Jessie M. Meehan Oral History, 2021/05/05

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

May 5, 2021

Kit Heintzman

Jessie M Meehan

Kit Heintzman

audio

English Health & Wellness

English Healthcare

English Music

English Gender & Sexuality

English Social Issues

Los Angeles

California

musician

queer

health care

sobriety

therapy

pet

12 steps

activism

antiracism

art

artist

BLM

California

chauvin

dog

Los Angeles

meditation

music

musician

optimism

pandemic pets

performance arts

pop music

queer

single

surfing

testing

therapy

vaccination

work

LGBTQ+

12/23/2021

12/23/2021

05/21/2022

01/27/2023

05/05/2021

Kit Heintzman

Jessie M Meehan

Los Angeles

California

United States of America

Audio

english

00:38:01

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

Kit Heintzman 00:01
Hello.

Jessie Meehan 00:03
Hi

Kit Heintzman 00:04
Would you please start by telling me your full name, the date, the time and your location?

Jessie Meehan 00:10
My name is Jessie Meehan. It is Wednesday, May 5, and I'm in Los Angeles.

Kit Heintzman 00:18
And do you consent to having this interview recorded, digitally uploaded and publicly released under Creative Commons License attribution noncommercial sharealike?

Jessie Meehan 00:27
I do consent

Kit Heintzman 00:29
And would you please start by introducing yourself to anyone who might find themselves listening to this? What would you want them to know about you and the place that you're speaking from?

Jessie Meehan 00:39
My name, again is Jessie Meehan. And I'm a queer, female. And I'm in a band called Waze. And, you know, we've been playing together for quite some time. And it's, it's a lot of fun, electronic kind of funky music. I also work in television as a suppressor. So that's, that's pretty much what I what I'm up to I, you know, I'm a big advocate for clear visibility it out in life and work everywhere, and having safe spaces, like my van is very much about safe spaces and whatnot. So I guess that's, that's a little overview in a nutshell, I suppose.

Kit Heintzman 01:25
And why has the word pandemic come to mean to you?

Jessie Meehan 01:31
Pandemic? I mean, that's definitely a tough question. I've been fairly I've done okay. Um, it was more of a transformative period for me. So, like I said, that was for me, but I know a lot of people have struggled in various ways this last year. So I would say, um, pandemic, to me is kind of goes along with the word transformative. And that could be like good or bad, depending on you know, how it affected different people this last year, I would say.

Kit Heintzman 02:12
The extent that you're comfortable sharing, would you say something about your experiences with health and healthcare infrastructure prior to the pandemic?

Jessie Meehan 02:23
Okay, um, I definitely have a lot of health problems, or I've had a lot of health problems, and I've had to spend a lot of time at the doctors and in hospitals, and I've been, again, it's like been a mix, I've been very lucky. And I've also like, been on the other side of it, too. When you have really great health care, it's easy, easy access, you know what I mean, I had great health care, when I was young, and I have great health care now through my job. And, you know, I'm very fortunate and grateful for that. And it's easy to deal with easy to navigate, there was a section of my life in my 20s. Basically, most of my 20s I was on MediCal. And Medicare is great, because you don't have to pay for it. But also it kind of comes at a price with the accessibility aspect of it, like being able to get to a doctor when you need to a small example is I broke a couple fingers that needed surgery. And by the time I was able to get the surgery, they were already kind of healed wrong. So that's kind of, I guess, the difference between, like medical having to navigate that, or the insurance I have now, which would have probably bypass a lot of the hoops that I had to go through the first time and like being in the office with 50 other people that are trying to, you know, get help at the same time. And, you know, they put the they put the wrong code in on the office end. And who knows how many people this happens to say, oh, it takes six weeks to get a server you should have gotten in doing so that's like a difference. So not sure if that like super answered your question. But that's, that's been my experience with that.

Kit Heintzman 04:06
And staying in the pre pandemic world, what was your day to day looking like before March 2020?

Jessie Meehan 04:13
Um, I definitely like I was working a lot. I'm working a lot again. But the difference between then and now is mental health and awareness. Like I've definitely like, I believe it was like March 13 was my last day of work last year. And I had been working a lot up until that point. And I focus so much on the external and what was going on outside my life that I didn't realize how much pain and how many things how much I was holding on to you on the inside. And it wasn't until, you know, I was in a significant long term relationship that ended right before the pandemic started. So then I went from you Being married and working full time to being completely alone for the first time in my life, you know, at 32. And having all these things come up for me that I didn't realize were there. So I was able to ignore it by just working a lot. So, that's kind of like how I was I was kind of like, I don't want to say numb, but I was definitely like checked out, like really checked out before the pandemic.

