{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/qj77s7jn01/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Daniel Puerto Oral History"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eDaniel Puerto is a life-long Jackson Heights/Elmhurst resident. He works for a non-profit organization that focuses on helping LGBTQ seniors. He is also the co-founder of a food pantry called Love Wins Food Pantry, which is run by LGBTQ community members. Puerto speaks with interviewer Oscar Zamora Flores about how the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted himself, his family, and his community.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCC BY-NC-SA Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source Metadata URI"]},"value":{"en":["http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/search/browse/45869"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2021-03-04 (created)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Audio"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Daniel Puerto (Interviewee)","Oscar Zamora Flores (Interviewer)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source"]},"value":{"en":["Interview conducted as part of the Queens Memory COVID-19 Project."]}},{"label":{"en":["Coverage"]},"value":{"en":["2020-2021 (temporal)","Jackson Heights and Elmhurst, Queens, NY (spatial)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eDaniel Puerto is a life-long Jackson Heights/Elmhurst resident. He works for a non-profit organization that focuses on helping LGBTQ seniors. He is also the co-founder of a food pantry called Love Wins Food Pantry, which is run by LGBTQ community members. Puerto speaks with interviewer Oscar Zamora Flores about how the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted himself, his family, and his community.\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCC BY-NC-SA\u0026nbsp;Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/120/338/small/puerto-daniel.jpg?1627570979","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - Puerto-Daniel-Radio_Edit.mp3"]},"duration":3199.03347,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/120/338/small/puerto-daniel.jpg?1627570979","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-queenslibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/120/338/original/Puerto-Daniel-Radio_Edit.mp3?1627481219","type":"Audio","format":"audio/mpeg","duration":3199.03347,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Full Transcript [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: Perfect. Daniel, thank you very much for this interview. Since this is a COVID related interview, I'm going to ask you: when was the first time that you heard about this Coronavirus?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=0.0,18.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: Thank you for having me. I first heard about the Coronavirus back in February of last year, where there were some news that there was this really strong cold in Asia that was, you know, affecting a lot of people. And, you know at that point, my thoughts were that Asia was so far away and I'm feeling really sad about all of the people dying and getting sick and hearing about the severity of the virus, but not really too concerned because I didn't think it would reach the U S.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=18.0,83.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: Great. What about the beginning of the quarantine? Do you remember the lockdown?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=83.0,102.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: Of course. I was celebrating my 28th birthday on, -I think it was Sunday- March 9th. Let me look at the year, I dunno how to backtrack my year, but it was that last Sunday, in early March and I was celebrating my birthday. My birthday fell on March 9th on March 8th -I'm sorry- and I remember vividly everyone preparing for that. I think the governor had announced either that day, that everything wasn't shut down just because New York City was facing a high number of people having symptoms. Right. And it was really scary. It was kind of like a very, very scary moment to know that it was the last evening that we were going to be allowed out and that we were going to go and shut down for what I remember was just a two week shutdown.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=102.0,189.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: Yeah. And then how did you feel when the lockdown really set in?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=189.0,195.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: It was very challenging and very scary. I'm a very social person. You know, we were doing, -we were collecting petitions to get our candidates on the ballot for our local election here in Queens, our assembly local election here in Queens. It was also, you know, a time where I was working with older adults moving them into New York state's very first LGBT working senior housing development, and after the two weeks ended and it extended to another two weeks it -the conversations that I were having drastically shifted. It went from being very nervous about my mom's wellbeing, -she's a hotel worker- and understanding that she was coming in contact with tourists, that she was coming in contact with people that were stranded here, and knowing that she was going to work on the subway, created a lot of fear. My husband is also a hotel worker and he didn't stop working. I was transitioning into a work-from-home situation, but I was still having conversations with older adults who are LGBT navigating this, this very fearful month, because at that point it'd been a month, right? Like in April, after we kind of like knew that things were going to be shut down for quite some time, conversations around safety and security, as they were planning to transition into a building that was safe and affordable, and impact their life and their dignity.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=195.0,339.