Even before the pandemic, it was a race against time to preserve Native American languages across the country. COVID-19 has accelerated this.

The Cherokee Nation has had more than 30 of its 2,000 fluent speakers pass away during the pandemic. They've made sure Cherokee language speakers received the COVID-19 vaccine first.

Other tribes have been prioritizing native speakers as well.

The Language Conservancy is one group working to revitalize native languages.

“It’s basically taken what might have given us another five years with the language, has now decreased it to maybe just a year or two before the last speakers pass on. And so, it's taken basically really a terrible crisis and created a whole other tragedy on top of it,” said Wil Meya, Executive Director at The Language Conservancy.

Just in the last six to 12 months, at least 30 of the speakers they've worked with personally have passed away. They've taken their efforts virtual, so they can continue in the pandemic.

That includes the teacher training and teaching young people native languages that usually happens in person. It's been happening over Zoom instead.

They say the positive from all this is they've been able to have people from all over the country, even the world, participate.

“Languages are, you know, an essential part of a community's identity and their health, and so we have this expression in the work we do that language is healing and for many young people, the relearning of their language is an effort to come to terms with the trauma of the past and try to move forward in a positive way,” said Meya.

The nonprofit has also pivoted to how it creates native language dictionaries.

Typically, it works in person with elders over two weeks. Now, they're putting laptops with a microphone and a recording setup on some reservations.

“We set up Zoom and we remote desktop into that machine and the linguist or the person who does the transcriber works with the elder just like you and I are talking over Zoom,” said Meya.

Currently, these remote dictionary efforts are happening in Montana with the Crow language, and in southern Colorado with the Ute dialect. They'll be expanding to parts of Canada in the coming months.

Vermont, USA —

Vaccinated Americans who want to take a trip to Canada starting on Aug. 9 need to follow a list of requirements.

Anyone over the age of 5 needs a negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of travel.

Make sure to bring the test with you when you cross the border.

Travelers must also upload vaccination details on the ArriveCan app, which is required to cross the border.

The app will ask several questions about travel plans and give people a receipt once everything checks out on the app.

It's important to note that when returning to the U.S., the Vermont Dept. of Health is strongly encouraging travelers to get tested again.

"We would recommend that within three to five days after someone comes back from any international travel that they be tested three to five days after they return. and also just self monitor for any symptoms," said Kelly Dougherty, deputy commissioner with the Vermont Dept. of Health.

The Vermont Dept. of Health said it's seeing an increase in testing over the past several weeks.

The organization said it doesn't know if it's because more people are traveling or if it's because of the delta variant.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – As the Derek Chauvin trial gets underway in the death of George Floyd, American studies experts and the mother of Philando Castile are reflecting on the societal impacts these types of court cases can have.

Five years ago, Philando was pulled over by police in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. The officer said his brake lights were out, but after Philando notified the officer he had a firearm on him, the situation quickly escalated and Philando was fatally shot.

“That man walked out of that courtroom with the evidence that clearly showed him murder my son to the extent he stuck the gun in the car to make sure he shot my son in his heart,” Philando’s mother, Valerie Castile said.

At the end of the trial, the officer was acquitted of all charges.

“In my mind, I was like, you have just given these people free reign to kill,” Ms. Castile said.

Ms. Castile says police brutality will not end if, in her words, officers get away with it.

“If you’re not held accountable, you’re like ‘oohwee, I got away with that. Imma do it again and again and again. And that’s what’s been happening,’” Ms. Castile said.

George Floyd also died in the Twin Cities. A little more than nine months later, the first of four officers at the scene of his death will face his fate in court.

What happened to Floyd -- even though it got so much international attention -- is not new. So, what has come out of trials like these from the past? Do we see societal change?

“Yeah, that’s the hard part. This will be a test,” Dr. August Nimtz said.

Dr. August Nimtz is a political science professor at the University of Minnesota. He has been a professor at the university since 1971. He studies the comparison of race, class and ethnicity in the United States. He says he’s witnessed a lot of change in his lifetime.

“In the 1960s, the anti-police brutality marches were almost exclusively African American,” Dr. Nimtz said.

