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Two healthcare workers wearing blue protective gowns, face shields, and masks stand indoors near a transparent partition. The environment appears to be a medical or testing facility, with visible industrial-style ceilings and fluorescent lighting.
Oral History

From the Front Line

Narratives of the Covid-19 Pandemic in New Orleans - MSS 1029

When the novel coronavirus arrived, HNOC got to work gathering narratives from policy makers, health workers, and others who served on the front lines of the crisis.

Made possible by the generous sponsorship of the 2020 and 2021 Bienville Circle

Epidemics from yellow fever and cholera to the 1918 flu pandemic have tragically impacted New Orleans over the past 300 years. These periods of crisis have had a profound impact on the economic and emotional well-being of the city and region. As the most significant public health crisis in over a century, the COVID-19 pandemic is no different. The city has endured a heartbreaking loss of human life, the interruption of cherished traditions, and deep economic hardship.

As part of its response to this critical episode in our shared story, the Historic New Orleans Collection created From the Front Line: Narratives of the COVID-19 Pandemic in New Orleans. This oral history project started in May 2020 and has gathered audio interviews from nurses, doctors, paramedics, epidemiologists, public officials, morticians, spiritual leaders, business leaders, and artists, with more to come. The interviews, which have been cataloged and archived, form one of the most comprehensive resources on the social history of the pandemic in New Orleans.

Throughout the course of the project, produced audio excerpts from the interviews have been featured regularly on New Orleans NPR affiliate WWNO as part of HNOC’s oral history feature NOLA Life Stories. The project has also been featured on the Oxford University Press blog. In addition, selected interviewees were featured in a series of short videos for exhibition and social media. This work will provide a more textured and nuanced understanding of the pandemic as this crisis passes into the community’s collective memory.

Advisory Group

  • Nina Compton, Chef/Restaurateur, Bywater American Bistro and Compère Lapin
  • Dr. Takeisha Davis, CEO, New Orleans East Hospital
  • Nancy Hampton, Head of Collections Resources, Xavier University of Louisiana
  • Karissa Haugeberg, Associate Professor of History, Tulane University
  • Addie Imseis, Chief Administrative Assistant, Jefferson Parish President’s Office
  • Hon. Bernette Joshua Johnson, Former Chief Justice, Louisiana Supreme Court
  • Christopher Leach, photojournalist, WGNO TV
  • Manuel Linares, CEO, Touro Infirmary
  • Timothy McConnell, Former Superintendent, New Orleans Fire Department
  • Kelli Saulny, Campaign Manager, Campaign for Equity: New Orleans (CENO)
  • David Lee Simmons, Deputy Communications Director to Mayor LaToya Cantrell
  • Melanie Talia, President and CEO, New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation
  • Doug MacCash, Staff Writer, New Orleans Advocate/nola.com

Dr. Jennifer Avegno

Dr. Jennifer Avegno, director of the New Orleans Health Department, has been at the center of the COVID-19 crisis from the start. Born and raised in the New Orleans area, she has been the public face of the city’s response to COVID-19 and has been responsible for orchestrating the city’s efforts in establishing safety protocols and testing centers. November 11, 2020 (6:25)

LaToya Cantrell

The first female mayor of the City of New Orleans, LaToya Cantrell has faced an unprecedented set of challenges during her first term. The loss of human life during the pandemic was felt acutely in the mayor’s office, according to Cantrell, who said that the casualties motivated the city's response and inspired efforts to help the community emerge from the crisis. October 8, 2020 (5:14)

Cynthia Lee Sheng

Cynthia Lee Sheng had only been Jefferson Parish president for two months before the diagnosis of a parish resident on March 9, 2020, necessitated a crisis response. She discusses the delicate balance of economic realities with public health concerns throughout the pandemic—a challenge that has tested local leaders nationwide. December 21, 2020 (3:14)