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: Right. It was a very challenging moment, personally, as well as a community organizer, working with immigrant, undocumented, working class communities, seeing the level of job loss, of food insecurity in my own backyard was worrisome. And so it kind of like hit me from all angles, to be honest, I was, you know, worried about my family, my immediate family who were essential workers. I was worried about the older adults that had already told their landlords that they were moving out to this new development, and planning around that and safety for them and delaying that in some cases. I was worried about my neighbors and my family that, you know, I knew were losing their jobs and were struggling to pay rent and food. It was also a very scary, a very scary year, and during the peak, like the months of March, April, May, June, July, seeing the sirens -I live on 82nd street, which is the street that connects my neighborhood, to Elmhurst Hospital- hearing the ambulance and the helicopters, and just understanding that we were in a health-war zone, right? Like, people were literally fighting for their lives and fighting to survive, and seeing all of that activation was challenging.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=339.0,468.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: Yeah. If you don't mind me asking, what is your job?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=468.0,474.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: My daytime job is to work with LGBT older adults at a national organization.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=474.0,487.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: Perfect. And you said that your job was very affected, right. So you had to start working from home?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=487.0,492.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: I transitioned to working-from-home, and you know, my project at that moment was to help LGBTQ+ older adults move into one of our developments.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=492.0,511.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: Perfect. And how was your work affected? Like before you used to do a lot of like in person, right?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=511.0,526.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: Yeah, My work was very high touch with people that were interested in applying for this development, that was planning to move to this development that we're excited about planning, and so I would meet with them to, you know, go over their moving list or meet with them to talk about, you know, review documents, review their leases, or help them navigate that or their application process. Right? Helping them get together their documents for their application, and once everything went remote, -because it was an aging population, which was a high-risk population- we knew this, we just could not offer those services anymore. And it became really challenging trying to work with older adults that were low income, that they didn't have access to computers and technology to help them get through the application process, the interview process, and the moving process for a building that promised them affordability and better quality of life as older adults.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=526.0,618.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: Perfect. You mentioned that you live between Jackson Heights and Elmhurst. I want to know how the neighborhood changed because of the pandemic. What did you realize that changed a lot?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=618.0,635.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: I mean, Like I said, I've always been a very social person, so I support a lot of our local businesses, you know, walking on Northern Boulevard to go get a Vietnamese Bánh mì or going to my local supermarket -which is a block away from my house- to get groceries or going to a local restaurant or a queer bar to meet friends, or go on a dinner date with my husband. I was very, very active pre-COVID and that first week, where all of the businesses closed, it was really scary to see the avenue that I've always known -I went to school at I.S 145, which is on Northern Boulevard, which is on 34th Avenue. No, It's not it's between Northern Boulevard and 34th Avenue on 79th street or 80th- and walking those streets as a young person, as a young adult, as an adult was always lively, like seeing my neighbors going to the restaurants that I've been going since I was a child -Pio pio- or being able to walk on 37th or on 82nd street, they live on 82nd street. So walking down 82nd street from Northern Boulevard, all the way to Roosevelt Avenue was such an experience, hearing different peoples speak, different languages, as an immigrant, as a Colombian immigrant hearing my fellow Colombians from different regions speak on the street was something that I always looked forward to, you know, one of the things that I love about Jackson Heights is being able to walk in the neighborhood. And it was really shocking to see that all of the businesses that I had seen growing up, like there's businesses like La Perrada de Chalo, or the cholado place on 84th and Northern Blvd has been there for decades just completely shut down, closed out -Natives, which is now Boulevard, on 83rd and Northern Boulevard, which has always been such an important part of our community here that offers theater for our communities.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=635.0,798.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: Life theater was shut down. Knowing that shopping became -food shopping- this scary and anxiety-endorsing experience for so many people that didn't know if shipments (of food) were going to come, and so they were taking, you know, meat and eggs and toilet paper and cleaning supplies, understanding I was thinking about like ethical shopping, understanding that our older adults were suffering the most and were left with the bare hands, right? Because they were not as impulsive as the younger generation and navigating the loneliness and fear was something that I was constantly analyzing and feeling as COVID impacted my day-to-day, and the community that I lived and to start seeing lines of people asking for food and families going out to look for food in the cold weather, in rainy weather, because they lost their jobs and their security to food and security to shelter was really scary. So, you know, 82nd street became a ghost town and Northern Boulevard became a ghost town. Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, East, Elmhurst, like we're (a) very, very immigrant community. And as immigrant communities, we like walking close to each other. We, as New Yorkers, you know, we literally walked to each other until our face, our faces are together, and then we move other people's ways, like, not a mile ahead, but like at the moment that we're crossing each other, right? We're just like that community that is very, very, very, very connected in so many levels that welcomes and loves each other and just walking the street was scary, because you didn't know how people would react.