Kit Heintzman 05:31
And what are some of the ways that you transformed in the pandemic?

Jessie Meehan 05:38
Well, seeing a therapist for the first time in my adult life is a big step. Um, I guess definitely, like realizing that something wasn't right, I didn't feel good in my body. I was like, so focused, like I have a lot of body dysmorphia related to gender related to sexuality related to a lot of things. Um, you know, I suffered, I've suffered my whole life with various, you know, like, it's a body so and, and eating disorder behavior, and disordered eating. And at the very beginning of the pandemic, you know, I was, like I said, very, very, not in my body, not eating, over exercising, like going into it. And then I am also part of a 12 step program. You know, I'm sober, I've been sober a long time, and some friends noticed that my behavior was abnormal, and they're like, you should check out this other program and get some help there. So I did, and I'm so grateful I did between, you know, like I said, for me, the pandemic was transformative in a positive way. It was a chance for me to, like, slow down and see like, Okay, I'm really struggling here emotionally. And there's a lot, a lot, a lot of things that I've neglected my whole life by going along, I'm good, I'm good. I'm going to be a service to other people and just ignore myself. And then when I'm by myself, and I can't be a service, I realized, you know, I have all these issues I need to work on. So between therapy, a 12 step program I got into surfing, I learned how to surf and became obsessed with surfing when every day got pretty decent at it. And being in a wetsuit helped with my body image of myself. So all of those things combined in self care, meditation, like the whole thing, was very transformative. For me. That was like a very long winded answer to your question.

Kit Heintzman 07:35
I want to assure you, there are no overly long-winded answers. It's an oral history, everything you give me is a gift. So no concerns.

Jessie Meehan 07:47
I appreciate that. Well, you know, I could talk your ear off all day. And I hope you could talk my ear off because I love talking.

Kit Heintzman 07:57
Would you be willing to say a bit about what you remember, when you first heard about the pandemic? So when it first hit your radar, what hit your radar? And what were your initial reactions? Like?

Jessie Meehan 08:11
Honestly, like I said, at the time I was working, so it seemed very, like, abstract. It was like, Okay, there's something crazy that's kind of happening, like it's coming over here. Like, you know, people should be careful. Oh, like, we're starting to wear masks. Now. That's crazy. You know what I mean? So it was kind of like, it was just very abstract, until everything shut down. And then I was like, Oh, this is a real thing that we are now all having to recognize and respect, and not mess around with because it's not good to expose other people or expose yourself. I was very fortunate. I never I'm fully vaccinated. Now, I've never had COVID Somehow I got very lucky and never caught it. But I did take it very seriously. And when I first heard Yeah, when I first heard about the pandemic, it was very abstract until we were all locked down. And I was like, Oh, this is crazy. This is real. And we all are having to deal with this now.

Kit Heintzman 09:17
And how did that reaction evolve over time?

Jessie Meehan 09:22
Became normal. That's that's basically the main thing you know, like I said, I was off for 10 months, and it just became like, it still feels like a normal part of life. Like it's so strange today. So I'm on I'm working right now. Again, I've been working since January. And two people that I work with, I literally like I've worked with them since February, early February, something like that. I have not seen their faces their whole face. And it's been however many months and we went out to lunch today and I saw their whole face and it was jarring. So yeah, I think it's just like we all say, oh, when is this going to end. And I don't necessarily think it's there's like an end in sight, but a transition. And it's just really crazy like it. Like I said, it's just become like a way of life. There's nobody that hasn't been affected by this. And we all, you know, hopefully everybody's getting vaccinated, and we can move about the world in a more open way, like we did before. The pandemic shut everything down. But at this point in time, it just feels normal.

Kit Heintzman 10:38
So 2020 was a pretty big year, and 2021 is also shaping up to perhaps be cicely. I'm wondering what some of the bigger issues have been on your mind across this period of time?

