Year in Review: Texas' 2020 in photos

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By Photo team, The Texas Tribune Dec. 21, 2020

There was no shortage of news in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic, a recession, monumental protests and a historic election dominated Texans’ lives.

Texans struggled to keep food on the table — and themselves healthy in the face of a deadly virus that devastated families and entire communities. Health care providers worked beyond physical and psychological exhaustion. Essential workers strived to keep as many aspects of “normal” life functioning as possible. Countless volunteers helped out at polling places and handed out groceries at seemingly endless food bank lines. Parents and educators wrestled with keeping children safe without interrupting their development. And protesters took to the streets to demonstrate against systemic racism and police brutality.

Throughout it all, photographers were there to document how the year’s many epic moments played out. Here’s just a small sampling of what they captured.

Manuel Baez helped prepare a meal in January at the state-sanctioned camping site in Austin. Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune

Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden spoke during a campaign stop in Dallas on March 2, 2020. Credit: Cooper Neill for The Texas Trib

Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren took questions from reporters following a town hall event in San Antonio in February. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for the Texas Tribune

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sander speaks at his campaign rally in Austin on Feb. 23, 2020. Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune

First: Former Vice President Joe Biden, now president-elect, spoke in March during a campaign stop in Dallas. Next: Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren took questions from reporters in February after a town hall event in San Antonio. Last: Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders spoke in February at a campaign rally in Austin. Credit: Eddie Gaspar, Jordan Vonderhaar and Cooper Neill for The Texas Tribune

Members of church security teams from across Texas gathered in Krugerville in January for certification in church security and to train for an active-shooter situation. Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune

An H-E-B grocery store in Austin was low on inventory at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Shoppers stocked up out of fears of food shortages. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

A TXDOT sign on a highway near Houston during the coronavirus pandemic on April 1, 2020. Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune

Closed businesses in the Deep Ellum area of Dallas on March 31, 2020. Credit: Cooper Neill for The Texas Tribune

First: A Texas Department of Transportation sign warned travelers from Louisiana to quarantine upon entering Texas in April. Last: Businesses were closed in March in the Deep Ellum area of Dallas. Credit: Michael Stravato and Cooper Neill for The Texas Tribune

Shuttered bars on Austin's iconic Sixth Street during the coronavirus pandemic. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

An empty Seventh Street during morning rush hour in Downtown Austin. The city’s streets were mostly empty as a result of the coronavirus pandemic in Texas. March 25, 2020. Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune

Shuttered businesses on Sixth Street in Austin during the COVID-19 pandemic on March 19, 2020. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted businesses statewide. Businesses closed and streets were mostly empty in downtown Houston and Austin as a result of stay-at-home orders in the early part of the year. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. and Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

David Aguirre’s mother, Estela, died March 28 after becoming ill at The Waterford at College Station, an assisted living facility. His brother, Art Aguirre, was fighting for Texas leaders to disclose the locations of long-term care centers where COVID-19 outbreaks had occurred. Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune

Harris County Health Department nurse Harriet Lewis administered a COVID-19 test at Stallworth Stadium in Baytown in March. Credit: Reggie Mathalone for The Texas Tribune

Nurse Kristen Howell, left, and Medical Lab Technician, Amanda Hernandez, administered a COVID-19 test at the Austin Regional Clinic drive-up testing site in Kyle on March. Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune

First: Harris County Health Department nurse Harriet Lewis administered a COVID-19 test in March at Stallworth Stadium in Baytown. Last: Nurse Kristen Howell, left, and medical lab technician Amanda Hernandez administered a COVID-19 test in March at the Austin Regional Clinic drive-up testing site in Kyle. Credit: Reggie Mathalone and Eddie Gaspar for The Texas Tribune

Liliana Ruiz arranges used items for a garage sale that she is hosting outside of her house in a colonia in Edinburg. Ruiz said she called the U.S. Census Bureau phone number to get her family included in the decennial count in March. Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune

