’s protesting outside City Hall in Philadelphia for more resources to combat gun violence](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021-03-01-k-paynter-jamal-johnson-resumes-hunger-strike-5-1024x683.jpeg)
![2021 01 18 k paynter mlk gun violence event Members of the organization Voices by Choices held an event on the Simpson Street block where 7-year-old Zamar Jones was fatally shot in the summer of 2020 for those affected by gun violence on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021-01-18-k-paynter-mlk-gun-violence-event-1700x825.jpeg)
![2021 05 18 k paynter krasner win primary 2021-6 Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner celebrates with supporters at his campaign party after recovering the Democratic nomination on May 18, 2021](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021-05-18-k-paynter-krasner-win-primary-2021-6-1700x825.jpeg)
A glorious summer
With mass vaccination under way and infection rates dropping, thousands gathered on Benjamin Franklin Parkway to watch the Fourth of July fireworks.
![summer 03 2021 07 04 j wilson-philadelphia bejamin franklin parkway eakins oval july 4th fireworks crowds.jpg Thousands gathered at Eakins Oval and along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway hours ahead the scheduled 9:30 pm fireworks display](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/summer-03-2021-07-04-j-wilson-philadelphia-bejamin-franklin-parkway-eakins-oval-july-4th-fireworks-crowds.jpg-1700x825.jpeg)
![summer 06 2021 07 04 j wilson-philadelphia eakins oval philadelphia museum of art gargoyle july 4th fireworks.jpg Fireworks explode in the background behind a gargoyle atop of the central portico of the Philadelphia Museum of Art](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/summer-06-2021-07-04-j-wilson-philadelphia-eakins-oval-philadelphia-museum-of-art-gargoyle-july-4th-fireworks.jpg-1700x825.jpeg)
In the safety of the great outdoors, people dined and danced. Pools opened, and parks became theaters.
![Veterans bow their heads during a Veterans Day ceremony at the All Wars Memorial to Colored Soldiers and Sailors at Logan Square in Philadelphia. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021-11-11-k-paynter-veterans-day-1024x683.jpeg)
![summer 2021 09 16 k paynter free salsa at love park siempre salsa-12.jpeg Jennifer Pieretti stops on her lunch break to dance with Mark ‘Maestro Flaco’ Best at LOVE Park in Center City, Philadelphia](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/summer-2021-09-16-k-paynter-free-salsa-at-love-park-siempre-salsa-12.jpeg.jpeg)
![summer 2021 07 21-elee-mesiah clark-philadelphia 8th and diamond-rebuild playground Mesiah Clark, 4, cools off at the newly reopened 8th and Diamond Playground. (Emma Lee/WHYY)](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/summer-2021-07-21-elee-mesiah-clark-philadelphia-8th-and-diamond-rebuild-playground-1700x825.jpeg)
![summer 2021 06 30 k paynter pools open 2021-6.jpeg Joyful kids were welcomed into the pool for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic closed city amenities at the James Finnegan Playground in Southwest Philadelphia on June 30, 2021](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/summer-2021-06-30-k-paynter-pools-open-2021-6.jpeg.jpeg)
![summer 2021 06 15 k paynter booker’s outdoor dining-4.jpeg Saba Tedla, owner of Booker’s restaurant in West Philadelphia, said she’d like to keep their outdoor seating permanently](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/summer-2021-06-15-k-paynter-bookers-outdoor-dining-4.jpeg-1700x825.jpeg)
![summer 2021 08 12 k paynter park play peril’s island-3.jpeg The Shakespeare in Clark Park production of Peril’s Island pays homage to a fabled fountain in Harrowgate Park. The dance/theater perfortmancer was created in collaboration with residents of North Philadelphia](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/summer-2021-08-12-k-paynter-park-play-perils-island-3.jpeg.jpeg)
Trenton native Athing Mu raced to Olympic gold in Tokyo, while hometown fans cheered her on half a world away.
