Interview with Miguelina Howell
InterviewerInterviewed by
Samariya Smith
Date2023 May 10
Mediumborn digital audio file
DimensionsDuration: 14 Minutes, 20 Seconds
ClassificationsInformation Artifacts
Credit LineCommunity History Project Collection
Object number2022.20.70
DescriptionInterview with Miguelina Howell. Interviewed by Samariya Smith on May 10, 2023 in Hartford, Connecticut. She was interviewed as part of the Connecticut Historical Society's Community History Project discussing her experience during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Miguelina recalled first hearing about covid on the news in December 2019. The first major disruptions in her life were shutting down in-person worship at her congregation and her children not being able to attend daycare.
Miguelina mentioned that she had to bury two members of her congregation who died from covid. She also read last rights to patients in the hospital via an iPad.
Miguelina agreed with mask mandates and vaccine mandates.
She discussed pivoting to use Zoom for church worship since it could not be in-person and how her congregation connected with the community via telephone rather than in-person visits. She noted being scared to go home to her children after spending time with contractors and workers during her church’s redevelopment project.
Miguelina felt that the pandemic offered people the opportunity to re-evaluate their priorities on a personal and institutional level. She recalled that the Black Lives Matter movement began long before the pandemic, but that the pandemic highlighted prioritization of care for the dominant culture.
Miguelina worked to become an American citizen in order to vote in the 2020 election, but could not share who she voted for because of her position as a priest. She agrees with absentee voting as long as there is accountability and a good process.
The pandemic provided Miguelina the opportunity to spend time with her family and bond with her young son, which she would have missed otherwise. However, she did note that she lost connection with a lot of people. She also felt that the congregation had to reinvent itself to continue to serve the people.
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.Miguelina recalled first hearing about covid on the news in December 2019. The first major disruptions in her life were shutting down in-person worship at her congregation and her children not being able to attend daycare.
Miguelina mentioned that she had to bury two members of her congregation who died from covid. She also read last rights to patients in the hospital via an iPad.
Miguelina agreed with mask mandates and vaccine mandates.
She discussed pivoting to use Zoom for church worship since it could not be in-person and how her congregation connected with the community via telephone rather than in-person visits. She noted being scared to go home to her children after spending time with contractors and workers during her church’s redevelopment project.
Miguelina felt that the pandemic offered people the opportunity to re-evaluate their priorities on a personal and institutional level. She recalled that the Black Lives Matter movement began long before the pandemic, but that the pandemic highlighted prioritization of care for the dominant culture.
Miguelina worked to become an American citizen in order to vote in the 2020 election, but could not share who she voted for because of her position as a priest. She agrees with absentee voting as long as there is accountability and a good process.
The pandemic provided Miguelina the opportunity to spend time with her family and bond with her young son, which she would have missed otherwise. However, she did note that she lost connection with a lot of people. She also felt that the congregation had to reinvent itself to continue to serve the people.
Cataloging Note: This cataloging project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-249472-OMS-21.
Status
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