A handful of cars drove down Grant Avenue as an advertisement from Medical Center Hospital urged community members to stay home in Odessa. Credit: Ben Powell for The Texas Tribune

The parking lot of the Waco ISD Stadium is filled with cars waiting to receive disaster relief food boxes from the Central Texas Food Bank. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

Volunteers Christy Minjarez, Sandy Grace and Yvonne Mendoza prepare boxes of food at the Kelly Memorial Food Pantry in Central El Paso, which serves 700-1000 families a day during the Coronavirus pandemic. April 7, 2020. ( Credit: Emily Kinskey for The Texas Tribune

Volunteers load boxes of food into a car during a drive-thru food distribution hosted by the Central Texas Food Bank at the Travis County Expo Center. Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune

A volunteer coordinator prepares boxes of food at the Kelly Memorial Food Pantry in Central El Paso, which serves 700-1000 families a day during the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: Emily Kinskey for The Texas Tribune

Volunteers prepare boxes of food at the Kelly Memorial Food Pantry in El Paso and the Travis County Expo Center in Austin. The pantries have served many in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: Emily Kinskey and Allie Goulding for The Texas Tribune

Worshippers sing during an Easter service at the Glorious Way Church in Houston. Attendees maintained social distance during the two services and used hand sanitizer upon entering and exiting. Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune

A line of cars snakes through the parking lot at Hancock Center in Austin while people wait for COVID-19 tests at the Community Care clinic. Some reported four-hour wait times in June. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

After the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Mike Ramos in Austin, hundreds of protesters met at the police headquarters in downtown Austin and proceeded to take over both sides of Interstate 35. Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune

Protesters raise their arms and chant, “Don’t shoot!” after Austin police officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the crowd. May 30, 2020. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

Protesters raise their arms and chant, “Don’t shoot!” after Austin police officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the crowd. May 30, 2020. Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune

Protesters run away as Dallas police officers launch tear gas after a confrontation during a rally for George Floyd in May 29, 2020. Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

Protesters gathered in Austin, Houston and Dallas to demonstrate against the death of George Floyd in May. Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police while being arrested. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr., Pu Ying Huang and Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

A hearse containing the body of George Floyd drove up a flag-lined street in June as it approached the Fountain of Praise Church in Houston. Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune

A man holds a bouquet of flowers at the Fountain Life Center as he waits in line to board a shuttle to the memorial for George Floyd in Houston on June 8, 2020. Credit: Contributor

Candles are held up in the air during a vigil for George Floyd at Yates High School in Houston on June 8, 2020. Credit: Contributor

From right, Taylor Putnam comforts her friend Veronica Holmes at a vigil honoring those who's lives were lost to police shootings at Freedman's Memorial Cemetery on May 31, 2020. Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

Texans gathered in Houston and Dallas to honor the life of George Floyd with vigils and marches. Credit: Annie Mulligan and Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

More than 5,000 people gathered for Black Austin Rally & March For Black Lives at Huston Tillotson University in June. Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune

Austin Justice Coalition founder Chas Moore speaks to more than 5,000 people gathered at Huston-Tillotson University for Black Austin Rally & March For Black Lives on June 7, 2020. Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune

More than 5,000 protesters gathered in June for the Black Austin Rally and March for Black Lives at Huston-Tillotson University. Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune

Johnathan Whitworth, 8, participated in the Black Austin Rally and March for Black Lives in June. Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune

Friends of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén gathered outside Power House Gym in Houston during a vigil held in her honor on Sunday. Credit: Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune

Juan Cruz kneels in front of a mural honoring his girlfriend, Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén, on Sunday, July 5, 2020. Credit: Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune

First: Friends of Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén gathered outside Power House Gym in Houston during a vigil in her honor. Guillén, a 20-year-old Army specialist, went missing in April from Fort Hood. Her remains were found months later. Her disappearance sparked protests against the military for its handling of sexual harassment allegations. Last: Juan Cruz knelt in front of a mural honoring Guillén, his girlfriend, in July. Credit: Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune

