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Collected Item: “José Santos Woss Oral History, 2022/05/24”

Title

José Santos Woss

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

Kit Heintzman

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

José Santos Woss

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?

#6Jan2021, #advocacy, #Baltimore, #Black, #Catholicism, #Congress, #crime, #debt, #engagement, #fostering, #government, #guns, #Hispanic, #hygiene, #joy, #legislation, #Maryland, #Medicare, #Omicron, #police, #policy, #prison, #Quaker, #race, #racism, #touch, #transit

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.*

Him/his

What is the age of the interviewee?

35 to 44

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.*

Race: Black
Ethnicity: Latino

Describe the oral history.

Some of the things we discussed include:
History and the white colonial gaze. Gaps in the education system.
The legacies of slavery in modern capitalism.
Anti-Black racism, and the importance of listening to Black scholars.
First hearing about COVID-19 from a cousin living in London circa Feb/Mar 2020.
Moving in with partner early in the pandemic; buying a house in Baltimore; becoming engaged in Jan 2021; postponing the wedding; becoming a foster parent of an infant in April 2021.
Working as the Director for Justice Reform with the Friend Committee on National Legislation. A career in justice and equity.
Advocacy in Congress.
Working remotely, moving, commuting.
Work-life balance; multi-tasking; increased productivity.
Increasing crime–carjackings, burglaries–in Baltimore; increased police presence.
Unaffordable housing and childcare.
For-profit healthcare. Healthcare expenses and commodifying the human body; healthcare as a right.
Prisons and COVID-19 safety precautions.
Federal vs. state criminal-legal-system advocacy.
Changing demographics to the USA and global population. Growing economies in communities of color.
The difference between religion and spirituality.

Other cultural references include:
First Step Act (2018), the DC Metro, Zoom, the Affordable Care Act, Rock Creek Park, the CARES Act (2020), Medicare for all, Electoral Count Act, Netflix, TikTok, Twitter, MLK Jr. and the March on Washington (1963), Bayard Rustin, the African Proverb “Until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter.”

See also:
https://www.fcnl.org/people/jose-santos-woss
https://www.friendsjournal.org/we-have-much-left-to-do/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu38Mobzk7Y
https://stevegruber.podbean.com/e/jose-santos-woss-mi%C2%A0voting-access-laws-for-2022-midterms/

On what date did you record this oral history?

2022-05-24T11:04
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