00:00:00SESAY: All right. Today is Monday, May 15, 2023, and I am interviewing
Shericka Smith for the COVID KY Oral Histories Project, and my name is Nadia
Sesay. So let's get started. Um, Shericka, I'll be asking you a lot about COVID
today, but we can get started on a lighter foot--(laughs)--if you can tell me a
little bit more about yourself.
SMITH: Sure. So it was Shericka Smith. I am born in Lexingto--Lexington,
Kentucky--I was born in Lexington, Kentucky. Um, I've lived here the majority of
my life except for going to graduate school in Louisville, Kentucky. But
I--yeah, graduated from Tates Creek High School and then went to Transylvania
University to study Spanish and psychology. Went to the University of
00:01:00Louisville for my graduate program, and I got a graduate degree in social work
with a certification in school social work and started working in that field,
and then many years later, went back to UK [University of Kentucky] to get a
doctorate degree in social work. So um, yeah, mental health is my field, and
social work and doing therapy, and that's my, my life. (laughs)
SESAY: So you've been to, you know, three of the leading universities in the
area, and I'm speaking to you know from the campus of the University of
Kentucky. Um, but since you are, you know, born and bred Lexington, could you
tell us a little bit more about your upbringing, and maybe some of the things
that led you to have a passion for mental health?
SMITH: Sure. My mom--I feel like that answer's always about--(laughs)--your
parents, right? My mother worked--she manages a homeless shelter, which
she has done for as long as I can remember, and I actually remember
00:02:00being at work with her one day and watching one of her families, um, go through,
like, the removal of their children. So that's--a police officer was there, a
social worker was there, and due to something that the parent had done, they
were there to remove her child. And so that has always kind of stuck with me,
and as a young child, I just remembered wanting to work in a field that I could
help with situations like that, and whether it's preventing things like that
from helping or helping after something like that has happened. Um, so that's
kind of where my--I, you know, made the decision to do social work, and then
kind of leading into therapy. But just having grown up in Lexington in a low
socioeconomic area and situation, you know, I--single parent household--I
watched my mom raise three children on her own, and we had support from our
dad--just in a different location. But--so yeah, just kind of being
00:03:00around--needing resources and needing services, just--you know, I grew up with
that, but also watching to see what my mom does. That kind of led me to this field.
SESAY: Um-hm, um-hm. And may I ask how old you were when you had that memory? It
sounds like it's something so profound for you.
SMITH: Yes. I want to--I don't know the exact date. I want to say high school
age because while I was in high school, I remember wanting to be a teacher.
(laughs) You know, I've always wanted to be a teacher, grew up wanting to be a
teacher. And then I feel like that event happened around that time where I was
starting to prepare for college, so I want to say it was high school age.
SESAY: Okay. Okay. And, uh, were you a--was that a different career path amongst
your friends? Were they--(laughs)--were they asking you, like, "Why, Shericka?"
SMITH: Yeah.
SESAY: What was the reaction of people in your life?
SMITH: Yeah, you know, a lot of the friends wanted to do--I think a
00:04:00lot of them wanted to be doctors and teachers and things like that, so yeah.
When I got to college and kind of made my own decision, it was--I don't know. It
was clear to me, I think.
SESAY: Um-hm, Um-hm. Thank you for sharing that. Um--
SMITH: --you're welcome--
SESAY: --sometimes the clear path is the path--(laughs)--we should pursue, um,
and it's great that you followed through with it.
SMITH: Yeah.
SESAY: Um, so taking off from your, uh, your background with, uh, healthcare in
terms of people caring for one another and looking at the pandemic, what were
some of the ways in which your caring for people changed from, let's say,
pre-pandemic into the height of the pandemic?
SMITH: Yeah. I would say we all definitely had to get creative
00:05:00because in one of my jobs--I do have a few right now, but that's another
story--(laughs)--we went from obviously if there's a need, we could get to the
person and face-to-face help, and those things--usually it was a crisis
situation that happened, right? I worked for a school system, and so if there
was a crisis that happened, we would go to the people in need. But with the
pandemic, that stopped, but the crisis doesn't stop, right? You can't just put
that on hold also. So just being creative and trying to figure out how I can
still get resources to you, um, even though I can't physically be there or I
can't send people to you physically. So of course, as everybody knows, Zoom has
been a lifesaver for so many people, and so I can still connect with people and
see your face and hear your voice over Zoom and provide something
00:06:00that way--provide resources that way, if needed. Same with therapy. I did start
doing private practice while--when COVID hit. Um, I think it was just one of
those things that was just in the back of my mind. With social work, there's so
many different avenues you can take, right? You can do hospital social work,
forensic social work. You can do school social work. You can do therapy. Um, you
can teach. And so therapy was one of those things that I said I never wanted to
do--(laughs)--but, um, it was also one of those things where I was like, "I need
to check this off the list just to see because I could be really good at it,"
you know? So I--when COVID hit, we were all forced to be home. I took a job with
the local counseling agency, and in December of 2020 saw my first client over
Zoom--over telehealth, um--and, I mean, that was three years ago almost, and
I'm-- now I have my own private practice, and so I obviously liked it
00:07:00and enjoyed it enough to start my own business with a coworker of mine. Um, but
anyway, so that also gave me a--I don't know, just kind of this fulfilling--just
this fulfillment, that, "Yes, we're in the middle of this pandemic. I can't
reach you physically, but there's still a way that we can get, um, our needs
met." So Zoom, I think, is definitely the one that, you know, most people think
about as far as continuing communication, but also continuing to do the work as needed.
SESAY: Uh-huh. And we're, you know, using Zoom now, so--
SMITH: --right--
SESAY: --(laughs)--it's lingered beyond the -----------(??) pandemic.
SMITH: I should've took stock in it, really.
SESAY: (laughs) So should I. Um, what were you--what would you say were some of
the challenges and opportunities in connecting with people virtually?
SMITH: Um, I think depending on what time period you are in your
00:08:00life, right, when the pandemic hit. I think a lot of--just different people had
so many different challenges, right? So you think about just relationships in
general, and when you're forced to be home--I, I know of several relationships
that ended because they were around each other too much and realized, "Oh, I
don't think I really like you," right? (laughs) And then you also think of those
people who are kind of, uh, in that stage of dating and wanting to get married
and wanting to find, you know--wanting to be in a relationship, and then--but
those opportunities changed and just, you know, kind of stopped because of
COVID. Um, so yeah, just depending on that. And of course, you know, the
obvious, where some people could not continue to work because their jobs can't
function over Zoom, right? So they did lose their jobs and became financially
unstable, and those were the hardest because it's not that it was anyone's
fault, right? It's not that it was something--sometimes couldn't be
00:09:00prevented. And so hopefully those--people who kind of suffered that way were
able to find resources through our community to--to keep, you know, afloat until
they could find another job that they could work. But, um, personally,
challenges, I've--I mentioned this earlier. I actually had just met someone.