Jessie Meehan 10:54
Definitely. I mean, there's a lot of social justice and activism that's happening right now. Being aware, like being like, I've already been like, well, I have a lot of friends that are bipoc. And like, I been aware of social justice issues, and I speak up about it, like when I need to, and when it's best when I when I need to when it's necessary. And definitely the last year, like, Thank God, there's like a little bit of justice that's happening, like, well, not justice, but progress, I should say, because there's no justice and killing people. But, you know, I'm at least on my end of it, I think, especially like in the workplace, sometimes there's probably like, pretty problematic conversation. So my job in that space is to kind of, I guess, like, bring it like, Hey, that's not really how we talk. That's not really appropriate language that we use, you know, like, just really being hyper aware of what people are saying and correcting it when it happens. On a very minor scale. I mean, that's not going out. And I mean, obviously, I was out protesting and was very much like, in the middle of all that I feel very strongly about these issues. But on a smaller scale on a day to day, I think it's really important to, to make it known that times are changing. And, you know, we need to respect everybody, and even if I'm a white person, among all other white people, and they're saying problematic things about people that are not white, or people that are disabled, or whatever the case may be, I need to say something, and that's not right. Um, so I guess that's kind of what's been on my mind lately. Um, you know, there's a lot Oh, again, vaccinations have been on my mind, hopefully, more people are getting vaccinated, at least on the COVID side of things. I'm definitely like a lot of different a lot of different issues, I guess, for a lot of different people right now. But we're in it together.

Kit Heintzman 13:03
Can I ask you about what protests felt like, conducted during the pandemic and contrast to other times?

Jessie Meehan 13:15
You know, what? It definitely, it felt more like, I'm trying to, like, find the words to say it. If it felt more like, oh, okay, cool. Cause like, perhaps this is going to actually change things, perhaps something's going to be different after this. And that's for me, like, it felt more like progress. And less, like just blowing off steam. If that makes sense. That's that was the difference. Whether that's to be seen, I guess, is you know, that history will show that and so far, I know that we're just around the corner after the derrick Shogun trial, and, again, not justice, but progress in that, but I guess like seeing seeing that happen was hopeful that things will slowly like hopefully slowly change, you know, it's still really bad and he's a lot of work. And hopefully it's getting better. And like I said, now as opposed to previous protests that was that was definitely how I felt.

Kit Heintzman 14:25
What was it that gave it that extra quality of feeling like it would go further?

Jessie Meehan 14:34
Um I suppose it maybe it felt a little less performative in some way or another. I'm not really sure how to how to articulate like early well on that but you know, I guess. Seeing seeing people like and it's been this way in the other other in the past with the BLM protests and marches and all that stuff. But seeing like, the sheer violence of law enforcement and whatnot towards the protesters was definitely, it seemed a lot like it was a lot more intense this time around. And, you know, just seeing the magnitude of how many people like showed up and how people are bringing awareness to it. And like I said, now, and I have a lot of Asian friends as well, Asian Pacific Islander friends, and like now seeing a lot of awareness being arisen around that as well has been really helpful. Or like, like, it's really helpful, I should say that there's going to be changed there as well. So, um, I guess that for me, like seeing a lot of like, specifically, like racial justice issues being brought up, in and not like, Okay, well, it's gone away now. Like, it's still a daily conversation, you know what I mean? That That, to me feels like there's progress being made.

Kit Heintzman 16:10
I'm curious, what does health I mean to you?

Jessie Meehan 16:16
Health, like in a physical sense, or a mental sense, or both?

Kit Heintzman 16:20
Any sense you'd like?

Jessie Meehan 16:22
Mmm hmm. That's a very good, that's a great question. Um, what does health mean, to me, I would say that health isn't health is a bodily awareness. You know, whether you're in good health or not such good health, like being aware of where you're at, and mentally as well. I think awareness is definitely like the first word I think of, and because I can relate to being unhealthy, physically and mentally I know what that felt like compared to being healthy in both of those ways. So I think that that's awareness, awareness is a good is the what I think of

Kit Heintzman 17:16
what are some of the things that you want for your own health and the health of those around you? And how do you think that we could get there? I'm

Jessie Meehan 17:33
again, I definitely come from a place of privilege when it comes to that, because my access to the healthcare system is really good. And I'm aware for the folks that don't have it like that, and I've been in that position. So I know the difference. I think that having general health care for people like to have it the same, so there isn't a disparity between somebody that has better access, because of financial reasons or social class, I think that health is healthcare is very classist. And I think changing that and making it not that way. And making it a general centralized, universal system is going to be what makes makes it fair and makes it equal for everybody. And that's what I would like to see personally, you know, and at least on my end, I already get pay a lot of taxes and I don't mind paying more taxes, if it means that you know, people that are less privileged than I am have less health care, I would pay my more taxes to help so that we can have a universal health care system and also appropriately, appropriately compensate nurses and physicians and people that work within the health care system.