![summer 2021 08 03-e lee-trenton nj ymca-athing mu olympic watch party arms up The hometown crowd at the Trenton YMCA cheer as participants in the women's 800-meter take their places at the Tokyo Olympics. Among them was 19-year-old Trenton native Athing Mu, who won the gold](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/summer-2021-08-03-e-lee-trenton-nj-ymca-athing-mu-olympic-watch-party-arms-up-1700x825.jpeg)
And at a camp in rural Chester County, young music students got a chance to play together for the first time in months, courtesy of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
![summer 2021 08 24-e lee-sarah cassanova-cochranville pa fox crossing stables-music and mindfulness camp horse Percussionist Sarah Cassanova grooms a horse after morning orchestra practice at Music and Mindfulness camp](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/summer-2021-08-24-e-lee-sarah-cassanova-cochranville-pa-fox-crossing-stables-music-and-mindfulness-camp-horse-1700x825.jpeg)
Return to school
Philadelphia students returned to schools in the fall wearing masks. But in nearby Bucks County, a mask mandate was the subject of bitter debate.
![school 2021 08 31 k paynter first day of school 2021-7.jpeg Kindergarten students at Powel Elementary school line up to enter their school on the first day of classes, Aug. 31, 2021](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/school-2021-08-31-k-paynter-first-day-of-school-2021-7.jpeg.jpeg)
![Parents gather outside a Central Bucks school board meeting to protest or defend the board’s decision to open schools in the fall without requiring protective face mask](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/school-2021-07-27-e-lee-doylestown-pa-central-bucks-school-district-board-meeting-mask-mandate-sign-1024x683.jpeg)
![2021 09 28 k paynter fishtown trans mural-4 Mural Arts staff joined Morris Home residents and alumni to celebrate the dedication of We Are Universal to Philadelphia’s trans community on Sept. 28, 2021](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021-09-28-k-paynter-fishtown-trans-mural-4-1700x825.jpeg)
And then came the storm
In September, the remnants of Hurricane Ida swept through the Philadelphia region, spawning tornadoes and causing catastrophic flooding along the Schuylkill River.
![storm 2021 09 02-e lee-philadelphia-vine street expressway-flooding bathtub The Vine Street Expressway is filled like a bathtub from Broad Street to the Schuylkill River after torrential rain from the remnants of Hurrican Ida. (Emma Lee/WHYY)](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/storm-2021-09-02-e-lee-philadelphia-vine-street-expressway-flooding-bathtub-1700x825.jpeg)
![storm 2021 09 02-e lee-philadelphia riverwalk-hurricane ida flooding rescue Philadelphia Fire Department personnel carry residents of the Riverwalk apartments to safety at 22nd and Arch streets after they were trapped by flood waters](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/storm-2021-09-02-e-lee-philadelphia-riverwalk-hurricane-ida-flooding-rescue-1700x825.jpeg)
![storm 2021 09 09-e lee-mullica hill nj wellacrest farms-tornado damage silo Workers prepare to pull down the one grain silo still standing at Wellacrest Farms in Mullica Hill. It was left structurally unsound after a tornado swept through the farm](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/storm-2021-09-09-e-lee-mullica-hill-nj-wellacrest-farms-tornado-damage-silo-1700x825.jpeg)
![storm 2021 09 09-e lee-mullica hill nj wellacrest farms-tornado damage tatters Cows on Wellacrest Farm in Mullica Hill, N.J., peer out of their damaged shelter a week after a tornado swept through, heavily damaging the farm's structures and killing more than a dozen cows](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/storm-2021-09-09-e-lee-mullica-hill-nj-wellacrest-farms-tornado-damage-tatters-1700x825.jpeg)
![2021 11 10 k paynter stomping grounds cafe-5 Kim Paulus, general manager of Stomping Grounds Cafe in West Philadelphia and Workforce Development Instructor at Youthbuild Charter High School (center), teaches seniors Imani Frye (left), and Nyasia Flowers (right) to create a design on a mocha drink](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021-11-10-k-paynter-stomping-grounds-cafe-5-1700x825.jpeg)
![Down North Pizza executive chef Mike Robinson behind the counter on Oct. 21, 2021](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021-10-22-k-paynter-down-north-pizza-8-1024x683.jpeg)
![Kai'Lyn Ellis, 5, and her sister, Li'Ana Ellis, 10, members of the Nanticoke Lenape tribe, perform a toe dance while their father, Tyron Ellis chants at Philadelphia's Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at Penn Treaty Park](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021-10-11-elee-tyron-ellis-philadelphia-penn-treaty-park-indigenous-peoples-day-1024x683.jpeg)
![2021 11 8 k paynter will smith at harriet’s book store-4 Superstar and Philadelphia-native Will Smith visited Harriet’s Bookshop in Fishtown where he met with owner Jeannine Cook and answer questions via Instagram live](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021-11-8-k-paynter-will-smith-at-harriets-book-store-4-1700x825.jpeg)
![2021 12 09-e lee-philadelphia slought foundation-anthropology and scientific racism exhibit casts Dozens of students enrolled in University of Pennsylvania's introductory anthropology course made plaster casts of their own faces. In the exhibit, each is accompanied by a QR code that leads viewers to discover details about the individual. (Emma Lee/WHYY)](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021-12-09-e-lee-philadelphia-slought-foundation-anthropology-and-scientific-racism-exhibit-casts-1-1700x825.jpeg)
![Comedian Clint Coley launches the second season of his World Series of Spades with a watch party at Brooklyn Bowl Philly in Fishtown](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021-12-02-e-lee-clint-coley-brooklyn-bowl-philly-fishtown-world-series-of-spades-watch-party-dj-1-1-1024x683.jpeg)
Some notable goodbyes
In 2021, we said goodbye to John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls’ High School, which graduated its final class on June 7.