I'm--I've--was married--well, I--back and divorced, um, and so I hadn't dated
anybody for a very, very long time. So right when COVID hit, I had met someone
and we were hitting it off. Like, it was nice, right? We would go on dates, and
then the world shut down. So we tried to date via Zoom. You know, we would get
on Zoom and have dinner. He would send dinner, um, to my house. DoorDash blew
up, I'm sure. So we would have dinner together on Zoom, and I don't know. It was
just kind of odd. Like, "Is this really going to be the new, you know, life?"
Because obviously people would take chances and leave the house for, for someone
that you knew, but this was a complete stranger to me, so that's how
00:10:00we did it for a while. Did not last. But anyway, my, my thoughts are just--for
those people who are outwardly, you know, just extroverts and social and need
that social interaction, but all of the sudden that was just kind of ripped from
them, and--
SESAY: --uh-hm--
SMITH: --you know, I live at home by myself and a dog, so it's not like I had
somebody at home to kind of fill that void. So, um, that was personally a huge
challenge for me, but again, you just kind of work around it and find ways to be
creative, and still find things to do during that time.
SESAY: Um, I have a--a few follow-up questions.
SMITH: Yeah.
SESAY: (laughs) But I think I want to start with, you know, since you are a
mental health professional--you said by yourself, you lived alone with your dog,
um, had some interaction, and the pandemic changed a lot of that. So--for
yourself and, you know, for everyone--um, but you had the unique
00:11:00position of working professionally in this space whereas a lot of people who
lost that person-to-person interaction maybe didn't have the know how or the
resources to cope. So what were some of your ways that you took care of yourself?--
SMITH: --uh-huh--
SESAY: And then as you were, um, interacting with clients who maybe expressed
similar--um, similar withdrawal situations, how would you help them from a
professional point of view?
SMITH: Yeah. Personally, I spent a lot of time outside when the weather was
nice. I, um, I actually--this is so funny because everybody that I know gained
so much weight over COVID, but I actually lost a lot of weight over COVID. (laughs)
SESAY: That hand was for gain and not for loss. (both laugh)
SMITH: Um, I don't know. I prioritized my physical health because I think that
was what helped me with my mental health because getting outside of
00:12:00the house, taking walks, um--and at that time, I actually lived next door to my
sister, so that was very convenient. But she and I would take walks, um, and we
could be outside but still be distant, right? Because in the beginning, like,
even if you're outside, you couldn't be this close to people, right? So we would
walk. Of course, I would be a few steps ahead of her, or vice versa. She has
a--she has lupus, and so she really needed to be extra, extra careful. Uh, but
anyway, me being able to get outside, me being able to walk, I know--I remember
the grocery stores, of course, stayed open, but I still didn't go out much, so
my diet changed. I was actually--I actually started Weight Watchers,
and--(laughs)-------------(??) was the only time that I actually stuck to it,
like, really, really well. So yeah, just prioritizing my physical health really
helped me mentally. You know, you--if you look better, you feel better, all that
good stuff, even if nobody can see you--(laughs)--because you're
00:13:00stuck at home. So that was a huge thing for me as well as, uh, social media, and
I've always had the ability to tell when I'm doing too much on social media or
if it's affecting me in a negative way. So I was able to keep up with people on
social media and use it to my advantage to just stay connected as opposed to,
you know, seeing something and it being draining. A lot of people use social
media to compare what they have versus what they don't, so I was able to kind of
keep myself in check and use it appropriately and use it to my advantage. As far
as clients and just other friends who were just kind of struggling, I encouraged
them to do the same. You know, "What can you do outside of your house?" I do
remember our, our--the neighborhood that I live in, we have, like, this Facebook
page where you can either sell things to each other or just, you know, just talk
about news and things like that. So I think one of the first weeks
00:14:00that we were home, I cleaned out my, like, office area, and all the books that
I've either already read or didn't want anymore, I would--I put them in my
driveway and I put on my Facebook page, "Free books." You know, so my
neighbors--of course, it was outside--so my neighbors would come and grab books
off of my driveway. So a lot of my--a lot of the neighbors did that. So things
like that, I encouraged some of my clients to do, you know, just try to find
some ways to connect and still be safe, but also just taking care of ourselves
physically, I think, uh, is a huge intervention for mental health. And then, of
course, DIY projects. I ordered a lot of things on Amazon and--(laughs)--found
just different projects to do on TikTok and just different social media
platforms and upgraded a lot of things inside the house. You know, just doing
fun little projects around the house. So I tried to--I tried to keep
00:15:00busy. And, of course, the job that I was in, I was able to, to continue to work,
so it's not like I had all day, every day to do that. But I was able to keep
busy, and, um, yeah, just kind of fill that space with, you know, something fun,
something new, and also some physical exercise.
SESAY: Thank you for sharing that.
SMITH: Yeah.
SESAY: That was--it sounds like you did stay very engaged. I'm just curious,
were those activities different from some of the things that you did before the pandemic?
SMITH: The interest has always been there. I love to read. I love, um, to do,
you know, just projects around the house, home improvement type things. But I
think when you are forced to be home during that social time--that typical time
that would be social, you know, after work--I don't know. Before the
00:16:00pandemic, you know, I just really didn't have the time to do some of the--the
fun things because I was working so much. But I think the pandemic just kind of
forced us to sit still and, you know, utilize that time. This is when I probably
would still be working on something or doing a third or, you know, fourth job.
But the pandemic just allowed me to sit down and do all those other things on my
list that I've been wanting to do, right? So, including physical exercise. I
kind of put that off for a long time, but the pandemic just kind of allowed me
to, to spend the time on things that I needed to do as well as wanted to do, so.
SESAY: Um, when you first heard of coronavirus, where were you and what went
through your mind?
SMITH: Oh, let me think. I--I can't remember the exact date, but I want to say
it was maybe the November--the fall before, I think, it kind of,
00:17:00like, really shut us down. I was actually traveling to New Orleans, and I
remember coming for a work conference. I remember coming home from New Orleans
and the airport--once I got home--I got home safely. Everything was fine. But I
remember when I got home, I think one of the first cases in New Orleans, maybe,
was, was happened at that airport. And I'm like, "Oh my gosh, I was just there."