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=798.0,965.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: I remember, you know, having conversations with my mom -as an essential worker, right. She was working in how she would navigate the streets and be like \"Daniel people are avoiding me, like people see me and they move away\". And when I would go out to do either grocery shopping or go out for a wellness walk, I would experience the same thing where you just did not know how to react if someone was on your same sidewalk, which was really, really sad, because again, as a kid who grew up in Jackson Heights and has been living in this community for most of his life, I was not used to that hesitancy and kind of like pushback from something as simple as a sidewalk, and it was scary to do that as well.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=965.0,1026.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: Perfect. You mentioned also the shopping experience. Right? And I feel like that's huge. So tell me, how was your food shopping experience? Like at the beginning of the quarantine, and then towards the middle of the quarantine?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=1026.0,1043.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: You know, it was really, it was complex, right? Like there's -I guess that some of us like share society. Right? And what I mean by sharing society is that we view our life through a privilege lens, right? Like we're thankful of our privileges and what we are able to access. Right? And for me -this may become a counseling session actually. So I may cry a little bit because I haven't been able to deal with these questions in a while and I think that they're coming up. Right? Like, in my mind, I'm having some flashbacks and whatnot in the last couple of days. So, please bear with me.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=1043.0,1111.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: No yeah. Don't worry.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=1111.0,1112.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: I think that there was like, There was like this sort of guilt, right? To know that I was like still employed and had the opportunity to go food shopping, that, you know, I was married to someone who plans ahead and he got us, you know, Tylenol and a thermometer and ginger, just in case an emergency erupted within our household. And in the beginning, it was sad to know that I had this privilege to go into a supermarket and get food, right? Where a lot of my neighbors relied on what the community was collectively giving to each other to survive. And the experience, physically shopping inside the supermarket was chaotic. You know, it was scary. We live in a community whose backbone are people who have risked a lot to, to survive. Right. And that survival is migrating, that survival is working low-wage jobs, in non-safe conditions just so that they could get by and their families get by, and because of that resiliency and survival, understanding the ethical way of shopping was something that was important to me.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=1112.0,1239.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: I'm that New Yorker that buys groceries and sometimes the groceries don't get cooked and I would have to compost some of them, right? Because I can't use them. And because of work and all of the things that I'm engaged in, and in that moment, I was like \"okay, like, this is where I'm going to buy two tomatoes\" because I know that I can't buy five anymore. One of them will serve someone else or two of them will serve someone else. Right.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=1239.0,1281.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: Um, give me one, one second, one second, please. I'm sorry. It's okay. \n[Interviewee steps out for a minute.] Uh, after give me one second, please. I gotta get something ready for someone that's coming to pick it up one second.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=1281.0,1353.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: That's okay. Don't worry.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=1353.0,1355.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: So I remember now, So yeah, you know, it was very much challenging, right. To be able to be in this position of privilege and noticing that my neighbors were having issues with purchasing food, and then obviously the ethical shopping piece, making sure that I was not over-shopping, that I was also allowing people to buy healthier foods. So, for example, instead of getting like bagged beans, I would get canned beans. Right, because I knew that -as someone who, who was diagnosed with melanoma a couple of years ago- I kind of like knew the impact of eating canned food with high preservers and high sodiums, like chemicals, and how that like impacted me directly and my health. And I knew that, you know, a lot of our community members, especially those were undocumented and do not have access to health insurance, try to follow healthier lifestyles, but understanding that healthier lifestyles is a privilege also made me think thrice about buying like bagged food and instead, you know, getting canned food and shopping in a slightly different way.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=1355.0,1468.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: One second, one second \n[phone rings]. I'm so sorry. Yeah, no problem. It's okay. Um,\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=1468.0,1476.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: Okay. So I want to know, how was your health affected? Did you contract COVID or aside from COVID, like, how was your health affected?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=1476.0,1487.