People gathered at a mural and memorial honoring Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén at Taqueria del Sol in Houston in July. Her death sparked investigations into leadership at Fort Hood. In December, officials announced that 14 U.S. Army leaders, including commanders and other leaders at Fort Hood, had been fired or suspended in an effort to correct a yearslong culture of sexual assault and a pattern of violence at the base. Credit: Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune

People watch a fireworks display from the parking lot of Church of the Springs in Dripping Springs on July 4, 2020. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

Families attend a fireworks show at Doc’s Drive-in Theatre in Buda to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday. Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune

First: People watched a fireworks display July 4 from the parking lot of Church of the Springs in Dripping Springs. Last: Families attended a fireworks show at Doc’s Drive-in Theatre in Buda to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar and Eddie Gaspar for The Texas Tribune

Bill Hyman, executive director of the Independent Cattlemen’s Association of Texas, with cattle at his ranch in Austin in July. A study from the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University warned that droughts in the latter part of this century could be the worst on record. Texas ranchers, activists and local officials said they are bracing for megadroughts brought by climate change. Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune

Nurses and doctors in the COVID-19 unit at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance Health System in Edinburg. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

Nurses prepare to enter the COVID-19 unit at the Doctors Hospital at Renaissance Health System in Edinburg. June 30, 2020. Because of the risk of exposure to COVID-19, nurses are required to wear personal protective equipment. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

The COVID-19 unit at the DHR Health Center in Edinburg on June 30, 2020. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

Doctors and nurses inside a COVID-19 ward at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance in Edinburg cared for patients in the Rio Grande Valley in July. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

A nurse checks on a patient in the COVID-19 unit at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance in Edinburg. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

Juan Lopez prepared to pick up a body from a refrigerated trailer at Doctors Health at Renaissance in Edinburg in July. Lopez was overwhelmed with the amount of bodies to transport. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

Juan Lopez wheels a stretcher toward a house in McAllen. Lopez is picking up the body of a person that died due to COVID-19. After picking up the body, Lopez will deliver it to a local funeral home. July 17, 2020. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

Juan Lopez works to remove a dead body from a home in McAllen. The person recently died from COVID-19. July 17, 2020. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

Juan Lopez sprays disinfectant after placing a body in the interior of his vehicle in McAllen. Lopez picks up the bodies of the deceased and delivers them to local funeral homes. July 17, 2020 Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

Juan Lopez contracts with local funeral homes and the county to pick up and deliver bodies. In normal times, he would handle around 10 jobs a week, but saw a dramatic increase during the COVID-19 outbreak in the Rio Grande Valley. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

From left, Al Luna and Miguel Guzman move the body of someone that recently died from COVID-19 onto a table. They will shortly place the body inside an incinerator at the crematorium at Val Verde Memorial Gardens. July 17, 2020. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

Smoke billows out of a smoke stack at the crematorium at Val Verde Memorial Gardens in Donna. July 17, 2020. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

From left, Al Luna and Miguel Guzman move the body of someone who died of COVID-19 onto a table. They will soon place the body inside an incinerator at a crematorium in Donna. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

Aimee Tambwe, a student at the University of North Texas in Denton, noticed extra fees on her tuition bill after classes went online as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune

Juanita Ramos posed for a portrait in her backyard in July. By sharing critical information, Ramos helped detail how domestic and foreign investors, many with marijuana industry ties, seized upon the nation’s public health disaster to benefit from the sudden demand for masks. Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune

Armed protesters stand next to a memorial to Garrett Foster, who was shot and killed in August during a protest against police brutality in Austin. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

A protester armed with a baseball bat kneels in the street with fist upraised as protesters clashed with police in downtown Austin on Aug. 1, 2020. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for the Texas Tribune

A police officer sprays a protester with pepper spray as demonstrators clash with police in riot gear in downtown Austin on August 1, 2020. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for the Texas Tribune