(laughs) You know, so I didn't realize how serious it was, I don't think, until
I got home and then started, you know, hearing the news more. I'd gotten really
sick when I got home, had no clue what it was. You know, I didn't think anything
about the coronavirus. I just thought that I had this horrible, you know, cold
or whatever. And so looking back, I feel like that I--that was probably what it
was, but again, we hadn't been advanced just enough just yet to have, you know,
the ability to go grab a test, and I didn't even know what I was
00:18:00testing for. Usually if I get sick, it's, "Take some Sudafed and go to, you
know, take a nap," and--which is what I did. (laughs) But when it started to,
like, really, really get bad and shut down--I think I said this. I worked for a
school system, so I think we--it was right before spring break, and I think
we--I think the governor some--you know, we sent the kids home the week before
spring break, and then we said, "Oh, you know, they'll--everything will be okay.
We'll come back to school after spring break. We'll come back to work and it'll
be fine." And I don't think we--yeah, two years later, we're still at home, so,
yeah. I think those are kind of the earliest memories that I have, you know,
being in New Orleans right there in that airport when supposedly the first case
from New Orleans or Louisiana, um, happened, and then getting home--me getting
really, really sick and just brushing it off like it was just a flu or cold. And
then sending the kids home and not coming back for a while, so.
00:19:00
SESAY: And then at the time of the lockdown, because you worked with a school
system, could you talk more about experiencing the early stages of the pandemic
when your--let's say your audience are youth? Or people who may not understand--
SMITH: --yeah--
SESAY: --the public health consequence of what was going on? How was their
mental health?
SMITH: Yeah. I think in the beginning, definitely confusing just because, you
know, these were--we were sharing words and concepts that were very, very new to
all of us, but especially to our kids. You know, what is a pandemic? What is a
virus? What is, um--well, a virus, of course, that's beyond the flu and the cold
and those things that, you know, you've had before, you know, speaking of youth.
So I think it was really, really confusing just trying to explain what was
happening period. On top of that, you've got youth who are-- who it
00:20:00hits home, right? So their parents or grandparents or someone in their family
has it and possibly did not, you know, survive through it. So just kind of
dealing with the grief of really, like, "I don't even know what this, you know,
virus is, let alone it's at my house and someone's really, really, you know,
dying from it." So all of that together, and then not being able to--you know,
once, once the kids were sent home, not being able to physically be there and
hug them and say, you know, "It's going to be okay. This is what--you know, I'm
here for you." So again, you know, our, our mental health folks had to adjust
and really quickly teach the kids how to use Zoom, make sure they had the
capability to, to you know, connect from home. So from the professional side, it
was hard work, like, from the beginning to make sure all of our kids who, once
they left us, they had all of the resources that they need to be able
00:21:00to still connect. And then, you know, we had to, of course, prioritize that and
then kind of explain, because none of us knew how long this was going to last,
right? So then we had to explain, you know, "We can't come back to school yet.
It's gonna be a few more months." And then that turned into a few years. And I
will admit, there are some people--and not just with work, but there are adults
and children who prefer to be--they're introverted, right? They prefer to be
alone, not big crowds. That's more anxious--that's more anxiety-driven for them
than--or anxiety-provoking for them than being in a social situation. So there
were a lot of people who thrived during COVID. There were a lot of people who
preferred to be home, preferred to be kind of doing independent work. So we also
had to take into consideration those folks too and just make sure that they were
okay when we eventually came back. (laughs) But also just kind of
00:22:00teach people how to adjust to not having your friends, your teachers, your, you
know, colleagues within seconds if you needed them, so. So it was a lot of
adjustment, yeah, and teaching and learning. (laughs)
SESAY: And there was no blueprint--
SMITH: --right--
SESAY: --because the last pandemic was about 100 years before the onset of ours.
And so I'm going on a limb here because I don't have the formal training that
you do, but I would imagine that even going through school that there wasn't a
rulebook on, in a pandemic, this is how to provide mental health support for
children all the way through adults.
SMITH: Right.
SESAY: So how were you, let's say, learning on the go as things were developing?
00:23:00
SMITH: Exactly what, what you kind of described. Yeah, you try things, and
technology, though, I will say, initially I think our minds were thinking, "We
can have--we can use our cell phones. Everyone knows how to use your cell phone.
We can use email. We can utilize email." But as far as, like, the video, I don't
even--I really don't even know if I used Zoom at all before. So I think my mind,
the video chatting that I was most familiar with was called Skype, which Skype
is one of those things that's just got--it just lies dormant until you need it.
(laughs) But somebody luckily, I guess, capitalized on that, and I'm sure Zoom
was around, obviously, but introduced it, and then you literally just had to get
in there and play around with it and learn it and perfect it. A lot of Google
Voice, a lot of Google Hangout, I think it's called. Google Hangout
00:24:00also has a really good platform for video chatting. But, you know, in my mind,
I'm like, "Well, we can Facetime. (laughs) I know how to Facetime." But yeah,
just--as things just kind of popped up, you know, just really taking the time to
learn how to use it and teach others how to use it, just kind of like any other
new concept. You know, you have to spend time really getting familiar with it.
And so that's kind of what we did.
SESAY: Okay, okay. Going back to something you said earlier, which really struck
me, was that you're really good at moderating your social activity--activity on
social media. You know when to draw that line--
SMITH: --yeah--
SESAY: --the--oftentimes we hear that teenagers especially have a hard time
doing that--
SMITH: --um-hm--
SESAY: --and that has consequences to their mental health. So what were some
ways in which you helped your--I don't know if I should call them
00:25:00clients, or--you know, you helped children through their--their, uh maybe social
media use during the pandemic so that they could have better outcomes for mental health?
SMITH: Yeah. So of course, learning about cyberbullying is part of our work
anyway, and I think when talking to students or clients, you know, you have to
really be in tune with your feelings and your emotions. So if I'm doing anything
for a long period of time, making yourself take a break and checking in with
yourself, right? We taught each other how to check in with yourself. Like, "What
am I feeling? What's going on physically? What's going on with my body and I? Is
my stomach hurting? Am I feeling anxious? Am I feeling nervous? Am I getting
upset? Is my head getting warm?" Like, all these signs and symptoms of, you
know, either your body kind of reacting to something that you've read or
how--you know, checking in with yourself, seeing how you're feeling, and then
figuring out what it is that kind of has changed your mood. If I
00:26:00started, woke up in the morning with a great--in a great mood, and then by three
o'clock in the afternoon I'm in a horrible mood, what have I done between the
morning and three o'clock, right? Narrowing it really down to--narrowing it down
to really trying to figure out what has made--what is the, you know, reason for
this mood shift, this mood change? And there's nothing--you know, social media
can be an amazing thing. Too much of anything's probably--(laughs)--dangerous,
but especially if it's changing your mood that quickly. And so just really
having people pay attention to themselves and pay attention to some of the
things that they're looking at. One good thing about social media is that you
can control the content usually, right? So if it's something or someone that's
constantly putting negative things on social media and you're seeing that, you
know, limiting your page, whether it's blocking that person or that
00:27:00content or only allowing content that's healthy and content that, you know,
feeds into what we're kind of going into--going through at that time. But just
teaching everybody just about, a, figuring out what your baseline is, right?
