Interview with Andrew Velazquez
InterviewerInterviewed by
Felicia Pilewski
Date2023 April 5
Mediumborn digital audio file
DimensionsDuration (Part 1 duration): 38 Minutes, 53 Seconds
Duration (Part 2 duration): 9 Minutes, 33 Seconds
Duration (Total duration): 48 Minutes, 26 Seconds
Duration (Part 2 duration): 9 Minutes, 33 Seconds
Duration (Total duration): 48 Minutes, 26 Seconds
ClassificationsInformation Artifacts
Credit LineCommunity History Project Collection
Description(a) Interview with Andrew Velazquez. Interviewed by Felicia Pilewski on 5 April 2023 in New Britain, Connecticut. (b) Photograph of Andrew Velazquez taken at his interview. He was interviewed as part of the Connecticut Historical Society's Community History Project discussing his experience during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Andrew recalled first hearing about covid in November 2019 regarding its presence in China. He discussed his struggle to find a job, which was the biggest disruption to his life in the early stages of the pandemic. He wore a mask, practiced social distancing, and agreed with mask mandates.
Andrew discussed the severity of covid symptoms in different members of his family, including himself, his mother, and his girlfriend. He was impressed with the speed at which the vaccine was developed, despite it causing issues for some people with underlying health problems, and agreed with vaccine mandates.
Andrew used the internet as an escape tool, but also used it to be social and keep himself up to date on the social issues prevalent at the time. He shared detailed experiences from participating in the Black Lives Matter movement and protests.
He voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 election, though he was not a Biden supporter. He supported absentee voting and expressed the belief that it should be a normal part of our society.
Andrew’s mental health was greatly impacted by the pandemic. Initially it affected him negatively, then he found coping mechanisms and his mental health improved.
He discussed his improved relationships with his mother and his partner, as well as the ways his personal community shifted during the pandemic. Andrew was able to take his stress and anxiety and channel it into acts that were beneficial for people around him rather than detrimental to himself.
Andrew’s greatest lesson from the pandemic was to “just be yourself” and people will appreciate you for who you are.
Andrew recalled first hearing about covid in November 2019 regarding its presence in China. He discussed his struggle to find a job, which was the biggest disruption to his life in the early stages of the pandemic. He wore a mask, practiced social distancing, and agreed with mask mandates.
Andrew discussed the severity of covid symptoms in different members of his family, including himself, his mother, and his girlfriend. He was impressed with the speed at which the vaccine was developed, despite it causing issues for some people with underlying health problems, and agreed with vaccine mandates.
Andrew used the internet as an escape tool, but also used it to be social and keep himself up to date on the social issues prevalent at the time. He shared detailed experiences from participating in the Black Lives Matter movement and protests.
He voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 election, though he was not a Biden supporter. He supported absentee voting and expressed the belief that it should be a normal part of our society.
Andrew’s mental health was greatly impacted by the pandemic. Initially it affected him negatively, then he found coping mechanisms and his mental health improved.
He discussed his improved relationships with his mother and his partner, as well as the ways his personal community shifted during the pandemic. Andrew was able to take his stress and anxiety and channel it into acts that were beneficial for people around him rather than detrimental to himself.
Andrew’s greatest lesson from the pandemic was to “just be yourself” and people will appreciate you for who you are.
Object number2022.20.69a-b
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 Britain
- People of color
- Oral history
- Interviews
- COVID-19 (Disease)
- COVID-19 (Disease)
- COVID-19 Pandemic (2020)
- Oral narratives
- Hispanic people
- Hispanic Americans
- China
- Job loss
- History
- Masks
- Face masks
- Social distancing (Public health)
- Social distancing (Public health)
- Autism
- Autism
- Symptoms
- Family
- Nurses
- Schools
- Cancer survivors
- Vaccines
- Vaccine hesitancy
- Vaccine mandates
- Social media
- Relationships
- Black Lives Matter movement
- Protest movements
- Protest demonstrations
- Social justice
- Social reform movements
- New Haven (Conn.)
- Activism and advocacy
- Civil disobedience
- Biden, Joseph R., Jr., 1942-
- Voting
- Absentee voting
- Capitol Riot, Washington, D.C., 2021
- Capitol Riot, Washington, D.C., 2021
- Mental health
- Depression
- Homelessness
- Friendship
- Collecting
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Spanish Flu Epidemic, 1918-1919
- Elections
- 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
On View
Not on view