Protesters clashed with police in August in the wake of the shooting death of Garrett Foster in downtown Austin. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

Isaiah Vale placed flowers at a memorial in August at Ponder Park in El Paso in honor of the victims of the 2019 Walmart shooting, which occurred a year earlier. Credit: Joel Angel Juárez for The Texas Tribune

The Mount Calvary Baptist Church's steeple lays entangled with tree debris on the ground after Hurricane Laura blew through Orange on Aug. 27, 2020. Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune

Drainage foreman Robert Walker scans the side of his house for storm damage after Hurricane Laura blew through Orange. Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune

First: The Mount Calvary Baptist Church's steeple laid entangled with tree debris on the ground after Hurricane Laura blew through Orange in late August. Last: Drainage foreman Robert Walker scanned the side of his house for storm damage after the hurricane. Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune

Flags outside a home in North Austin represent the Texans who have died of COVID-19. The number of flags has continued to increase. Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune

Members of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe rallied outside of the Capitol in September to help increase voter turnout. Tribal Council Chair Cecilia Flores hoped that a higher voter turnout would result in tribal issues being taken more seriously in the state. Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune

U.S. History teacher Cris Hernandez teaches a class remotely in an empty classroom at Westfield High School on Sept 15, 2020. Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune

Shubhi Agarwal is a freshman at the University of Texas at Austin and got tested for COVID-19. Sept. 4, 2020. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

Atticus Sandlin works to provide support and empowerment to LGBTQ youth. He takes part in youth-led sex education at his school and throughout Texas with the Dallas organization Youth First. Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

First: U.S. History teacher Cris Hernandez instructed a class remotely in September from an empty classroom at Westfield High School. Next: Shubhi Agarwal, a freshman at the University of Texas at Austin, is tested for COVID-19. Last: Atticus Sandlin has worked to provide support and empowerment to LGBTQ youth. He has taken part in youth-led sex education at his school and throughout Texas with the Dallas organization Youth First. Credit: Amna Ijaz, Miguel Gutierrez Jr. and Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

Janet Abou-Elias, vice president of the University of Texas at Austin Arab Student Association, was disappointed by the lack of recognition of Arab Texans by the U.S. Census Bureau's decennial questionnaire. Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune

Guests danced at Billy Bob’s Texas, a honky-tonk in Fort Worth. Billy Bob's has been operating since August under food and beverage guidelines after previously being classified as a bar. Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

Guests dance at Billy Bob's Texas, a honky-tonk in Fort Worth. Billy Bob's has been operating since August 13 under food and beverage guidelines after previously being classified as a bar. Bars that did not already get the food and beverage license were allowed to reopen October 14 at 50% capacity, and must stop selling alcohol by 11 pm Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

From left, Malachi Bryant and Jay Smith, danced together on their first date at Veranda Rooftop Bar and Patio in San Marcos. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

Guests danced in October at Billy Bob’s Texas, a honky-tonk in Fort Worth, and at the Veranda Rooftop Bar and Patio in San Marcos. Credit: Shelby Tauber and Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

COVID-19 medical tents were set up at University Medical Center of El Paso due to the spike in COVID-19 cases in October. Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune

Francisco A. Morua, 95, walked home after casting his vote on Election Day at the Grandview Senior Center in El Paso. Credit: Joel Angel Juarez for The Texas Tribune

Barbara Boyle dressed in patriotic attire to vote on Election Day at Sugar Lakes Clubhouse in Sugar Land. Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune

Joanne Brodsky, center, chats in her garage-turned-polling location on Tuesday during Election Day in Houston,. Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune

Voters waited in line to cast their ballot outside the Manor ISD building on Election Day. Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune

Voters stand in line at Highland Hills Library to cast their ballots on Election Day in Dallas. Nov. 3, 2020. Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