What's your--how's your mood typically when you wake up in the morning, right?
And if there's anything that changes that, whether it's for the better or worse,
then trying to figure out what that is and either increasing it, if it increases
your mood--like, you know, helps your mood, or decreasing it if it does not help
your mood.
SESAY: Okay. And, I mean, that's sound for--especially in a pandemic, but
also--(laughs)--also outside of that.
SMITH: Very true. (laughs)
SESAY: Mental notes for myself as well. (laughs)
SMITH: Well, and I also remember, like, if--thinking about self-care, period,
which is things that we preach anyway in the mental health field, right? Whether
it's a pandemic or it's just Tuesday--(laughs)--always having, you know,
a self-care routine. And for me, music is huge. Like,
00:28:00I--there's--music is a part of my life every single day in some form or fashion,
whether it's I wake up to, you know, an alarm clock that's playing my favorite
station, or I go to sleep listening to sleep music, or during the day when I'm
working, I'll have music on, in the car. And so that is one thing that I need,
you know, and love, and it kind of gets me in a great mood. So I don't know
whose idea it was, but I remember--I think it was on Instagram--where they did
the artist battles. I think it was called VERZUZ. I can't remember that. (laughs)
SESAY: Yeah, it was VERZUZ.
SMITH: And so the very first one was a disaster. The two musicians had no clue
what they were doing. It was so funny. And the public, of course, was all over
it, and the comments were hilarious. So not only did we get to kind of go down
the path of these old songs that we used to love, right, and it was
00:29:00just two amazing artists--I think it was Brian McKnight and somebody--but
anyway, so we were able to go down memory lane and just listen to all
these--this--these songs that, you know, were part of my childhood and growing
up, and--but also humor, right? Laughter is medicine for a lot of people, and so
being able to read the chat and seeing how these comments just kind of were
hilarious. (laughs) That's one thing that I remembered. And so it was such a hit
that everybody--you know, they continued to do it. I think they may still do it
these days, like, now, where two, you know, similar artists will kind of just
battle. But again, it tackles, you know, that fix for needing music and--but
also just being able to connect socially with people who are also
watching--making comments about it. So that was huge in the beginning for me too.
SESAY: Would you say you were more attuned to the role of music in
00:30:00your life as a result of the pandemic?
SMITH: Possibly. You know, and that might just be about having a little bit more
free time to pay attention, right? It's always playing in the background, but
how many times do you really get to actually listen to it, if that makes sense?
But it has been something that's always been a part of my life, so--but of
course, the pandemic--and then a lot of times when you're walking outside, you
know, I'll have headphones in and listen to music then too. So I'm sure it
definitely had a little--the pandemic helped me be more in tune to it, if you will.
SESAY: What was the last song you listened to? Just curious.
SMITH: Today?
SESAY: Today, yeah.
SMITH: Oh, it's probably on pause, actually, over here. It--I listen to gospel
before 12:00. (laughs)
SESAY: Okay.
SMITH: And it was Byron Cage, "The Presence of the Lord is Here." And
00:31:00then after 12:00, I move to, like, Neo soul, so--
SESAY: --okay--
SMITH: --I don't know. I feel like I have to have gospel before noon just to get
myself ready for work. (laughs)
SESAY: I--I understand that. (laughs)
SMITH: Yeah.
SESAY: So I'm going to switch gears a little bit and ask some questions about
the public health response to the pandemic and your thoughts on that. So we've
already discussed about your initial thoughts when you heard about coronavirus
and, you know, feeling concerned because you were just in the New Orleans
airport. Can you speak a bit about your experience during the rollout of the
vaccine and--you know, there's no pressure to disclose vaccine status or anything.
SMITH: Yeah. Yeah. I think for me, I just remember being on a few
00:32:00different sides of--I don't--urgency, if that makes sense, right? I mentioned
earlier my sister has an immune deficiency. She has lupus. And so she has always
in our family been the priority. Like, make sure she's safe, right? Whatever
that means. And her doctors--we were listening to her doctors because she was--I
feel like she was getting not--I don't want to say more information, but more
constant information because she was seeing her doctor, you know, via telehealth
or whatever often. And so we kind of continued to be attuned to, to the details
through her, right, just making sure that, number one--and if nobody else in
this family gets it, you need it. And then she has two children at home too, so
just making sure that their bubble was safe. As far as, you know, another
avenue, right, I work with children, and they were not on the list
originally-- remember, I think, to get it at all. And so, you know,
00:33:00just being afraid of, a, is that something that they need and they're not
getting? But also me being around children, is that going to affect me being
around other people, especially my sister, who's my next door neighbor at the
time? And then also just the fear of the unknown. I don't like flu shots. I
typically don't, yeah, get anything that's not required. Like, obviously as a
baby and going through schools, the immunizations that you have to have--but as
an adult, I just have never really been a fan of vaccines period, not because of
anything religious or spiritual or political. It's just--I just haven't. I had a
friend years ago who suddenly was diagnosed with--I think it's called--you--I
don't know how to say it-- Guillain-Barré syndrome, and he basically
00:34:00dealt with paralysis for six months. It's something completely treatable,
curable. Like, he was just fine after the physical therapy and everything. But
one of the results of that is that he can never have a flu vaccine, and so in my
mind when this happened, I'm thinking--anyway, I was thinking it's all related,
you know? And so I just always kind of have this weird feeling about vaccines
period. But--so coming from that, but also coming from, you know, the fear of
everybody thinking that this is a new virus, these are new vaccines, and really
trying to dig deep and figure out, "Well, you know, some people say that it's
not necessarily that it's new. It's just new to us, right?" A lot of these
things, the foundations have been around. So anyway, I was just hearing so many
different stories about it, and it's almost like, "Well, who do you
00:35:00believe? What do you believe?" And then seeing how different people react to the
vaccines. So anyway, ultimately it was just a decision that everybody just had
to make for themselves, right, except for those people who were--I don't know if
you can say forced, but except for those people who couldn't work without it,
right? So that's another choice in itself. Some people had no choice or their
only choice was to get it or lose their jobs. And so it was a scary decision.