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/28","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: Yeah, so I did contract COVID. I had COVID around April. My symptoms were severe and it was scary because, the Elmhurst Hospital would only take you if you were literally not able to breathe. Like, if you were literally not breathing, and I was that case that was not there, but that was having extreme challenges breathing. And so, you know, it was interesting to know that I live so close to the hospital, but that I wasn't able to get medical attention because I wasn't severely sick, yet at that point. And my husband got COVID as well, but his -we didn't know at that time that that was COVID because he just felt like a little bit sick, but not, you know, it wasn't, it was nothing severe. He felt like a little lightheaded, but that was it.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=1487.0,1579.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/29","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: Yeah. And overall, you were talking about that you're a very social person and how you use to go out all the time. So I want to know how have your personal relationships been affected by the pandemic and how do you keep in contact with everybody?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=1579.0,1600.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/30","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: So, during the peak -it's been challenging, you know- my best friend gave birth to her first child. This is a person that is like a sister to me, and I've only seen the baby three times during this whole year. And we live - she's in Elmhurst- like 10 minutes away from each other, walking distance. I didn't hug my mom until October, November of last year, since March, and she lives four blocks away from me. I'm used to greeting people by hugs and a peck on the cheek and not being able to do that has been challenging, but it was more challenging in the beginning. I kept -during the summer last year, I did what everyone else did, which was like, take real advantage of being able to go outside and go for walks and meet up outdoors. And still, you know, it's this fear of contracting a new strand of COVID or being around someone that has it and getting it right. Like, I think that life doesn't stop. Right? And there's a point where I made the decision -that a lot of people are having to navigate and figure out if they're going to make- which is, how much do they let COVID dictate what they can and can't do. Right? So, I ran a pantry. Right? And that's been my way since May of last year, that I've been able to be in community in a different way where we're socially distanced, where we say hi to each other, giving each other pounds with our fists, where we are doing our intakes outdoors and not indoors regardless of like weather, where our interaction has gone -or at least on my end, my interaction with people has gone- from physical touch to eye gestures. Right? Like making sure that now more than then, where we're more intentional at looking at each other's eyes and transmitting love and care through the way that we interact with each other. I think that the most challenging things is not being able to see my best friend's kids. My close friend is also a new parent and she's in Brooklyn, and you know, we coordinated a play date so that the kids could get to know each other, and so that I could see them here in Jackson Heights, but it was so cold. And the other parent, you know, was extremely scared and fearful and families, right?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=1600.0,1855.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/31","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: Like families are having to deal with like the stress of their loved ones walking through COVID and understanding the risk that people are putting themselves, and us they're trying to see people that they love and care for. So, you know, like my -obviously- experience is not foreign to people around me and it's not unique, but it is very much so connected to kind of like what everyone else is navigating and the conversations that everyone else is having with their loved ones about security, about safety as life continues with this virus.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=1855.0,1919.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/32","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: Yeah. And what about your mental health? How do you think your mental health was affected by the pandemic? The lockdown, the social distancing?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=1919.0,1933.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/33","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: I mean, I'm always in response mode. Which is not healthy, meaning that, you know, with the pantry, like with my colleagues, like figuring out, like getting food, and making sure we have food. I'm always trying to think about like my family back home in Colombia and like -where I come from is a very poor remote community that doesn't have the luxury of getting resources, like the communities, some of our communities do here- and thinking about poverty over there in a much real way, and kind of like feeling like I need to be doing more there. Trying to support -through my work- the community with navigating, you know, city government agencies that are closed and bureaucratic. I think I am experiencing some withdraw from last year now that's been a year, and I think that -just this moment right now made me have a flashback of how I was back in March- the fear that I was facing back in March, the fear that I was -all of us were facing. Right. It's not just about me. I think that we are all surprised that it's been a year and that so much has happened, and I think that in my case, I'm lucky to be doing better than most people -in terms of mental health- and that's largely because I have a partner, so I'm not quarantining alone. My mom is walking distance. My siblings are walking distance, but it's always -it's obviously impacted me in an emotional way that I just can't describe when I think, you know, I'll be able to describe later this year, more as those feelings start coming to surface and I start dealing with them, because -like I shared with you earlier- I feel like there's some things that are coming back as like little flashback and little instances of that feeling of fear and pain that is very hard to describe, and I'm wondering what that means in terms of my mental health.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=1933.0,2176.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/34","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: One second, Like calls and everything at the same time.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=2176.0,2182.