![goodbye 2021 06 07-e lee-philadelphia basilica of ss peter and paul-john w hallahan catholic girls high last class graduates smile Members of John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls’ High School Class of '21, the school's last class, leave the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul after their graduation ceremony](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/goodbye-2021-06-07-e-lee-philadelphia-basilica-of-ss-peter-and-paul-john-w-hallahan-catholic-girls-high-last-class-graduates-smile-1700x825.jpeg)
Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley resigned due to his involvement in the mishandling and desecration of remains of the victims of the 1985 MOVE bombing.
![goodbye 2021 02 23-e lee-thomas farley-philadelphia martin luther king older adult center-covid 19 vaccination clinic Philadelphia Health Commissioner Thomas Farley oversees the opening of Philadelphia's first standing city-run COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Martin Luther King Jr. Older Adult Center on Cecil B. Moore Avenue, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/goodbye-2021-02-23-e-lee-thomas-farley-philadelphia-martin-luther-king-older-adult-center-covid-19-vaccination-clinic-1700x825.jpeg)
![2021 04 28 k paynter penn museum protest over MOVE remains-9 A sign reads,](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021-04-28-k-paynter-penn-museum-protest-over-MOVE-remains-9-1700x825.jpeg)
![2021 04 28 k paynter penn museum protest over MOVE remains-2 Mike Africa raises a fist at a protest](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021-04-28-k-paynter-penn-museum-protest-over-MOVE-remains-2-1700x825.jpeg)
Philadelphia Schools Superintendent Dr. William Hite announced he would not renew his contract after 10 years with the district.
![goodbye 2021 08 31 k paynter first day of school 2021-12.jpeg Philadelphia School District Superintendent Dr. William Hite greeted students on their first day of school on Aug. 31, 2021](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/goodbye-2021-08-31-k-paynter-first-day-of-school-2021-12.jpeg.jpeg)
Soccer superstar Carli Lloyd, a native of Delran, retired from the sport at 39 with a big party thrown by her hometown in South Jersey.
![goodbye 2021 10 14-e lee-carli lloyd-delran nj-retirement party Carli Lloyd takes a selfie with some young soccer fans during a celebration of her storied soccer career in her hometown of Delran, N.J.](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/goodbye-2021-10-14-e-lee-carli-lloyd-delran-nj-retirement-party-1700x825.jpeg)
Union leader John Dougherty stepped down from his post at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 after being convicted on federal conspiracy and fraud charges.
![goodbye Philadelphia Union Boss Indictment John](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/goodbye-Philadelphia-Union-Boss-Indictment.jpeg)
Belmont Plateau’s iconic sugar maple tree was cut down for safety reasons.
![goodbye 2021 12 15 k paynter belmont maple removal-10.jpeg Philadelphia Parks and Rec work to remove the Belmont Plateau’s iconic sugar maple tree on the morning of Dec. 15, 2021](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/goodbye-2021-12-15-k-paynter-belmont-maple-removal-10.jpeg-1700x825.jpeg)
![2021 12 21 k paynter homeless memorial day 2021-9 (1) Over 300 votives bore the names of people who experienced homelessness, lost in 2021 at Homeless Memorial Day at Thomas Paine Plaza in Philadelphia on Dec. 21, 2021](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021-12-21-k-paynter-homeless-memorial-day-2021-9-1-1700x825.jpeg)
![](https://whyy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/wrap_up_sq.png)
Saturdays just got more interesting.
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