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Collected Item: “Brittany Martin Oral History, 2022/05/10”

Title

Brittany Marvin

Who conducted the interview? List all names, separated by comma.

Kit Heintzman

Who was interviewed? List all names, separated by commas.

Brittany Marvin

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?

#Baltimore, #BigPharma, #Black, #capitalism, #children, #doula, #education, #empathy, #eviction, #food, #healthcare, #homophobia, #hospitals, #housing, #landlords, #LGBTQ+, #love, #Maryland, #masking, #medicalracism, #motherhood, #news, #optimism, #race, #racism, #resilience, #school, #transportation

What is the format of your recording?

Video

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.

Baltimore, Maryland

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.*

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.*

Black American

Describe the oral history.

Some of the things we discussed include:
Beginning of the pandemic: canceling travel plans, nature taking back the city, shortage of PPE and toilet paper, uncertainty about the seriousness of the problem
Young kids learning through mailed-out packages from the school, transitioning to online learning, sending children back to school
Talking with kids about the pandemic without scaring them
Positive experiences with a doula, becoming a doula in wanting to serve Black women so those women could have doulas who look like them; needing more Black healthcare professionals in general
Hospital pandemic policies separated doulas from their clients
Virtual doula work
Medical hierarchies in the birthing process, physicians dismissing doulas, certification
Hospitals making decisions for birthing people that are about speed and money, not the birther’s needs
“Birthing person” word choice, inclusive language
Staying away from the news
Not wanting to get on a plane, go to a mall or a concert, avoiding and missing out on celebratory events, becoming less spontaneous
Health policy weaponized against vulnerable people; racism and maternal mortality rate; home births being criminalized or not covered by insurance
Government policy and healthcare access; universal healthcare
Impersonal, for-profit healthcare
Pollution and the poor quality of food making people sick; climate change and a dying planet; planets for sale
Driving rather than taking public transit
The new experience of worrying about asymptomatic illness
Love and health; warmth and safety
Finding hope in the work of younger generations: the student led walkout in Florida over “Don’t say gay” Bill, youth working for clean water
Getting support from friendship and family, providing support to clients and receiving support from clients: feeling “seen” and “loved”
Preparing for first vending event
Moving back in with mother after eviction
Comparisons between the USA and other government policies to support citizens with housing, unemployment, and health needs during the pandemic
Easy application for government pandemic assistance; slow turn around on getting assistance
Consequences of inadequate unemployment support
Unaffordable housing and minimum wage; site unseen renting
Landlords rejecting Rent Assistance Funds
Landlords and apartment management companies exploiting the housing market
The importance of regular people in history; those most impacted by legislation and policy that exploits and harms them
Police brutality, policy murdering Black people without consequence
Fatal homophobia and transphobia
The freedom to “just be”
Men controlling women’s bodies and pregnancy

Other cultural references: Beyonce, Lysol, Saturday Night Live, Florida’s HB 1557, Baltimore Gas and Electric, Baltimore Birth Festival (https://marylandfamiliesforsafebirth.org/event/new-2nd-annual-baltimore-birth-festival-may-15-2022/), Love After Lockup, Pearl Burk’s “the test of a civilization is the way that it cares for its helpless members”

See also:
https://www.msfdoula.com

On what date did you record this oral history?

2022-05-10T17:55
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