Ultimately I think, you know, listening to some people in my family who are kind
of more on the medical field as well as on the political side helped me in my
decision, and then also, of course, working for--working in a spot where you're
constantly around people and a spot where keeping myself safe would keep other
people safe is kind of the ultimate decision maker for me. So, you
00:36:00know, it was hard, especially because a lot of people got really political--took
it to a political, you know, fight, argument, as well as a religious, you know,
argument too, so that was difficult, but.
SESAY: Thank you for sharing that.
SMITH: Yeah.
SESAY: Thank you for sharing that. It was a very personal decision, obviously.
SMITH: Yeah.
SESAY: In June of 2021, there was a short period where the mandates lifted, but
they were quickly--(laughs)--reinstated again. Could you talk about that time
period for you, what you experienced, and maybe what some of your emotions were like?
SMITH: Yeah. Honestly, I don't even--I don't think I remember it. I don't
think I remember anything changing for me, and that could just be
00:37:00because, you know, I--I chose to not change much. I still thought that being
safe, as far as, like, being socially distanced, was probably the best. So I
don't really remember changing much during that time. And so yeah, I think I
probably listened to it, but still continued to do the practices that I--you
know, wearing masks and being socially distant. And I can't remember--I honestly
can't--well, June, that would've been summer. Yeah, so that may have not changed
much anyway because work kind of slows down in the summer anyway, so yeah. I'm
not sure if I remember a lot of change during that time for me.
SESAY: Yeah, so the school system--or with schools out for the summer--
00:38:00
SMITH: --yeah--
SESAY: --but you did mention change. You said that word a few times. And how did
some of your personal relationships change during the pandemic, if--if they did
at all?
SMITH: Yeah. I would say when it comes to family, I'm very guilty of putting
work--giving work way too much--(laughs)--time. That's my own fault. I have a
really, really bad relationship with email and working. And because of that, my
family contacts--like, relationships, got--suffer, you know? And that's my own
fault. It's not that I don't love my family, but sometimes I don't either
respond to messages or phone calls as much as I should or initiate phone calls
as much as I should, you know, to check on your family members. With the
pandemic, I really feel like that's when--I have a group chat with
00:39:00maybe thirteen or fourteen family members on it that blows up. I had to put them
on silent because it blows up, like, all day, every day. I really feel like
that's kind of when that started, you know? It was started with a, "Hey, let's
check in. Is everybody okay?" And so now, we go from I will check on these
family members once every few weeks to it's an every single day, you know, text.
Somebody's texting in the group every single day. But also, you know, you have
family reunions once every, what, couple of years or so? But we would schedule
Zoom meetings with the family, and it's so funny because if you don't ever use
Zoom, then it's really hilarious to watch someone use--try to use it. But
anyway, we would just schedule, "Hey, on Sunday at eight o'clock, let's hop on
Zoom and check in with each other." So not only were we texting, but I actually
got to see them, see their faces more than I probably ever had because we were
consistent in checking on each other on Zoom. So--so for family, I
00:40:00would say we actually got closer, and then, of course, my sister being next
door, we could see each other. And she has two children who are heavily involved
in sports, right, so when that stuff shut down, that means they were home, and
we shared a fence--a back fence--so we could--I could see my niece and nephew
more often and my sister. So yeah, family relationships, I would say probably we
got closer, and communication definitely increased. As far as peers, friends,
and other relationships, I--I wouldn't say that it--that they were negatively
affected. But it was more about we saved money--(laughs)--because usually it
was--you know, our social activity included going out for drinks and dinner,
going shopping, going on trips, things like that. So just trying to
00:41:00find creative ways to stay connected, but all we could really do was text and
Facetime and Zoom and, you know, talk on social media. So nothing--you know,
it's not that I lost friendships during it. It's just--it was just kind of a
different feel, if that makes sense. And then, of course, I shared
with--personal, like, intimate relationships, that was just a no-go. (laughs)
Tried a good Zoom date, but yeah, that didn't really happen, so--but the
friendships that were already established, I think, were able to maintain, and
in some ways even strengthen. But as far as, like, starting new relationships
and new friendships? I think that was just kind of put on hold during the pandemic.
SESAY: What's it like to try to start a relationship in a pandemic? I mean, what
a backdrop.
SMITH: Yeah, it was--it was funny, especially when, you know, for whatever
reason--whether it's my story or others-- it's not the easiest to kind
00:42:00of put yourself back out there and meet people and start over again, and, you
know--and so when someone--when you finally do and you feel like, "Okay, this
could be a really good situation," whether it's, you know, I met the future
husband of mine, or this is just a good experience to start that again, and then
all of the sudden, it's like, "Yeah, just kidding." (laughs) And so having to
take steps back from that. And I don't know. I feel like I guess if it--if it
were a relationship that I felt like was going to be long-lasting, you know,
more effort, of course, could've put--could've been put toward it. But I don't
know. Again, I know some people who truly were forced to get to know their
partners in different ways, and it actually ruined their relationship, which is
super sad. So I--starting a relationship during the pandemic, I think
00:43:00is doable if it's the right person. But also I think it may be just as hard to
kind of maintain relationships, if they're not already strong, if that makes
sense. That was quite interesting--
SESAY: --it does--
SMITH: --to see both sides of that.
SESAY: So now I'll go into--since we're speaking about relationships and
connections, I'll ask some more questions about, you know, interpersonal
connections and well-being and mental health, your area of specialty.
SMITH: Yeah.
SESAY: So what would you say was your highest priority during the pandemic?
Because there were many things happening for you, many good things. But what
would you say was your highest priority?
SMITH: I would say I think personally, just making sure my sister was
00:44:00okay. She, out of all of us, I think--we assumed, and very well could
still--especially in the beginning, we assumed that if she, out of anybody, were
to get sick, that she would struggle the most and possibly not make it. So I
think protecting her was my--and I will speak for my--the other side of my
family and the other folks in the family--that was our priority, making sure
that she had--you know, we--when we did go grocery shopping, we grocery shopped
for her, right? Or we delivered things for her, or if the kids need anything, we
would do it for her so she didn't have to, you know, leave the house, basically.
So partially I think that was my top priority. After that, of course,
00:45:00I think it was just about me staying sane and, you know, being able to kind
of--while I can tell everybody what to do to kind of keep their head, you know,
level-headed and stay cool, I needed to be doing the same thing, so make sure
that I'm practicing what I'm preaching. Professionally, I did take on a really,
really big--(laughs)--project during COVID, an opportunity to--that's actually
when I went back to get my doctorate, which, you know, we can talk about that
whenever you want, but--so professionally, I took on a new challenge with that,
and that was a priority for me just because, you know, I just saw the benefits
of it and saw what I could potentially do with that, and so I wanted to make
sure that I was doing my best in that program.
