This project collects stories from individuals who work solo or as part of groups that distribute free personal protection equipment (PPE). These groups are often called mask blocs. Participants may include individuals focused solely on PPE distribution as well as members of groups that distribute PPE in addition to other types of group activities (i.e. creating social networks for likeminded individuals).
Those interested in participating should contact the interviewer, Britta Shoot, at history@brittashoot.com.
This project invites participation from anyone distributing free PPE, especially respirator masks such as N95s. The project will collect stories beginning in June 2024 and will remain open indefinitely for future participants.
This project is supported in part by The Sick Times, a nonprofit newsroom covering the Long Covid crisis, which will publish edited excerpts from project interviews, for which the researcher will be compensated. At the outset, this project is otherwise not funded in any long-term capacity and is being conducted by journalist Britta Shoot at her own expense, without formal or institutional support.
Interviewer and participants will share their access needs in advance, such as time limits for calls or technology assistance requests.
Before speaking on the record, interviewer and participants will clarify what if any sensitive information about participants’ identities, private lives and organizing should not be part of the record.
Participants are asked to wear headphones with a built-in microphone, if possible, to ensure excellent sound quality. Interviewer and participant will make every attempt to be in quiet environments during interviews.
Oral history projects enable participants who do under-documented work to authoritatively share their stories in their own words, and to have those conversations documented as a primary source in the historical record. This project seeks to document the life-saving work of activists and volunteers who source and distribute respirator masks that protect against infectious illnesses during at least one ongoing airborne pandemic.
From these interviews, future researchers and activists may learn about aspects of grassroots mutual aid organizing of this era of civilian-led Covid-19 pandemic response.