Collected Item: “Cecilia Joseph Oral History, 2022/02/03”
Title
Interview with Cecilia Joseph
Who conducted the interview? List all names, separated by comma.
Kit Heintzman
Who was interviewed? List all names, separated by commas.
Cecilia Joseph
Email Address(es) for all interviewers. Separated by comma.
kheintzman@gmail.com
Use one-word hashtags (separated by commas) to describe your oral history. For example: Where did it originate? How does this object make you feel? How does this object relate to the pandemic?
#advocacy, #bereavement, #coldsnap2021, #college, #crafting, #diabetes, #dialysis, #disability, #emergencyroom, #highschool, #homeless, #hope, #immunocompromised, #insurance, #married, #masking, #panic, #partnership, #reading, #stress, #vaccine, #ventilator
What is the format of your recording?
Audio
In what ZIP code is the primary residence of the interviewee? (enter 5-digit ZIP code; for example, 00544 or 94305)? In what city/town/village does the interviewee live? In what country does the interviewee live? All comma-separated.
Houston, TX
What is the gender of the interviewee? Be sure to allow interviewees to self-identify their gender in the pre-interview or interview. *Do not assign a gender identity to interviewees.*
Female (she/her)
What is the age of the interviewee?
65 to 74
How does the interviewee describe their race or ethnicity? Be sure to allow interviewees to self-identify their race/ethnicity in the pre-interview or interview. *Do not assign a racial or ethnic identity to interviewees.*
African American
Describe the oral history.
Cecilia Joseph, Feb 3rd, 2022, Houston, TX 3:33pm
Self description
“I live in Houston, Texas. I call myself a seasoned saint, ‘cause I’m 60+, 65+. I live at home with my husband who is disabled, and my son; one of my sons is disabled. [I have two sons at home, and one is disabled.] And I work for a non-profit agency that does CHIP [Children’s Health Insurance Program] and children’s and Medicaid advocacy.”
Some of the things we spoke about included:
Having a disabled son (right side paralyzed) on dialysis, changing dialysis procedures from pre- to mid-pandemic; medical advocacy; new COVID protocols in the hospital
Mother passed away in March 2021, not being allowed in an emergency room, no one comforted her as she was passing
Opted not to have a memorial service, being in a large family where travel would have been necessary
The stress of new higher stakes decisions over everyday tasks, like going for groceries or going for a walk
Being a social family staying home; not visiting another son; being a hugger
No crowds at all, very few gatherings at all; safety boundaries when there are visitors… masking + vaccination
Decisions from head office about working from home; stopping outreach work in the community for safety
First hearing about the pandemic preparing for a fundraiser: Beat the Odds Scholarship for high schools seniors; 5 students chosen to receive the scholarship, Zoom celebration; those students different experiences of college moving online and not getting the experience of going to campus; homeless students
The upcoming cold snap, and the cold snap that happened in March [Feb?] 2021; losing electricity for ~4 days; risks of going to a shelter; strategies of staying warm
Universal healthcare
The decision to become vaccinated, and communication with family; comparisons with the flu shot, as well as mandatory vaccines
Hope and uplifting narratives
The apathy of others, hoaxers
Other cultural references include: Maya Angelou, Lysol, Macy’s, Zoom, Sidney Poitier, James Baldwin
See also:
http://cdftexas.org/policy/media/staff/cecilia-joseph/
https://cdftexas.org/programs/beat-the-odds/#honorees
Self description
“I live in Houston, Texas. I call myself a seasoned saint, ‘cause I’m 60+, 65+. I live at home with my husband who is disabled, and my son; one of my sons is disabled. [I have two sons at home, and one is disabled.] And I work for a non-profit agency that does CHIP [Children’s Health Insurance Program] and children’s and Medicaid advocacy.”
Some of the things we spoke about included:
Having a disabled son (right side paralyzed) on dialysis, changing dialysis procedures from pre- to mid-pandemic; medical advocacy; new COVID protocols in the hospital
Mother passed away in March 2021, not being allowed in an emergency room, no one comforted her as she was passing
Opted not to have a memorial service, being in a large family where travel would have been necessary
The stress of new higher stakes decisions over everyday tasks, like going for groceries or going for a walk
Being a social family staying home; not visiting another son; being a hugger
No crowds at all, very few gatherings at all; safety boundaries when there are visitors… masking + vaccination
Decisions from head office about working from home; stopping outreach work in the community for safety
First hearing about the pandemic preparing for a fundraiser: Beat the Odds Scholarship for high schools seniors; 5 students chosen to receive the scholarship, Zoom celebration; those students different experiences of college moving online and not getting the experience of going to campus; homeless students
The upcoming cold snap, and the cold snap that happened in March [Feb?] 2021; losing electricity for ~4 days; risks of going to a shelter; strategies of staying warm
Universal healthcare
The decision to become vaccinated, and communication with family; comparisons with the flu shot, as well as mandatory vaccines
Hope and uplifting narratives
The apathy of others, hoaxers
Other cultural references include: Maya Angelou, Lysol, Macy’s, Zoom, Sidney Poitier, James Baldwin
See also:
http://cdftexas.org/policy/media/staff/cecilia-joseph/
https://cdftexas.org/programs/beat-the-odds/#honorees
On what date did you record this oral history?
2022-02-03T15:33