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A Year In Photos: Images From Wisconsin’s Challenging 2020

From A Pandemic To Protests To A Contentious Election Cycle, He're What The Year Looked Like

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blue and red lights fill the night as a lone protester raises their arms in front of large law enforcement vehicles
A protester stands in front of bearcats as people are cleared out of the area Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, in Kenosha. The protests were in response to police shooting and wounding Jacob Blake. Angela Major/WPR

Starting this summer as Wisconsin Public Radio’s first dedicated photojournalist, I was tasked with capturing a challenging year, to say the least.

I traveled all over the state documenting protests in Kenosha, hospital workers in Madison and political events across Wisconsin in a presidential election year.

And of course the COVID-19 pandemic was a huge factor on both sides of the camera — as I captured the coronavirus’ impact on Wisconsin and its people, it also presented new hurdles in my work as a photojournalist, doing my best to keep myself and those around me safe and healthy.

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As I look back on the photos and stories from 2020, I am reminded of how these challenges touched every part of our lives.

a woman with a mask pulled down to her neck yells with the crowd next to her
Shyne Marie of Milwaukee yells with the crowd facing police in riot gear Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in Kenosha. Angela Major/WPR
A protester holds a banner with the word
A protester holds a banner at the front of the crowd of marchers Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in Kenosha. Angela Major/WPR
A woman's nose is swabbed while receiving a COVID-19 test at a drive thru location
Tammy Brooks of Fontana, Wis., receives a COVID-19 test from a member of the Wisconsin National Guard on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, in Walworth. Angela Major/WPR
Vice President Mike Pence sits at a roundtable with a tractor in the background
Vice President Mike Pence speaks at Morning Star Dairy on Friday, July 17, 2020, in Onalaska, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
a girl holds a make America great again hat
11-year-old Veronica Schaller holds a “Make America Great Again” hat while listening to Vice President Mike Pence speak at Morning Star Dairy on Friday, July 17, 2020, in Onalaska, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
A woman in a mask that says
A protest attendee closes her eyes while kneeling at the Stike for Black Lives on Monday, July 20, 2020, in Madison, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
A child in a mask leans close to his cow as he shows the animal at the fair
Nine-year-old Ian Brick, a member of Happy Valley 4-H, wears a mask as he shows his animal Friday, Aug. 21, 2020, at the Brown County Fair. Angela Major/WPR
a man in a face mask walks by ballots placed on the floor and on a table
Ballot counter Brian Eucalano walks past absentee ballots submitted in the August primary Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020, in Milwaukee, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
President Donald Trump can be seen through two arms holding up a sign in the crowd
President Donald Trump speaks in Oshkosh, Wis., on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. Angela Major/WPR
Blue light from a light stick illuminates a smiling man holding an American flag inside his car
Matt Feinberg of Franklin, Wis., watches the final day of the DNC from his car Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, at the Milwaukee County Zoo. Angela Major/WPR
a boy in a face mask sits to get his haircut
Five-year-old Karter Coleman whose family lives in the neighborhood where Jacob Blake was shot and wounded by police gets a haircut from Kenosha barber Quita Pompy on Tuesday, Sep. 1, 2020. Pompy decided to volunteer to give haircuts on her day off. Angela Major/WPR
a man reaches for another's neck in a physical altercation
A man in a “Make America Great Again” hat, left, and a protest atendee, right, fight after a tense argument Tuesday, Sep. 1, 2020, in Kenosha. Both men threw punches in the fight.  Angela Major/WPR
President Donald Trump wears a red hat as he approaches supporters who are gathered close together and raising their hands
President Donald Trump approaches a sea of supporters Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, at the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport in Janesville, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
Hills with fall colors surround a red barn
A farm in Coon Valley, Wis., is surrounded by fall colors Friday, Oct. 9, 2020. Angela Major/WPR
a child reaches out to grab a sticker while standing by the ballot scanning machine
7-year-old Makaila Arrington, center, gets a sticker from a poll worker while standing with her mother, Crystal Arrington, and her brother, Jacen, right, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, at Fifty-Third Street School in Milwaukee, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
a person holds a sign that says
Cece Lee, left, and Madeline Strasburg, right, dance Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Madison, Wis., after former Vice President Joe Biden was announced the winner of the 2020 presidential election. Angela Major/WPR
two people in U.S. flag printed shorts walk a dog. a woman wears a
Supporters of former Vice President Joe Biden walk near the Wisconsin State Capitol on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Madison, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
A man holds a Trump flag that waves in the wind. Supporters gather around in front of the capitol.
A supporter of President Donald Trump holds a flag during a rally Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, outside the Wisconsin State Capitol. Angela Major/WPR
A man in a face mask holds a swab as he approaches the driver of a vehicle. The man is in silhouette and under a tent as the sun begins to set.
A member of the Wisconsin National Guard administers a COVID-19 test Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020, at Blackhawk Technical College in Janesville, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
A woman in a large hood with a clear window stops by a station to use wipes
Christina Brahos, a registered nurse, uses wipes after caring for a patient with COVID-19 on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020, at UW Hospital. Angela Major/WPR
A woman in a blue gown, purple gloves, and a large white hood with a clear plastic window pulls up a glove as she walks through a hallway with other healthcare workers
Nurses and doctors at UW Hospital walk through a hallway Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020, in one of the hospital’s COVID-19 units, where patients are treated for the disease. Angela Major/WPR

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