Kit Heintzman 18:58
What does safety mean to you?

Jessie Meehan 19:02
Um, safety is not safety is not being in fear of, of like, not just physical harm, but like shelter and food, the basic necessities of life. Safety is having a sense of security. I think

Kit Heintzman 19:30
There's been a very sort of constrained and narrow discussion about safety and relationship to COVID and viral spreading. I'm wondering under that sort of smaller framework, how you've been negotiating what feels safe for you with those around you.

Jessie Meehan 19:52
Definitely, it's it feels a little different now because I'm vaccinated and like most of the people that I hang out with now are Mostly vaccinated. So there's definitely, it's a lot looser on that end of it. But like before that, I think being just being aware, like I said, I took it seriously, I wasn't, I didn't stay home for 10 months. I know some people, like stayed home didn't leave their house that whole time. I needed to surf, I needed to interact with other people. I'm a very social person, and I needed to do that. So I did. But I did it with people that I knew weren't being reckless, you know, I like went to the grocery store once every two weeks. I was also getting COVID tested once a week, just because like not for because I thought I had go. But I was getting tested once a week, just so I knew that I didn't have COVID. And I hung out with people that kind of did the same, or like people that I was only with them. And they were getting, I was getting tested. It's like okay, well, we're all good, you know. So just like we're constantly in awareness of where we've been and like if you know if we have any connection to anybody that's ever had it kind of thing. But now like I said, it's a little bit more relaxed, because we have the were a lot of us are vaccinated now. So it's a little different. But in during peak times, that's kind of how we navigated and negotiated that

Kit Heintzman 21:21
would you be willing to share anything about the experience of going to get vaccinated, what that's been like for you?

Jessie Meehan 21:29
Um, it's been really easy. I was kind of fortunate, I got a flyer from somebody, a digital flyer, that had an email on it. And I just emailed them, and they're like, Oh, we're all booked up. And I was like, and now it's like I said, it's more accessible. Now, it seems. And somebody cancelled last minute, I was able to get the first dose, and I got the second dose a few weeks ago. So it was really easy. And I didn't have any side effects, which was nice. I know that it's a wide range of people with different side effects. And I just got really fortunate to not have that. So, it was really easy.

Kit Heintzman 22:14
And you touched on this a little bit already, but sort of how have like, the social dynamics changed now that you've been vaccinated. So what if sort of was the transition point between conversations about frequency of testing to conversations about whether or not you or anyone else has been vaccinated?

Jessie Meehan 22:32
That's a good one. That's a yeah, you asked really good questions. I guess I can't pinpoint necessarily like a transition. But I guess like a sense of hope. And like, among friends, like, oh, okay, we can hug now. Because we have, we're both vaccinated, we can have physical touch. How strange is that? So it definitely I would say like that changes, you know, I'm very, a very emotional person and very, like I'm really into physical touch. That's a big thing for me. So like being able to do that, again, is a big deal. Um, not being afraid of, you know, visiting my mom who's also vaccinated, you know visiting my mom, and she's immunocompromised, and like, Oh, I'm gonna make her sick. No, I can actually, like, hug her and we can go out together. Um, so I think that that the transition mentally, it's still jarring being around like a group, I've been around a couple groups of people now. And it's like, oh, wow, I'm not used to this, it feels weird. Like, going back to playing shows is going to be really strange. Like, I don't even know how to how to feel about that, you know, because it's like, it's been so long, it almost felt like it was never going to happen again. So, I guess like, we'll see what that's like, when we get there.

Kit Heintzman 23:58
I'd love to hear a bit more about how your relationship to touch changed during the pandemic.

Jessie Meehan 24:06
Um, it definitely, like there was a lot of apprehension in it in ways where it wasn't before or like, you know, it. Like, if you would, like, as a jerk reaction accidentally go into on somebody, and they're like, oh, you know what I mean, they back up like, Whoa, it made you feel kind of icky. You know what I mean? You didn't feel too good about it. And it's like, ah, like these things that used to, like, bring people together and like, feel good, like, don't feel good anymore. It doesn't feel good to do this anymore. And I guess that like that, specifically during COVID was really tough. Really tough. And then also, like, if you did like, it's like, ooh, we're taking a risk by hugging each other. You know, I mean, it's like, oh, man, like that's not how we want it to be. But you know, it's that's how it was at the time. And it still is like, we shouldn't just go hugging random people still obviously. But, you know, like, as more of us get vaccinated and we hang out with vaccinated people, you can love them. That's okay. And it feels nice, I guess. And, you know, it was really kind of a bummer. During the heavy pandemic quarantine when we couldn't do those things.