SESAY: So Shericka, I'll tell you that I do want to pause here and
00:46:00talk about your experience getting the doctorate, but I'll confess that I
thought from our conversation so far that the biggest, let's say, area of
professional change was starting the business. So I'm surprised that you say
it's the doctorate. So could you tell me, tell me more about that?
SMITH: Sure. So the opportunity--UK started the DSW--so the Doctorate in Social
Work--program. That was fully online, and they created it--I had been going
to--let me get my years mixed up. I had been going to, like, informational
sessions about it, of course, before COVID hit, and then I think the year--was
it--summer of 2020 is when I actually started, like, I restarted with summer
courses. And again, being forced to be home-- like, I've never in my
00:47:00lifetime wanted to get a doctorate degree, nor did I feel I had the time or
energy to do it--to go back to school this long after finishing my masters. But
just when that opportunity came, and it was completely online--an opportunity to
kind of make history and be the first class to ever complete the DSW at UK
online, you know, I--
SESAY: --congratulations--
SMITH: --I thought it was--thank you--it was an amazing opportunity, and I,
sadly, had the time for it--(laughs)--you know? A lot of times when people think
of the pandemic and a lot of the horror that came from it, in a selfish way, you
know, I benefited from it in a lot of ways, you know? So I don't ever want to
discount people's experience from the pandemic. But for me, I was able to
further, you know, my career, my professional status because of that. Now when I
did start working for another agency to do therapy in 2020, that
00:48:00during COVID, of course, and getting this doctorate--because my specialty was
clinical--the clinical side of it, right? So that's what kind of encouraged me
and another classmate, actually, who was in the doctorate program to start our
business. And so that business officially opened--I guess it was--it's almost a
year now. So last July-ish, so kind of toward the end of COVID. The end of the
pandemic was when we officially opened our practice. So yeah, during COVID it
was--you know, professionally it was schoolwork and getting through this
program, which led to a lot of other things, which were very beneficial and that
I'm proud of, so.
SESAY: And double congratulations. (laughs)
SMITH: Thank you.
SESAY: For both of those.
SMITH: Thank you so much.
SESAY: So in--during the pandemic, there were multiple--what was
00:49:00referred to as pandemics within a pandemic, one of them being mental health
because that became a focus as many people--their routines were disrupted and
they were in isolation. There were also--excuse me, there was also a call to
reckoning for racial justice. And so I'd like to talk about those two, but if I
may conflate them for a moment, mental health support is something that is not
as accessible--well, for African Americans, and I'm saying that for
socioeconomic reasons as well as to find Black providers and Black clinicians
for mental health support. So did any of those factors influence your
00:50:00decisions, whether for the PhD or for the business? Could you speak a little bit
about that?
SMITH: Yes, absolutely. So with the DSW program, everyone has to do a capstone,
which is basically five chapters of finding a gap in social work, finding a gap
in the field, and trying to fill it, basically. That's kind of how I'll put it.
My work during that program was actually about the trauma that Black men face
specifically--so childhood trauma, and then the reasons why Black
families--Black men specifically--don't seek out mental health treatment. So
during the entire, you know, program of my DSW, that's what I studied. That's
what I researched, and found very--you know, it's something that we knew, but,
you know, really being able to kind of present on that and create something for
the social work field to try to help with that was my focus, and it
00:51:00was amazing just to kind of interview Black men that I've known for years and
didn't realize what traumatic childhoods they had, right? Whether it was going
through domestic violence or witnessing domestic violence, being physically or
sexually abused by family members, microaggressions in the workplace or as a
child growing up. So all these different events, these traumatic events that our
Black men go through--and, you know, research shows that Black families do
experience trauma at higher rates than white counter peers or counterparts
or--however, they seek therapy less than our white counterparts. And so just
being able to find the proof, I guess, of that, but also try to figure out why,
and just like you said, a lot of reasons, right? Whether it's insurance or the
stigma about mental health or not enough Black providers or mistrust in white
people, period. And so being able to put that into writing, but also
00:52:00try to figure out, what can we do, you know, to help with that. One thing that I
am working on publishing--(laughs)--is part of that work and part of my capstone
was, you know, the ACE [adverse childhood experiences] questionnaire, right? So
you have adverse childhood experiences, and a lot of pediatricians, doctors,
therapists use this ten-question questionnaire to talk about childhood trauma.
Like, "Did--were you ever--were your parents ever incarcerated? Were you
ever--did you ever witness domestic violence in the home? Did you ever lose a
parents to drug?" Whatever those ten questions are. But in my research and in
just talking to, you know, my Black male friends while I was in this program,
that ACE questionnaire to me is whitewashed, right? You're completely forgetting
police brutality. You're completely forgetting--not asking about, you know,
microaggressions. You're not asking about being called a racial slur.
00:53:00So Black men, Black families have this whole different set of traumas that
aren't really addressed in this ACE questionnaire. So my--I set out to create
just a different--almost like an addendum to that questionnaire. So me as a
clinician, if I'm treating a Black man for mental health services, but I'm only
asking him about this set of trauma, I'm completely--I could potentially be
missing--I'm not saying only Black men go through, you know, some of those
things. But I could potentially be missing out on a lot of things that are
specific to Black men. And so really trying to hone in on if I'm creating this
treatment plan for you, I have to be specific in saying, "What is it that's been
affecting you? What happened in your childhood that maybe off this--you know,
not on this ten-question survey so I can make the treatment plan fit your
needs?" And so that right there, you know, that was my passion throughout the
program, and that's what I studied, and that's what I'm hoping to
00:54:00continue to bring to the social work and mental health field is just a different
set of eyes on Black men and their traumas, and eventually expand to, you know,
Latinx families and their traumas, and eventually expand to Asian Americans and
their traumas, and Native Americans. And so I think, you know--like I said
before, it's something that we've known, but it was just amazing to have the
opportunity to actually focus on that and do research on it and try to bring
something new into the field of social work and mental health from that. I feel
like there's a part two of that question, but I forgot. (laughs) Sorry.
SESAY: I--well, number one, I think that's--I mean, thank you again. As a Black
woman, you know, I likewise see the need for that, so thank you for charting
that path and the contribution that it will make to the community.
00:55:00The--well, there wasn't so much a part two as I combined, you know, mental
health and African American community into one question. But if you wanted me to
parse it out a little bit, the more racial justice portion of the question that
I was going to follow up with was if you could tell us about experiencing the
pandemic wrestled in the events of Minneapolis, Louisville, Georgia. We could go
on, but I'll list those things.