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/35","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: It's okay. Don't worry. So what about your family? How was your family affected by the pandemic?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=2182.0,2194.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/36","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nSpeaker 4: So as COVID hit, you know, March, April, May, June, July, my mom was working and she actually, you know -her and like her colleagues- were working to take care of the Navy ship that deployed to New York to the Windham Hotel, formerly known as the New Yorker Hotel on 34th street and 8th Avenue. That was, you know, a medical ship that was sent to us, to deal with all of the cases. And I saw, you know, my mom just working, and being really scared -taking care of like the rooms, where this medical staff were treating COVID patient- and then from one moment to another, like the hotel closed and she went on -she got laid off and she had never been laid off and had been working in that hotel for over 25 years. And I don't know, like, it was hard to see my mom lose kind of like her job that she always knew and not knowing whether they were going to sell, they were going to close down for good, and seeing her worried, like navigating -she's never navigated unemployment or like the additional responsibility of us, right- like becoming caseworkers for our families again, by helping them navigate like this bureaucratic government service that's unemployment.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=2194.0,2314.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/37","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: So that was, you know, that was impactful. My dad was also laid off I think. My sister remained working from home, and I think it was just like that add on strain to families. I have a younger brother who's much younger than I am. He graduated high school, but seeing him, his schoolwork, transition to online work, and as a young teenager, you know, been already consumed by the technology. And here you have a young teenager already consumed by technology being forced to use technology for school and being depressed and navigating being a teenager, during COVID was challenging. Luckily, my family, they really took extreme measures and they didn't test positive for COVID until last month, where unfortunately they were exposed to the virus and they all had COVID. We felt calmer, that they had COVID, at this point and relieved that they didn't get in the beginning, because I honestly do not know what we would have done if everyone had had COVID a year ago, because a year ago there was such little information about how to take care of yourself and the access to healthcare was just so limited. And so here we had, you know -as they were diagnosed in New York city health department sent them a care kit that included an oxygen \n[unclear]. They had me taking them -basically what my husband had gotten us earlier last year, Tylenol, you know, teas and vitamin C - and helping them identify like the different levels of seriousness that they were experiencing due to the symptoms.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=2314.0,2472.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/38","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: But, I think that that was like the thing that was missing to give my experience during COVID, like a full on circle of just like having to be a care provider, a social worker within my family, connecting them to, you know, to like unemployment, talking to them about their symptoms and checking in on them. And while still pretty much being at the heart of the pandemic, dealing with housing-insecure and food-insecure communities that are coming to me -that are coming to us- on a weekly basis trying to access food. It's definitely been an interesting, an interesting route, you know?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=2472.0,2539.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/39","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: Yeah. So you had mentioned that you have a pantry. What is the name of your pantry?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=2539.0,2547.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/40","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: Yeah, so the pantry that we have, is called The Lovewins food pantry.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=2547.0,2554.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/41","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: Yeah. Are you the founder of the food pantry?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=2554.0,2560.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/42","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: Yes, I am the co-founder of the food pantry alongside with Alejandra Ruiz.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=2560.0,2568.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/43","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: Nice. And how did you come up with the idea of having a food pantry during the pandemic?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=2568.0,2575.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/44","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: Alejandra called me and was freaking out because the same thing that we were facing, like we were seeing it all across Jackson Heights and Elmhurst and East Elmhurst. Our communities making lines that were blocks long trying to access food. She's like, \"Daniel I wanna do a pantry fundraise\". She's in philanthropy so she knows about like the community. She's also a skilled community organizer. I was like \"oh, pride month is coming. How about we make one that is Queens focused during pride month to support our LGBT community who are not accessing food pantries because of their sexual orientation, gender identity and or expression?\". We called Eddie Valentin, which is the owner of Friends' Tavern, which is an LGBT bar here in Jackson Heights. That's -for me- our replica of Stonewall. It's been in our community for like so many years, and decades. It's been a good community partner and they let us use their space, and what initially started as a one-time pantry has organically grown into a weekly pantry providing services and food to our community during the last, you know, months since the end of May, and that hopes to continue doing that, as long as our community needs it. It's a space that is led by LGBTQ people, which we hope helps fight the stigma against LGBT communities within our immigrant communities, but also allows for say space where trans and gender non-conforming people to access food if they need.