Collected Item: “Jessie M. Meehan Oral History, 2021/05/05”
Title
Interview with Jessie M Meehan
Who conducted the interview? List all names, separated by comma.
Kit Heintzman
Who was interviewed? List all names, separated by commas.
Jessie M Meehan
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?
#12steps, #activism, #antiracism, #art, #artist, #BLM, #California, #chauvin, #dog, #LosAngeles, #meditation, #music #musician #optimism, #pandemicpets, #performancearts, #popmusic #queer #single, #surfing, #testing, #therapy, #vaccination, #work
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.
Los Angeles, CA
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?
25 to 34
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.*
White
Describe the oral history.
Self-description:
“I’m a queer female. And, I’m in a band called WASI and, you know, we’ve been playing together for quite some time. And It’s a lot of fun, electronic, kind of punky. I also work in television as a set dresser. That’s pretty much what I’m up to. I’m a big advocate for queer visibility, out in life, in work, everywhere. And having safe spaces, my band is very much about safe spaces.”
Some of the things we discussed included:
The pandemic as a transformative event
Having extensive experience with healthcare infrastructure pre-pandemic, how much of a difference insurance makes, MediCal, and the consequences of waiting for medical procedures
Wanting equitable healthcare for all
12 Step programs and seeing a therapist for the first time
Awareness as a central aspect of health
Not working between mid-March 2020--December 2020
How work and the imperative to keep busy emphasizes the external and takes one out of the body and obscurs pain
Trying to hold onto lessons about allowing down and staying in touch with the body after returning to work in January 2021
Entering the pandemic newly single
Being a social person during the pandemic
The importance of physical contact and how a pet dog, Ferris, provided that
Gender and sexuality and body dysmorphia and disordered eating
Getting into surfing and meditating
Weekly testing pre-pandemic
Getting access to the vaccine because of someone else’s last minute cancelation
Getting vaccinated and feeling safer in a mostly vaccinated social circle
Post-vaccination awkward hugs
Global inequities of vaccine access, India
Anti-Asian racism, the intensity of police violence at BLM protests, and the Derek Chauvin trial
White-on-white antiracism
Having an immunocompromised mother
The physical hardship that healthcare workers have gone through during the pandemic
Paying respect to those who died
See also:
http://voyagela.com/interview/life-work-jessie-meehan/
https://wasi.bandcamp.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessie-meehan-43140184
“I’m a queer female. And, I’m in a band called WASI and, you know, we’ve been playing together for quite some time. And It’s a lot of fun, electronic, kind of punky. I also work in television as a set dresser. That’s pretty much what I’m up to. I’m a big advocate for queer visibility, out in life, in work, everywhere. And having safe spaces, my band is very much about safe spaces.”
Some of the things we discussed included:
The pandemic as a transformative event
Having extensive experience with healthcare infrastructure pre-pandemic, how much of a difference insurance makes, MediCal, and the consequences of waiting for medical procedures
Wanting equitable healthcare for all
12 Step programs and seeing a therapist for the first time
Awareness as a central aspect of health
Not working between mid-March 2020--December 2020
How work and the imperative to keep busy emphasizes the external and takes one out of the body and obscurs pain
Trying to hold onto lessons about allowing down and staying in touch with the body after returning to work in January 2021
Entering the pandemic newly single
Being a social person during the pandemic
The importance of physical contact and how a pet dog, Ferris, provided that
Gender and sexuality and body dysmorphia and disordered eating
Getting into surfing and meditating
Weekly testing pre-pandemic
Getting access to the vaccine because of someone else’s last minute cancelation
Getting vaccinated and feeling safer in a mostly vaccinated social circle
Post-vaccination awkward hugs
Global inequities of vaccine access, India
Anti-Asian racism, the intensity of police violence at BLM protests, and the Derek Chauvin trial
White-on-white antiracism
Having an immunocompromised mother
The physical hardship that healthcare workers have gone through during the pandemic
Paying respect to those who died
See also:
http://voyagela.com/interview/life-work-jessie-meehan/
https://wasi.bandcamp.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessie-meehan-43140184
On what date did you record this oral history?
2021-05-05