SMITH: Yeah, yeah. You're--it was another just situation of mixed emotions,
right? Especially because as a Black woman, sadly I don't think the
00:56:00events were surprising because it's one of those things that we've lived with,
right? We see it every day. I think the saddest part--well, there's tons of sad
parts--but one of the things that kind of stood out to me is we're looking at
the people who show up for protests, looking at the people who speak the
loudest. You know, part of me, you know, at one point I was thinking, you know,
"They kind of all look the same, right? And then where are the others?"
Including myself, right? Because I think I went to one protest here in
Lexington. Sadly, I can't remember which event it was, because there have been
so many, especially during the pandemic, but. And then I mixed with this thought
of, "The people who have the voice, the people who--you know, they're the ones
who need to be speaking the loudest," because, you know, we have been
00:57:00quieted so long, and because we're not--we've never been listened to. You know,
and who knows if we ever will be, right? So those people who can--who do have a
platform, those people who do have a voice are the ones who should be using it
because I think that's when change will happen. You know, and then I went
through this whole thing of me feeling like I wasn't doing enough, but again, I
think that all stems to just kind of how--I don't want to say the word race, but
almost just how we're kind of inherited to feel like we don't do enough, you
know? People looking at us, saying, "You could do more." And so I don't know. I
think it all plays--it's just a big cycle of not necessarily imposter syndrome,
but more of--you know, this feeling of we always have to be a step ahead. We
always have to do more. We always have to prove ourselves. And so it
00:58:00was a very, very difficult time also because, you know, the people who we
thought--I don't want to speak for everybody--the people who I thought were one
way, you know, would say something on Facebook or not say something on Facebook
or social media when they've spoken about everything else, you know? But then
this one comment or lack of a comment was their chance to really show who they
truly were, right? And I thought you were one way, but this shows me that you're
not. So a lot of friendships were challenged during that time, and--so that was
really hard, as far as, like, seeing who supports what, seeing who supports
whom, and, you know, is it my job to speak up and say, "This is why this hurts
me," you know what I mean? Like, do I always need to be the one to teach you why
this is wrong? So just having that pressure, having that I guess
00:59:00conflict within myself of--you know, sometimes you get tired of teaching people.
Like--(laughs)--ignorant people. So I think--I think that was difficult
personally for me, you know? But again, you think about the families who did
lose so much, and my conflict, and, you know, pain is completely different from
theirs. And so how could I ever compare that? So yeah, it was a tough time. And
then not to mention, you know, we're supposed to be home. You're not--we're not
allowed to be out, and then protesting and being around thousands of people in a
crowd. Like, you know, so in the back of my mind, I'm thinking, "Heck, all y'all
are going to get sick and possibly--you know, there's going to be even worse
of--you know, these numbers of people dying and getting sick are just going to
get worse." But, you know, I don't know. It's almost like what do you throw out
the window at that point? So that was tough, yeah.
SESAY: How did you--what was the wager? Like, how did you balance
01:00:00that in your mind and decide that, you know, you--it was important that you were
present in some of the protests?
SMITH: Yeah, yeah. I think knowing my intentions, knowing my heart, knowing what
I stand for, and knowing that the people that I surround myself are on the same
page, because, I mean, you can't please everybody. Every single thing that I
say, everybody's not going to agree with. But I have to do what's right for my
family. I have to do what I believe is right for the people who look up to me.
And so I don't know. I think eventually, I just figured out if, you know, I know
I'm doing the right thing and the people who are important to me know I'm doing
the right thing, then there's really nothing else I can do-- or not
01:01:00necessarily that, but I feel like I'm at peace with the decisions that I've
made, so yeah, that's--and then, you know, again, like I said before, if you are
constantly seeing negative messages, you're constantly seeing things and people
who are upsetting you, you've got to--you know, you're not adding to my life,
I've got to let you go. So being responsible and having to cut things and people
off, you know, that were negative, you know, I just made that choice as well
just to help my own self during the process.
SESAY: And given that you made so many decisions, let's say, to protect your own
peace and your own space during the pandemic and the last few years, did that
filter through to your approach in work when you're interacting with clients?
01:02:00
SMITH: Yes. I think so. I very vividly remember working with a Caucasian female
who felt like she just wanted to do more. You know, her heart was in the right
place, so it seemed, and she really just kind of felt like she was lacking in
social justice areas, right? She had a passion for it but didn't really know how
to get involved. So a, me being able to trust her intentions, you know--that you
would say this to anybody, not just because you have a Black therapist--but also
me trying to figure out I guess how to help her from a therapist point of view
as opposed to, you know, a Black woman friend that she'd just maybe be
having--may have a conversation with about the same thing. And, you
01:03:00know, just us together finding ways to still help and be involved and be safe
through the pandemic, right? And even be safe living in Louisville, you know, in
the midst of a lot of the protests. And--so yeah, I think in that way, it kind
of filtered through to my work. But also, you know, one of the questions on the
addendum for the ACE was about, you know, those reactions and feelings to seeing
repeated events of police brutality and repeated events of racial inequality,
you know? Checking with your body, and do you feel like that's secondary
traumatic stress for you, right? Because it's--we don't have to be in the middle
of it to feel from it. So checking in with my clients about, you know, maybe we
do need to turn the TV off but--eventually, you know? Because I
01:04:00remember--I want to say it was after George Floyd--I'm talking hours and hours
of news, I would find myself watching, you know? And I had to say me turning--me
giving my permission to turn this off does not make me a bad person, right? Me
giving myself a break from seeing this does not mean that I don't care and that
I don't, you know, feel for the families involved and that I don't want justice.
So having to remind people to give themselves permission to take a break because
it is affecting you. Continuously watching that is very, very--it would be hard
for anybody. I don't care whose side you're on. But--so yeah, just having to
remind my clients that it's okay to take a break and unplug from, you know,
horrific events like that.
SESAY: I mean, you mentioned such a profound inner negotiation of,
01:05:00"How do I turn this off? But still, you know, know that I am committed--"
SMITH: --yeah--
SESAY: "--to the outcome of this? But I have to turn it off." So to take a
bird's-eye view of this, how would you say the pandemic has changed the field of
mental health?
SMITH: Honestly, I think it--I guess I'm kind of--twofold. It hurt people's
mental health, right? So individually, I think that people did suffer from
anxiety and depression. But I think the pandemic helped the mental health field
because, you know, looking at it on a macro level, the awareness of these signs
and symptoms of mental health has increased. Like, people are more aware of it.
