Interview with ConnCAT Participants
IntervieweeInterview with
Alberta Witherspoon
IntervieweeInterview with
Bettie Staton
American
InterviewerInterviewed by
Samariya Smith
Date2022 October 25
Mediumborn digital audio file
DimensionsDuration: 1 Hour, 14 Minutes, 17 Seconds
ClassificationsInformation Artifacts
Credit LineCommunity History Project Collection
DescriptionInterview with five participants at ConnCAT (Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology): Alberta Witherspoon, Bettie Staton, Devin James, India Kellman, and Orlando Yarborough. Interviewed by Samariya Smith on October 25, 2022 at ConnCAT, 4 Science Park, New Haven, Connecticut. They were interviewed as part of the Connecticut Historical Society's Community History Project discussing their experience during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
This interview was a public presentation at ConnCAT. Each participant spoke individually about their experience during COVID and audience members asked questions.
Orlando Yarborough is a pastor, he is self-employed, he works in education, and he is trained in bio-medical research. He spoke about how the pandemic impacted his decision making. It complicated the decisions he had to make because his choices impacted other people. Many of his decisions were based on whether or not something would be recoverable in the future if it was given up during COVID.
Bettie Staton is retired and led a very active life prior to the pandemic. She missed seeing her son and granddaughter for eight months and found the pandemic to be a very lonely experience. Zoom helped relieve the loneliness. She called the vaccine “a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.”
India Kellman is a college student. Prior to the pandemic she spent much of her time taking care of her mother, who had breast cancer. During the pandemic, India was not allowed to accompany her mother into doctors appointments, which made caring for her more difficult. Her mother died during COVID, but India was grateful for the extra time she got to spend with her mother.
Alberta Witherspoon was Housing Commissioner in New Haven at the time of the interview. She also helps out at church and a food bank, as well as fills many other human service-related roles in her community. Alberta describes Thanksgiving of 2020. Her daughter and oldest niece died of COVID within 6 weeks of each other, and both left behind families. Alberta relied on her faith during COVID.
Devin James was a high school student at the time of the interview. He describes his struggle with online school and thanks the teachers and coaches that helped him through. During COVID Devin found track and field. He hopes to receive a scholarship for track and field to pay for college. Devin pointed out that mental health was a big issue during COVID, especially for younger people.
This interview was a public presentation at ConnCAT. Each participant spoke individually about their experience during COVID and audience members asked questions.
Orlando Yarborough is a pastor, he is self-employed, he works in education, and he is trained in bio-medical research. He spoke about how the pandemic impacted his decision making. It complicated the decisions he had to make because his choices impacted other people. Many of his decisions were based on whether or not something would be recoverable in the future if it was given up during COVID.
Bettie Staton is retired and led a very active life prior to the pandemic. She missed seeing her son and granddaughter for eight months and found the pandemic to be a very lonely experience. Zoom helped relieve the loneliness. She called the vaccine “a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.”
India Kellman is a college student. Prior to the pandemic she spent much of her time taking care of her mother, who had breast cancer. During the pandemic, India was not allowed to accompany her mother into doctors appointments, which made caring for her more difficult. Her mother died during COVID, but India was grateful for the extra time she got to spend with her mother.
Alberta Witherspoon was Housing Commissioner in New Haven at the time of the interview. She also helps out at church and a food bank, as well as fills many other human service-related roles in her community. Alberta describes Thanksgiving of 2020. Her daughter and oldest niece died of COVID within 6 weeks of each other, and both left behind families. Alberta relied on her faith during COVID.
Devin James was a high school student at the time of the interview. He describes his struggle with online school and thanks the teachers and coaches that helped him through. During COVID Devin found track and field. He hopes to receive a scholarship for track and field to pay for college. Devin pointed out that mental health was a big issue during COVID, especially for younger people.
Object number2022.20.45
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.Cataloging Note: This cataloging project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-249472-OMS-21.
Subject Terms
- New Haven
- People of color
- Oral history
- Interviews
- COVID-19 (Disease)
- COVID-19 (Disease)
- COVID-19 Pandemic (2020)
- Oral narratives
- Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology (ConnCAT)
- Vaccines
- Education
- Clergy
- Church
- Religion
- Retirees
- Zoom (Electronic resource)
- Medical offices
- High school students
- Schools
- Students
- College students
- Black people
- Women
- African American women
- African Americans
- Mental health
- Men
- Death
- Physicians
- Mental health stigmas
- Family
- Friendship
- Health
- Healthcare
- Older people
- Social distancing (Public health)
- Social distancing (Public health)
- Public health
- Cancer patients
- Activism and advocacy
- Elected officials
- Food relief
- Online learning and distance education
- Sports
- Track and field
- Teachers
- Interviews and Oral Histories
- Born Digital Audio
- Community History Project IMLS Museums for America Grant
- COVID-19 Pandemic Collection
Collections
- COVID-19 Pandemic Oral History Interviews (Community History Project), 2022-2023
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