First: Joanne Brodsky, right, chatted in her garage-turned-polling location on Election Day in Houston. Next: An election volunteer held a sign outside the Manor ISD building on Election Day. Last: Voters stood in line at Highland Hills Library in Dallas to cast their ballots on Election Day. Credit: Annie Mulligan, Amna Ijaz and Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune

Hezekiah Hunter has been learning from home due to the pandemic and has struggled to manage the onslaught of assignments that come with remote learning. Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune

Trump supporters gathered outside the capitol to protest President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory on Nov. 7, 2020. Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune

A Trump supporter screams profanities at a group of Biden supporters at the state Capitol in Austin as people turned out after Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. Nov. 7, 2020. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

First: Trump supporters gathered outside the Texas Capitol in November to protest President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Last: A Trump supporter screamed profanities at a group of Biden supporters at the state Capitol after Biden was declared the winner of the presidential election. Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune

Supporters of President-elect Joe Biden gather at the state Capitol to celebrate his victory in the 2020 Presidential Election. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

Supporters of President-elect Joe Biden gathered in downtown Austin to celebrate his election victory. Nov 7, 2020. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

Luki Martino and Joannie Wu hold gathered near the Capitol to celebrate the election victory of President-elect Joe Biden. Nov. 7, 2020. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

Supporters of President-elect Joe Biden gathered in downtown Austin to celebrate his election victory in November. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. and Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

Signs criticizing tourism in Marfa during the COVID-19 pandemic were posted in some parts of the city in November. Credit: Sarah Vasquez for The Texas Tribune

Quinn Smoot poses for a portrait at West Houston Assistance Ministries, which runs a food pantry. Food banks have been a huge help to clients like Smoot during the pandemic, but several sources of food and money from federal and state governments are ending soon. Credit: May-Ying Lam for the Texas Tribune

Before the start of the school day, Isabel Suarez works on homework from her home in Pflugerville in December. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

From left, Isabel Suarez and her sister, Llana Ramos, take a break from their virtual schooling to jump on the trampoline in their backyard. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

First: Before the start of her remote school day, Isabel Suarez works on homework from her bedroom in Pflugerville. Last: Suarez, left, and her sister, Llana Ramos, took a break from their virtual schooling to jump on a trampoline in their backyard. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

Angela Hobbbs, a social work intern with the University of Texas, received the first round of the COVID-19 vaccine from nursing intern Emily Houston. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

Sidney Phillips, administrative director of Pharmacy at Memorial Hermann Hospital, receives and transports the first Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines at Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Medical Center in Houston on Dec. 15, 2020. Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune

Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Linda Yancey receives the fifth Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Medical Center in Houston on Dec. 15, 2020. Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune

Dr. Annamaria Macaluso Davidson holds a COVID-19 vaccine registration card at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston in December. Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune

First: Sidney Phillips, administrative director of pharmacy at Memorial Hermann Hospital, transports one of the first shipments of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Houston. Next: Infectious disease specialist Dr. Linda Yancey receives the fifth Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the hospital. Last: Dr. Annamaria Macaluso Davidson shows a COVID-19 vaccine registration card. Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune

Elsa Ramirez, and her daughters Josseline, 11, and Francheska, 4, stand outside their home in Houston on Dec. 14, 2020. She and her three kids have managed to stay housed in her two-bedroom apartment, thanks to a federal eviction moratorium that expires at the end of the month Credit: Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune

Cate Puckett in her Houston home on Dec. 14, 2020. She is one of many Texans legally fighting against eviction as the CDC moratorium expires at the end of the month. Credit: Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune

First: Elsa Ramirez and her three children, including Josseline, 11, and Francheska, 4, have managed to stay housed in her two-bedroom Houston apartment because of a federal eviction moratorium that was set to expire at the end of December. Last: Cate Puckett is one of many Texans fighting against eviction. Credit: Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune

The Restlawn Memorial Park cemetery in El Paso during the COVID-19 pandemic in December. Credit: Joel Angel Juárez for The Texas Tribune