Communities of Care: Stories from South Asian American Healthcare Workers

FAIN: PN-293564-23

South Asian American Digital Archive, NFP (Philadelphia, PA 19107-4701)
Samip Kumar Mallick (Project Director: January 2023 to present)

The collection of fifty oral history interviews, a full-time oral history storyteller-in-residence program, and the creation of a digital exhibit, social media, and website content. The project would document South Asian American healthcare workers’ experiences of being employed on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

“Communities of Care” is a digital collection of oral histories from South Asian American healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fifty interviews will be conducted by the Healthcare Storyteller-in-Residence: a medical professional who will be trained by professional oral historians. Other products include a digital exhibit interpreting the collection and live broadcasted dialogues. Themes include treating patients with COVID-19, loss of family members, the emotional impact of death and dying, South Asian values, and the privileges and challenges of healthcare work. South Asian Americans have faced increased vulnerability during the pandemic due to a high number of frontline workers, restrictive visa policies, community-specific health risks, and income inequality. Not only will SAADA’s collection amplify voices from a diverse community rarely represented in archives, but it will preserve the lived experiences of a crucial workforce at a time that America needed them most.