Interview with Ira Revels
InterviewerInterviewed by
Samariya Smith
Date2022 June 2
Mediumborn digital audio file
DimensionsDuration: 43 Minutes, 4 Seconds
ClassificationsInformation Artifacts
Credit LineCommunity History Project Collection
Object number2022.20.13
DescriptionInterview with Ira Revels. Interviewed by Samariya Smith on June 2, 2022 at Semilla Cafe, 1283 Main Street, Hartford.
Ira recalled first reading about Covid-19 in late 2019, then her roommate and roommate’s partner both became ill. The first disruption to her life was lockdown, during which communication through Facebook inspired the beginning of Hartford Mutual Aid.
Ira assisted Hartford Mutual Aid in getting organized, but then decided it was too overwhelming. She also assisted in distributing laptops to single mothers so that their children could attend school from home.
She compared covid to the Spanish flu and discussed her choice to live life while still taking precautions against covid. Her precautions included masks, frequent hand-washing, a change in diet, exercise, and creating go-bags for herself and loved ones.
Ira received information from online news sources, international news sources, Facebook, friends and family, and local people. She also served as a resource for local organizations because she is a grant-writer.
Ira did not trust the vaccine and did not feel that she needed it. She discussed the Tuskegee Syphilis experiment and her distrust of the MRNA vaccine technology.
Ira recalled the stress, trauma, and negativity of President Donald Trump being on the news every day.
She discussed the need for people to use their skills to help create the future they want to see, which will create the new normal with a lot of opportunities for people.
Ira described her experience with an illness that she believes was covid, though she never tested for it.
Ira stayed busy throughout the pandemic between teaching, visiting loved ones, and assisting with grant work. She did not have time to pick up any new hobbies.
Covid caused a great deal of loss in Ira’s life. Many of her family members and loved ones passed away from covid or complications related to covid.
She described the pandemic as “awful” and the greatest lesson she learned was to treat herself better.
NotesSubject Note: The Connecticut Historical Society’s Community History Project (CHP) is a public-facing initiative, focused on contemporary collecting, gathering items of the recent past as well as from events happening today. This program developed community historians to identify, document, and preserve their experiences as residents of Connecticut, and to share these experiences during a series of community presentations. The project focused on the impact of Covid-19 on Connecticans, particularly on Black and Brown communities, funeral homes, and on nursing home and elder care populations.Ira recalled first reading about Covid-19 in late 2019, then her roommate and roommate’s partner both became ill. The first disruption to her life was lockdown, during which communication through Facebook inspired the beginning of Hartford Mutual Aid.
Ira assisted Hartford Mutual Aid in getting organized, but then decided it was too overwhelming. She also assisted in distributing laptops to single mothers so that their children could attend school from home.
She compared covid to the Spanish flu and discussed her choice to live life while still taking precautions against covid. Her precautions included masks, frequent hand-washing, a change in diet, exercise, and creating go-bags for herself and loved ones.
Ira received information from online news sources, international news sources, Facebook, friends and family, and local people. She also served as a resource for local organizations because she is a grant-writer.
Ira did not trust the vaccine and did not feel that she needed it. She discussed the Tuskegee Syphilis experiment and her distrust of the MRNA vaccine technology.
Ira recalled the stress, trauma, and negativity of President Donald Trump being on the news every day.
She discussed the need for people to use their skills to help create the future they want to see, which will create the new normal with a lot of opportunities for people.
Ira described her experience with an illness that she believes was covid, though she never tested for it.
Ira stayed busy throughout the pandemic between teaching, visiting loved ones, and assisting with grant work. She did not have time to pick up any new hobbies.
Covid caused a great deal of loss in Ira’s life. Many of her family members and loved ones passed away from covid or complications related to covid.
She described the pandemic as “awful” and the greatest lesson she learned was to treat herself better.
Cataloging Note: This cataloging project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-249472-OMS-21.
Status
Not on view
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