What he saw in the streets in the weeks following Floyd’s death were marches with multi-racial populations, including large groups of Caucasians. He says that has never happened in the history of anti-police brutality protests.

“It’s a big breakthrough in my opinion,” Dr. Nimtz said.

Outrage over the continuous deaths of innocent people has fueled the Black Lives Matter movement. Dr. Duchess Harris is an expert in the movement and a professor of American studies at Macalester College.

“Only 25% of white American supported Black Lives Matter after the killing of Philando Castile," Dr. Harris said. "That number has catapulted since George Floyd to the point that actually United States Senator Mitt Romney was wearing a Black Lives Matter face mask at a protest.”

No matter what happens during the trials, Dr. Harris says people need to pay attention.

“I want people to be engaged. I think that it’s troubling to me right now that citizens are not engaged in what is happening around the nation,” Dr. Harris said./

Depending on the outcome, Dr. Nimtz believes people will once again take to the streets.

“There will be a lot of outrage. That’s why the ruling authorities have put up all of the barricades,” Dr. Nimtz said.

In Philando’s case, Ms. Castile says there was no justice for her son. She’s anxious to see what will happen in George Floyd’s case.

If the officers are convicted instead of being acquitted, Ms. Castile said, “I would just simply say I can see progress. Thank you, Jesus, thank you Lord.”

She is pleading for justice and hoping for change.

“You had eight minutes to change your mind, and you didn’t. You put your hands in your pocket and adjusted your weight. He did that. And you have to be a damn fool if you don’t think that man is guilty. You have to be a fool,” Ms. Castile said.

Related video above: First cruise ship since pandemic is set to depart Venice

The first major cruise ship open to North Americans since the industry paused over a year ago due to the coronavirus pandemic set sail on Sunday.

Celebrity Millennium, part of the Celebrity Cruises line owned by Royal Caribbean Group, sailed from Philipsburg, St. Maarten with paying passengers on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. Royal Caribbean has not held cruises since March 2020.

"Today, we sail, again! This is such a significant moment for our company, our industry and the Caribbean. That this day has finally arrived for our guests and our crew is truly special — beyond words, really," Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President and CEO of Celebrity Cruises, said in a statement. "What an honor to now be the first to enthusiastically say, once again — 'Welcome Aboard!'"

The 7-day cruise from St. Maarten will include port stops in Barbados, Aruba and Curacao.

About 500 passengers are on board, over 95% who are fully vaccinated. Children who could not yet receive vaccinations were required to show negative COVID-19 tests.

All ship crew members are also fully vaccinated.

"More than 80% of our passengers said they would prefer to sail on a ship with fully vaccinated people," Colleen McDaniel, the editor-in-chief of Cruise Critic who is aboard Celebrity Millennium, told CNN. "It's like traveling in a bubble."

"This is the first big ship sailing in the Caribbeans so it feels pretty special," she added. "The energy and excitement is here is so powerful. The crew is so eager to have people finally on board. So many people were clapping, you can tell this finally feels normal again and it's making everyone very happy."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that for cruise lines to recommence sailing in U.S. waters, they must either complete "trial" cruises to replicate real-world cruising conditions, or comply with the CDC vaccination requirements.

Celebrity Cruises has opted for the latter, which involves submitting an attestation to the CDC stating "that 95% of crew (excluding any newly embarking crew in quarantine) are fully vaccinated and submit to CDC a clear and specific vaccination plan and timeline to limit cruise ship sailings to 95% of passengers who have been verified by the cruise ship operator as fully vaccinated prior to sailing."

While the ship usually sails from a port in the U.S., it is sailing from St. Maarten because there are still a number of hoops cruise lines have to pass through with the CDC to be allowed to sail.

However, Celebrity Edge is poised to be the first major cruise ship to sail from the United States in June 2021. This re-inaugural Celebrity cruise will depart from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on June 26, with all crew and all passengers over the age of 16 required to show proof they have been fully vaccinated before boarding.

And that regulation won't be going away — after August 1, the vaccination rule will expand to include travelers over the age of 12.