Kit Heintzman 25:28
How are you feeling about the immediate future?

Jessie Meehan 25:33
Pretty hopeful, I think, pretty hopeful. I was just listening to something this morning that was talking about businesses, specifically restaurants and bars and stuff that are slowly starting to open up, and there's a high demand for workers. And I guess, like, I feel a little bit hopeful about that, that things are gonna, again, like send what is normal? You know what I mean? What is that going to look like? I don't know, will it be like what it was like before, I have no idea can't predict that. But at least things seem like they're getting better people are, like, being able to do things a little bit more again. And I think like, I guess, just hopeful also, again, like to touch back on the racial justice stuff, like continuing that fight. Like that's something that really, really needs to not be let go of like that has to continue. And I feel like there's enough fire within people to want to continue with with that as well. So, like I said, just in general, hopeful based on those things.

Kit Heintzman 26:35
What are some of your desires for a longer-term future?

Jessie Meehan 26:38
Desires? Like for me, specifically, or just in general?

Kit Heintzman 26:46
Both

Jessie Meehan 26:48
Mmm hmm. Well, international travel will be a lot of fun, like one that kind of goes back to whatever this new normal is supposed to be international travel, playing more shows. I'm also in a fire academy right now, like side note. So, like, you know, hopefully, that becoming more of a thing for me personally, like getting to do more of that. And like working that. Again, like seeing progress, seeing change, like in the like that stuff I want to personally see and like, I'll do my part and what I can see that, see that change happen. So yeah, I guess in general, that's a little bit of a little bit of a few things.

Kit Heintzman 27:46
Thank you so much for that. So some of this has come up already in the interview, but I'm curious with a sort of dominant narrative of self-care and our moment, what are some of the ways that you've been taking care of yourself?

Jessie Meehan 28:01
Um, well, I guess recently to get like, a little bit on a more personal level. Um, so I was raised in a way that was very much like, you know, pull your, your boots up by the bootstraps, or whatever and get over it. Like if it didn't happen, or if it if you don't talk about it, it didn't happen kind of deal. And, like I said, I went from being kind of checked out to 10 months of self-care, like all the things I talked about earlier, like the meditation, the therapy, you know, sleeping like all these things that I neglected before I went from that to into this year, starting in January, I went to working 60 hours a week, and I'm in a fire academy on the weekend. So, I'm basically busy 80 to 90 hours a week, and didn't have a transitional period had no plan for self-care. And inevitably, I burned out, you know, three months in, and it definitely, like made me realize, like how vital mental health is, you know, and I know, like a lot of people struggle with mental health issues, and I'm no different in that case. And most recently, that's been been the most important thing in my life is my mental health, like, what am I doing every day to make sure that I am taking care of myself and like, not let myself crash and burned like that, you know, get depressed and anxious and like all those things. You know, I don't want to ever have to go there again. And I learned like, I don't have to be in pain. If I don't want to be like there's help. And just asking for help is the first step to happiness. At least for me, it was you know,

Kit Heintzman 29:53
I believe I saw critter in the background. I was wondering if you would introduce them

Jessie Meehan 30:00
There is a critter here. Come here. This is my dog Ferris

Kit Heintzman 30:09
Hello, Ferris.

Jessie Meehan 30:11
Here. I'll bring this bring it, bring him close. Do you have a pet too?

Kit Heintzman 30:18
I am a very proud cat parent.

Jessie Meehan 30:22
Amazing. Do you like dogs too?

Kit Heintzman 30:25
I cohabitate with a dog. I am a cultured enough to dog that I two dogs that I can cohabitate with them now, but I don't. I don't envision forming purposeful, intense kinship ties with many dogs.

Jessie Meehan 30:44
I, you know, I respect that. I respect that. Yeah. Yeah, I used to feel that way about cats, actually.

Kit Heintzman 30:50
Yeah.

Jessie Meehan 30:51
And then I met like a couple of just absolutely lovely cats that I just fell in love with the kind of I like the real cuddly kinds that let you hold them. And, you know, smother them a little bit and they tolerate it. Or most cats don't tolerate that very much as I'm sure you know.

Kit Heintzman 31:11
What's it been like cohabitating with Ferris during the pandemic?

