Collected Item: “Duncan Teague Oral History, 2022/09/08”
Title
Rev. Duncan Teague
Who conducted the interview? List all names, separated by comma.
Kit Heintzman
Who was interviewed? List all names, separated by commas.
Rev. Duncan Teague
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?
#abortion, #activism, #Atlanta, #bereavement, #Black, #cancer, #church, #environmentalism, #extrovert, #friendship, #gay, #Georgia, #HIV, #Ivermectin, #love, #memorial, #minister, #misinformation, #queer, #Republicans, #restaurants, #Unitarian, #vaccination
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.
Atlanta, Georgia
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.*
male and my pronouns are he/him/his
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.*
African American
Describe the oral history.
Some of the things we discussed include:
Being the only Black gay man in a room.
A spiritual journey from Black Baptist tradition to becoming a Unitarian Universalist.
Call and response in Black faith.
Being a minister of a New Unitarian Universalist church in Atlanta; the only one in the city centered on a predominantly African American community.
Having met as a congregation on 1 March 2020 to celebrate, anticipating shut down, and transitioning services online.
The congregation expanding after transitioning to online, future hybrid models.
The relationship between public health and faith.
What the American government knew at the beginning of the pandemic in contrast to what they said; government disinterest in saving people.
The importance of the history of HIV for the future management of public health crises.
Comparisons between Anthony Fauci in the early days of HIV and COVID-19.
Pre-pandemic research plans being reorganized: focus groups about HIV pre-pandemic.
Atlanta’s proximity to the CDC.
How being married to an epidemiologist (David Thurman) impacted COVID-19 response.
The death of a friend from COVID in January 2021, Joey Traina; traveling to California to deliver the memorial.
Aunt Opal Faye (officially Mrs. Opal Faye (Walker) Swindle, Smith, Allen.) who died at 96; funeral.
A family member who opposed vaccination catching COVID taking Ivermectin.
Setting boundaries with people arguing against vaccination; having drawn similar boundaries around HIV/AIDS misinformation.
“Heart won over head” in scientific research and the global community.
Chosen family.
COVID-19 safety norms and the flu.
Developing relationships with neighbors.
Needing a 300-year plan.
Other cultural references: Nelson Mandela, ACT UP, Hammonds House Museum, Roe v. Wade, Zoom, NASA, Ryan White, Emory, local restaurant Sweet Melissa’s (https://www.sweetmelissas.com), Felicia Moore, the sitcom Green Acres, Virginia and Clarence Thomas, Elon Musk
See also:
https://aluuv.org
https://lgbtqreligiousarchives.org/profiles/duncan-teague
https://community.publichealth.gsu.edu/local-experts/duncan-teague/
https://www.uuworld.org/articles/abundant-luuv
https://www.thecounternarrative.org/narratology/rev-duncan-teague
More on Rev. Duncan Teague has been collected at the Auburn Avenue Research Library. Relevant collections are cataloged as the Duncan Teague collection, ADODI Muse: A Gay Negro Ensemble, and the Tony Daniels Collection (Carl Anthony Daniels). The African American AIDS History Project also has materials in the “Duncan Teague Personal Collection”.
On Joey Traina:
https://georgiaequality.org/2016/12/work-critical-support/
https://www.wrdw.com/content/news/Local-Protest--Families-Belong-Together--487035281.html
https://www.pastemagazine.com/politics/democratic-party/punishment-favoritism-and-a-bag-of-gummy-penises-h/
https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/news/local/2021/02/12/augusta-progressive-activist-joe-traina-33-dead-covid-19/6735400002/
https://www.wjbf.com/news/former-school-teacher-and-friend-remember-local-political-activist-who-died-from-covid-19/
Being the only Black gay man in a room.
A spiritual journey from Black Baptist tradition to becoming a Unitarian Universalist.
Call and response in Black faith.
Being a minister of a New Unitarian Universalist church in Atlanta; the only one in the city centered on a predominantly African American community.
Having met as a congregation on 1 March 2020 to celebrate, anticipating shut down, and transitioning services online.
The congregation expanding after transitioning to online, future hybrid models.
The relationship between public health and faith.
What the American government knew at the beginning of the pandemic in contrast to what they said; government disinterest in saving people.
The importance of the history of HIV for the future management of public health crises.
Comparisons between Anthony Fauci in the early days of HIV and COVID-19.
Pre-pandemic research plans being reorganized: focus groups about HIV pre-pandemic.
Atlanta’s proximity to the CDC.
How being married to an epidemiologist (David Thurman) impacted COVID-19 response.
The death of a friend from COVID in January 2021, Joey Traina; traveling to California to deliver the memorial.
Aunt Opal Faye (officially Mrs. Opal Faye (Walker) Swindle, Smith, Allen.) who died at 96; funeral.
A family member who opposed vaccination catching COVID taking Ivermectin.
Setting boundaries with people arguing against vaccination; having drawn similar boundaries around HIV/AIDS misinformation.
“Heart won over head” in scientific research and the global community.
Chosen family.
COVID-19 safety norms and the flu.
Developing relationships with neighbors.
Needing a 300-year plan.
Other cultural references: Nelson Mandela, ACT UP, Hammonds House Museum, Roe v. Wade, Zoom, NASA, Ryan White, Emory, local restaurant Sweet Melissa’s (https://www.sweetmelissas.com), Felicia Moore, the sitcom Green Acres, Virginia and Clarence Thomas, Elon Musk
See also:
https://aluuv.org
https://lgbtqreligiousarchives.org/profiles/duncan-teague
https://community.publichealth.gsu.edu/local-experts/duncan-teague/
https://www.uuworld.org/articles/abundant-luuv
https://www.thecounternarrative.org/narratology/rev-duncan-teague
More on Rev. Duncan Teague has been collected at the Auburn Avenue Research Library. Relevant collections are cataloged as the Duncan Teague collection, ADODI Muse: A Gay Negro Ensemble, and the Tony Daniels Collection (Carl Anthony Daniels). The African American AIDS History Project also has materials in the “Duncan Teague Personal Collection”.
On Joey Traina:
https://georgiaequality.org/2016/12/work-critical-support/
https://www.wrdw.com/content/news/Local-Protest--Families-Belong-Together--487035281.html
https://www.pastemagazine.com/politics/democratic-party/punishment-favoritism-and-a-bag-of-gummy-penises-h/
https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/news/local/2021/02/12/augusta-progressive-activist-joe-traina-33-dead-covid-19/6735400002/
https://www.wjbf.com/news/former-school-teacher-and-friend-remember-local-political-activist-who-died-from-covid-19/
On what date did you record this oral history?
2022-09-08T10:10