Josh Wingerter

When the pandemic first hit, Josh Wingerter decided to try to stick to his daily routines. So he went to Frenchmen Street, where he had sold his artwork. He found all his old haunts boarded up with plywood. Rather than see the plywood as a grim reminder of the unfolding crisis, he viewed it as a challenge to the artist inside him. Wingerter’s street art on Frenchmen inspired New Orleanians during the pandemic’s darkest hours. October 27, 2020 (3:21)

Dr. Kenneth R. Jones

COVID-19 patients confronted their mortality in ICU wards, cut off from family and friends. This isolation had a profound impact on the mental health of patients and their loved ones. Dr. Kenneth R. Jones, chief psychologist with the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, talks about this impact on patients and families as well the effect of this traumatic period on our community. October 16, 2020 (3:29)

Dr. Kyle Emily Widmer

On March 9, 2020, the first case of COVID-19 was diagnosed in Louisiana, marking the beginning of the crisis in our region. The patient was at the New Orleans VA Medical Center. Dr. Kyle Emily Widmer, section chief of Infectious Diseases at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, talks about this first case and the ongoing crisis it triggered. October 16, 2020 (3:53)

Stephanie Simon

COVID-19 took a heartbreaking toll on human life in New Orleans. The death rate and the isolation caused by the pandemic made it difficult to pay proper respect to those who passed away. Local embalmers like Stephanie Simon of Rhodes Funeral Home faced long hours, loneliness, and exhaustion as they confronted a crisis that seemed to have no end. December 21, 2020 (3:42)

Collin Arnold

The Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness for the City of New Orleans faced an unprecedented set of challenges in 2020. Confronting a record-breaking hurricane season in the midst of a global pandemic was uncharted territory. Director Collin Arnold talked about how his department has handled this difficult year. November 11, 2020 (5:16)

Dr. Emily Nichols

During the pandemic many New Orleanians experienced that terrifying moment when a loved one was loaded in the back of an ambulance and taken away. Paramedics with the New Orleans Medical Services needed to deal with these heartbreaking moments with compassion. Director Dr. Emily Nichols talks about the experience of New Orleans EMS workers. October 27, 2020 (4:07)

Explore the Interviews

All the interviews are available in their entirety through our online catalog. To access full audio and transcripts of the oral histories, click the links beneath the contributor names below, which will take you to each corresponding catalog page. Scroll down to the View Online field to find links to audio and transcript files.

Contributors

Clarence Adams

Collin M. Arnold

Dr. Jennifer Avegno

Carlos Wilfredo Avelar

Sarah Babcock

Elizabeth Belcher

Christopher Cahill

LaToya Cantrell

Jeffrey Carreras

Nina Compton

Bryon Scott Cornelison

Manuel Davila

Debbie Davis

Robert DeViney

Devin De Wulf

Nicole Dorignac

Governor John Bel Edwards

Erica Falls

Shaun D. Ferguson

Jonathan Ferrara

Mamie Marie Francois

Sarah Grant

Vince Hayward

Dr. Kenneth R. Jones

Dr. Joseph Kanter

Julius Kimbrough

Brian Knighten

Dr. Phillip Luke LaBas

Cynthia Lee-Sheng

Robert Lyall

Ellen Louise Macomber

Laura Mellem

Trixie Minx

Darryl Joseph Montana and Dianne Honeré

Helena Moreno

Rick G. Nelson

Christopher H. Nalty

Jasminne Navarre

William Nemitoff

Dr. Emily Nichols

William Harold (Billy) Nungesser

Jason Patterson

John Pope

Chantell Reed

Dr. Randolph (Randy) Louis Roig

Mary Beth Romig

Anna Roznowska

Emilie Rhys

Ben Sandmel

Holly Sherman

Stephanie Simon

Valerie Snell

Theresa Sokol

Libbie Sonnier

Don Vappie

Seva Venet

Daniel Victory

Lady Walker

Melissa A. Weber

Dr. Ruth White-Davis

Kyle Widmer

Josh Wingerter

Andrui Yanovsky

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