Interviewees sought for Seattle COVID-19 Oral History Project

SEATTLE (Feb. 26, 2021) — The Seattle chapter of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) is supporting the University of Washington Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies’ Seattle COVID-19 Oral History Project, a research project dedicated to collecting the stories of local workers, especially those from marginalized communities, whose lives have been impacted by COVID-19. The project will create an oral history archive so both students and researchers can have access to firsthand accounts of the effects of the pandemic on individuals and communities.

APALA Seattle is currently recruiting interviewees who are some or all of the following: labor leaders and union organizers, essential workers, those who have been laid off, healthcare workers at the forefront of the pandemic response, and recent immigrants or refugee workers. Workers need to live and/or work anywhere in Western Washington. Interviewers interns can speak English, Mandarin, Spanish, Vietnamese, Russian, German, French, and Khmer.

Interviews could take up to three hours, but are expected to be around 1-2 hours via Zoom or phone call, depending on preference. Interviewees will be compensated at the rate of $30/hour via US Bank VISA Cash Card, Tango Card, or a P2I request for foreign nationals. Before the interview, all interviewees will be connected with a student intern from the project to schedule a preparatory meeting (estimated no more than an hour) asking them about preferences, legal rights, access and preservation, topics of interest for the interview, and providing consent forms.

These preparatory meetings and interviews are now under way. If you or someone you know is interested in participating, please email Eunice How with your/their name, preferred mode of communication (phone number or email address), and a brief description of your/their occupation or unemployment, demographic information, and union membership (if any).

This project will follow all COVID-19 safety precautions, and all interviews and project meetings will take place remotely.

For more information, visit the project’s website.