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=2575.0,2718.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/45","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: Why do you think it's important to volunteer? At these kind of pantries, food drives, clothing drives as an LGBTQ member?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=2718.0,2733.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/46","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: No, I think that LGBTQ people are often boxed within religious purviews, and cultural limitations that limit the idea of love and being able to love. I think that by being out and being in these multiple spaces, we are able to continue demonstrating how -at the core of our communities, \n[unclear] especially communities of color and low income- who are LGBTQ, which is really, really focused around love and community building, right? Like we're a community that is vibrant, we are a community that is in the forefront of human rights movements, right? Like every issue is an LGBT issue, every fight is an LGBT fight. By being in these spaces, we allow the community to see us, to hear us, and we allow to de-stigmatize that hate and phobia, or to clarify, and serve as liaisons to people that are trying to understand more about LGBT issues and LGBTQ communities.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=2733.0,2849.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/47","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: Yeah. Are there any other volunteer work, volunteer organizations that you volunteered at? That you're a part of?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=2849.0,2861.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/48","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: You know, I'm a community servant, and so during my years of experience and love and care for my neighbors and my community, I've been involved with many organizations, not one specifically. And this is part of that work that I've been doing in the community for so many years.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=2861.0,2894.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/49","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: Nice. Well, are there any other shocking experiences that you remember because of the pandemic? That happened during the pandemic?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=2894.0,2913.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/50","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: I think that what we are seeing is like decriminalization of homeless people. How the system didn't set up to support this population that needed housing before the pandemic and how this just overflow shelters and didn't allow homeless populations to have dignified housing or shelter and allowed, our places of access to be taken away from this population, like in Jackson Heights. In diversity Plaza, which is a place that welcomes everyone, we saw community leaders, talking about using the space for restaurant space without taking into consideration that this is a space for our low income communities or our communities targeting like our homeless population, because there's no jobs and there's no food and people are losing housing. People cannot access shelter or it's harder to access shelters. Shelter's supposed to be safe. Some of these shelters are unsafe for woman, for single moms, for LGBTQ people, for marginalized communities. So that was the way that the city handled this crisis -should serve as a learning experience for us to really take into consideration how the services are accessible and adequate for vulnerable populations. I think that there was a lot of demonstrations that happened with the black lives matters movements, that are still going on, and those are conversations that we should not ignore, or let them be part of like such a hard year, last year of COVID and calling out white supremacy and microaggressions that lead to white supremacy. I think that one of the most shocking -in a good way- things that happened was to be able to get, such a horrible, horrible, horrible president out of office, and have a competent, leadership in the White House that feels more in touch with the community and \n[unclear] in our communities that relieve that they been trying to get, or have access to, but have been ignored because of a Republican office leadership office. So I think that that's some of the things that I want to highlight, or also, I want to highlight that, you know, it's been very beautiful to see not only pantries be run by communities, but also so many leaders developing food sustainability and food justice within their communities, like the community fridges that opened up the across the city led by mostly young people of color who organize themselves to make sure that their communities have a space where people are accessing food. That was one volunteer led and by the people, for the people was something very beautiful in that, you know, highlighting that, people that are interested in supporting the Love Wins Food Pantry can donate by going to our bio on Instagram and, or Facebook, and helping us sustain our work, for the next couple of months, as long as our community needs it.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=2913.0,3181.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/51","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: Perfect. Well, thank you very much. Is there something else you would like to add? Something else that you would like to talk about, about the pandemic or about your work, about, you?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=3181.0,3195.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/52","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nDaniel Puerto: No.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=3195.0,3195.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338/transcript/31560/annotation/53","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\nOscar Zamora Flores: All right. Perfect. Thank you very much.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/46943/file/120338#t=3195.0,3199.03347"}]}]}]}