Jessie Meehan 31:16
Life-saving. Absolutely. I like I've had my dog for nine years. And that's actually I just had this conversation with someone recently. So I have a friend who got a dog at the very, very beginning of the pandemic. And now like they're trying to go out. And it's really challenging because this dog was a puppy when they got it. And now she's a full grown dog. And they're very anxious about leaving her home alone. And she gets very anxious. She's very, you know, attached and all that stuff has attachment issues. But fortunately, I've had Ferris and she was a puppy, and she's nine. So I've had her for a very long time. And, you know, it was just because I was working so much. And now I'm working so much again, and I just am so grateful for the time that I got to spend with her and like, go on long walks, and, you know, take her, took her to the beach a couple times, you know, and I just I'm really grateful that I got to have that time with her.

Kit Heintzman 32:19
This is my second last question. So we know we're in this moment that there's a flurry of scientific and medical research happening. I'm wondering what you think people in the humanities and the social sciences could be studying and working on right now to help us understand the social aspect of COVID-19?

Jessie Meehan 32:45
You said what, what social sciences scientists could be studying about the social aspect of it?

Kit Heintzman 32:52
Yeah, social scientists and people in the humanities.

Jessie Meehan 32:56
Okay. I mean, based on my general knowledge of it's, it's just, for me, it's another example of classism. You know, like, I again, I do, I read a lot, and I hear a lot on, you know, NPR and BBC are my two main news sources that I go to a lot. And I see a lot about, you know, like, right now India suffering from it, like, why don't they have more vaccines, like, what's going on with that, you know, it's like, the country, the westernized countries have been prioritized in getting vaccines and having accessibility to COVID tests to prevent the spread a little bit better than other countries. And I feel like maybe something in that way, is another way to do some research on how even like when it comes down to a global pandemic, how that affects human humanity as a whole, again, on the social aspect on the class aspect of it, you know, like how, how bringing awareness to that can make it like, oh, we should give these these countries, as many vaccinations as we're giving Europe in the United States and see what kind of effect that would have on the world. You know, like, I'd be curious to that instead of prioritizing the the Western countries, if that makes sense.

Kit Heintzman 34:37
And this is my last question. So this is an oral history interview. And as a historian, I come to that with my own assumptions and biases from my field and how we're trained at this moment. One of the things that we are trained to value is to pay very sincere attention to what our historical actors thought was important. So I'd like to ask you if you could speak to some imagined historian of the future, one that never lived through this, what kinds of stories would you want to be sure aren't forgotten

Jessie Meehan 35:14
The first thing that comes to mind for me is, like the photos that we saw of the healthcare workers that had like the crazy bruises on their face from wearing masks, you know, 24 hours a day, like sucked onto their face, like to see the overcrowded ICUs to see the the refrigerated containers filled with bodies, like, I feel that's like a very dramatic way of thinking about it. But like, you know, I feel like that is like, some, it's really important to remember the grant, like, we have hope that things are getting better, like, you know, people are getting vaccinated people are things are opening up, like things are okay, it's getting better. But I think it's important for people not to forget what it was like, in that time, you know, I think it's really, really important. And I guess, just know, like, okay, action wasn't taken sooner. And then this is what happened as an effect to that. And this is what can happen in a global pandemic, in modern times. When action isn't taken sooner, and, you know, like I said, I, I was pretty fortunate that I didn't lose, I like I was lucky with myself and like what I had to go through during the pandemic, but I know people that lost people, like my best friend lost one of her aunts, and I was really close to that. And you know, there's people that lost multiple people in their family. And I guess just like, it pays respect to those people that died during this time to not forget, and that, again, the health care workers to like not forget, like the sacrifices that they made and the burnout, they suffered to help other people. I think that's really important.

Kit Heintzman 37:09
I want to thank you so much for everything that you've shared with me here today. And at this point, I just want to offer you some space, if there's something that you would like to share about COVID-19 or anything you want to say to a historian of the future, to give you that space to do so if my questions haven't brought you there already.

Jessie Meehan 37:28
You know, I think that questions were absolutely fantastic. And I, I guess I just hope that something like this doesn't happen again. And I hope that whatever has been learned now can be applied to the future so we know how to better handle a situation if it ever arises again. God forbid. I guess that's the only thing I would end with on that.

Kit Heintzman 37:56
Perfect, thank you so much.

Jessie Meehan 37:59
Thank you. I appreciate you