Collected Item: “Jacqueline Casimere Oral History, 2022/09/22”
Title
Jacqueline Casimere
Who conducted the interview? List all names, separated by comma.
Kit Heintzman
Who was interviewed? List all names, separated by commas.
Jacqueline Casimere
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?
#activist, #anxiety, #bereaved, #Columbus, #COVID+, #depression, #election, #funeral, #guns, #holidays, #hugs, #motherhood, #murder, #Ohio, #suicidality, #trauma, #vaccination, #voting
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.
USA, Ohio, Columbus
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?
55 to 64
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
Describe the oral history.
Some of the things we discussed include:
Discovering one’s own voice; showing up and being present for others as activism.
Having had surgery in December 2019, returning to work on March 17, 2020.
Learning electronics and new software to work from home.
Adult daughter and her family getting sick early in the pandemic; grandson with asthma.
Early speculation about the origins of the virus; learning more about the diversity of corona viruses, eg. common cold.
Supporting a friend, Malissa Thomas St.-Claire, in doing activism for Mothers of Murdered Columbus Children.
Son, Ray (Cash) Casimere, robbed and murdered in September 2020, grieving in isolation, becoming an activist.
People being reduced to numbers.
Granddaughter moving in after son’s death.
Son’s murderer OD’ing; finding peace in the absence of justice.
Starting a foundation in honor of her son, the C. Ray Casimere Foundation, gun buyback that would support those bringing guns in.
Planning the funeral during the pandemic; and allotment of 60 guests; funeral streaming.
Hosting a voter registration drive.
Having caught COVID twice.
Hosting holiday events for other mothers of murdered children; the importance of events for people at higher risk of suicide; reaching out.
Hugs and activism.
Timelines on grief, people thinking that it has been enough time to move on; finding ways to move forward.
Stigma and shame around mental health.
“It’s okay not to be okay.”
See also:
https://www.mothersofmurderedcolumbuschildren.com/our-team
https://gunmemorial.org/2020/09/24/cornelius-casimere
https://www.10tv.com/article/news/crime/mothers-of-murder-columbus-children-rally-end-gun-violence-saturday/530-937d1735-1e28-4dfc-96bb-0466d537bc76
https://news.wosu.org/politics-government/2022-02-15/mayor-ginther-declares-gun-violence-a-public-health-crisis-in-columbus
https://www.dispatch.com/picture-gallery/news/2021/08/09/mothers-murdered-columbus-children/5461140001/
https://cwcolumbus.com/news/local/surge-in-violence-impacts-families-who-lost-loved-one
Discovering one’s own voice; showing up and being present for others as activism.
Having had surgery in December 2019, returning to work on March 17, 2020.
Learning electronics and new software to work from home.
Adult daughter and her family getting sick early in the pandemic; grandson with asthma.
Early speculation about the origins of the virus; learning more about the diversity of corona viruses, eg. common cold.
Supporting a friend, Malissa Thomas St.-Claire, in doing activism for Mothers of Murdered Columbus Children.
Son, Ray (Cash) Casimere, robbed and murdered in September 2020, grieving in isolation, becoming an activist.
People being reduced to numbers.
Granddaughter moving in after son’s death.
Son’s murderer OD’ing; finding peace in the absence of justice.
Starting a foundation in honor of her son, the C. Ray Casimere Foundation, gun buyback that would support those bringing guns in.
Planning the funeral during the pandemic; and allotment of 60 guests; funeral streaming.
Hosting a voter registration drive.
Having caught COVID twice.
Hosting holiday events for other mothers of murdered children; the importance of events for people at higher risk of suicide; reaching out.
Hugs and activism.
Timelines on grief, people thinking that it has been enough time to move on; finding ways to move forward.
Stigma and shame around mental health.
“It’s okay not to be okay.”
See also:
https://www.mothersofmurderedcolumbuschildren.com/our-team
https://gunmemorial.org/2020/09/24/cornelius-casimere
https://www.10tv.com/article/news/crime/mothers-of-murder-columbus-children-rally-end-gun-violence-saturday/530-937d1735-1e28-4dfc-96bb-0466d537bc76
https://news.wosu.org/politics-government/2022-02-15/mayor-ginther-declares-gun-violence-a-public-health-crisis-in-columbus
https://www.dispatch.com/picture-gallery/news/2021/08/09/mothers-murdered-columbus-children/5461140001/
https://cwcolumbus.com/news/local/surge-in-violence-impacts-families-who-lost-loved-one
On what date did you record this oral history?
2022-09-22