Digging deep into stories and origins untold.

Happening in the World: The World Health Organization (WHO) forms a new task force as a last-ditch effort to bring the public clarity about the origins of COVID-19. Although it’s been over a year and a half since the virus was first discovered in Wuhan, China, the emergence of the virus remains unclear. The new WHO task force hopes to research and confirm earlier claims that the virus most likely originated in bats, and was transmitted from animals to humans (BBC). 

Happening in the US: The first national museum celebrating the hidden history of Black musicians is increasing tourism in Nashville, Tennessee. The grand opening, which occurred earlier this year, marks the end of a nearly twenty-year battle for Nashville to find a way to publicly celebrate racial diversity in the music industry. With a focus on  “Fisk Jubilee Singers” and “spiritual music,” The Nation Museum of African American Music is the first and only attraction in Nashville that isn’t centered on the creation of music by white musicians or the genre of country music as a whole. Nashville city leaders cite wanting to celebrate their city’s hidden cultural diversity—and move away from their image as the world’s country music capital—as their main motivations for creating the museum (NPR). 

Happening in NYC: Starting later this month, SoHo will celebrate the 75th birthday of late musician David Bowie by hosting a pop-up event. The celebration will have a combination of interactive activities, exclusive merchandise, and rare peaks into the behind-the-scenes life of one of the world’s favorite singer-songwriters. The pop-up will be available for tourists every day from October 29 to sometime in late January (Gothamist). 

Happening in Our Community: NYPD and CU Public Safety are teaming up to present the community with Operation ID technology—a new way to give Columbia students peace of mind when it comes to keeping track of their valuables. The event will take place in the Jerome L. Greene Science Center today from 11 am to 4 pm. Find more info here. 

Image via Flickr.