They know what to look for. And I think it's kind of reduced the
01:06:00stigma that mental health--seeking mental health treatment is bad, is a negative
thing. "Something's wrong with me," right? So I think it helped in the sense
that more people are accepting it and okay with reaching out and saying, "I'm
not okay. I need help." And so the resources, especially here in Lexington, I
think getting the word out. I think that's kind of helped. The pandemic's kind
of helped get the word out and helped a lot of, you know, companies just get
more people finally saying, "Okay, I'm ready." So yeah, individually, it took a
toll obviously on a lot of people, a lot of children, a lot of adults, a lot of
elderly. So in that way, the pandemic definitely hurt, but I think on a wider,
you know, bird's-eye view, like you say, it's just increased
01:07:00awareness and it's kind of made it okay to seek help for a lot of people.
SESAY: Okay. And if you could--we've talked about--(laughs)--a lot of different
things today. But if you could describe your COVID experience in just one word,
what would that be?
SMITH: Ooh. One word, huh? I would say real, and there's so many--that means--I
don't know if I'm supposed to elaborate, but I will (laughs)--
SESAY: --please--
SMITH: --there were so many people who I think to this day don't believe in it,
right? Don't believe it didn't happen. And it's crazy because I didn't get COVID
literally until--well, I probably had it in New Orleans, but beyond
01:08:00that, I was never officially, you know, diagnosed with COVID and had to be, you
know, quarantined, really, until I was on my way to Greece, actually. When the
thing--everything was lifted and we could travel again and all that good stuff,
we took--my girls trip, we usually have one every summer, which, of course,
stopped for a while. But when we were finally able to go back, which I guess
was--was it last year? Last summer? Yeah, the day that I left, we left for
Greece, is when I actually officially got COVID. And so--but even still, even if
it didn't happen to me, I saw what was going on, right? So to me, it was real,
especially because my--we spent two and a half years protecting, you know,
someone very dear to me from this, you know, potential--potentially
01:09:00horrible virus, right, for her. Again, we had no clue if it was really gonna do
that much damage, but just the fear of that. So that was really real to me. I
don't care if--you know, that was real to me. But also experiencing, you know,
it from the work side, getting things ready for forty-two thousand children who
are now at home and are not under our eye and making sure that they're safe at
home, number one, but also that they have the resources to stay connected so we
don't lose them, right? Academically, physically, any way--mentally. And then
professionally, there were a lot of real things--(laughs)--happening in my
professional life, so--during that time. So I think that's a word to me that
means so much, and it can kind of--it's like an umbrella over my social life, my
professional life, my family. And so that's my word.
01:10:00
SESAY: Real--
SMITH: --yeah--
SESAY: --(laughs) It's something that I could almost connect back to that point
physically, you know? Like you, having experienced different changes and
adjustments that we had to get through COVID. I'm going to ask you one more
question about the pandemic, and that will be to tell me about an artifact. So
about something that makes the experience of COVID really salient to you. If you
could tell me what that is, and just talk a little bit about what it means to you.
SMITH: Yeah. So in thinking about that, you know, I go back and forth with--like
I said before, COVID was horrendous for a lot of families, and I
01:11:00would never want to discount that, and the fact that I gained a lot out of it
for my--that's my personal experience, right? So when I think about an artifact
or something that just kind of symbolizes so much, I happen to have something
right here I'll show you. (laughs) It's my gown.
SESAY: Oh yes. Yes, yes, your doctoral graduation gown.
SMITH: My doctoral regalia, yeah. I'm sorry, the blur is kind of making it--I
can take it off blur so you can see it better. But there we go.
SESAY: Wonderful.
SMITH: Yeah, I left it kind of blurry, but you see it. So I think that, for me,
I guess would be my artifact. One--I didn't even mention this, but from that,
like I said, we have started our private practice, and there are two female
African American doctorate level people running this practice, right?
01:12:00And we did not set out, of course, to just see Black people in the community,
but, of course, that's a huge goal. We want our Black people to come and feel
more comfortable, seeing two Black practitioners doing mental health services,
so since starting that practice, we have had a lot of clients, but especially a
lot of African American clients, and it has been so heartwarming. But also I
began to teach in the College of Social Work. So I teach masters-level courses
in social work as well as this fall, I'm actually teaching one of the
doctorate-level courses. And so that has opened up, you know, that opportunity
to get connected back to the university that I got the doctorate from as well as
to see just another opportunity for upcoming social workers, to see Black women
in professional spaces. And so--and yeah, just the relationships and
01:13:00the cohort that I graduated with. I don't know if you saw it on the news, but
our first--our inaugural program graduated the highest number of Black doctors
in one field at UK, so just a lot of history made with just that gown, and I'm
just so proud of it. And, you know, a lot of people can take--you can take my
house, you can take my car, you can take my job, but you can't take my education
from me. And so that's something that will always be mine, and I earned it, and
I can do so much with that, so that's my artifact. And I--not to
mention--sorry--I don't think I would've done it, had COVID not kind of shut us
down and sat me down and said, "You can do this." So that's kind of why, you
know, it's means so much when we talk about the pandemic.
SESAY: Thank you so much for sharing that. I appreciate the visual
01:14:00because I think--I can speak to the effect to me. But I also think to others
watching our interview in the years to come, that--
SMITH: --yeah--
SESAY: --to see a Black woman hold up her doctoral robe is really something
quite fantastic. So thank you from me personally, but also to, you know, Black,
brown, white, whomever, you know, could see that that accomplishment in the
flesh was done is just awesome. Thank you very much for putting your
regalia--(laughs)--on Zoom.
SMITH: Yeah. You're welcome. I was going to do the degree, but it's on my wall.
It's kind of heavy. (both laugh) This was a lot easier.
SESAY: Well, Shericka, it's been so great speaking to you. Before I close out, I
wanted to offer you the floor or the microphone, whatever the terminology is.
Is there anything else you wanted to share that I didn't touch on today?
01:15:00
SMITH: I don't think so. I do think this has really made me remember. A lot of
times, you know, we naturally just kind of block out things that were--I don't
know, some things that were kind of not really good times, and COVID altogether,
of course, is--has this connotation of a lot of negative things--rightfully so.
A lot of lives were lost and affected. So this was good to help me remember a
lot of the things that I had kind of forgotten, so that was really nice to be
able to reflect on that because a lot of this--a lot of things from COVID should
not be forgotten, right? We do have to remember history so we don't repeat
mistakes that we've made.
SESAY: Totally.
SMITH: So it was--I don't know. It was good to reminisce. I live by the motto,
you know, nothing changes if nothing changes. And so no matter what,
01:16:00whether it's a pandemic or life stressors or trauma, right, if you want change,
you know, you've got to get out there and make some changes. So that's all I
got. I appreciate the time so much, and again, it was good to just kind of talk
about some of the things that, you know, I forgot, and just to reminisce, so.
SESAY: Well, thank you very much for your contribution to this oral history
project. It was so great to learn about your experience from an insider--your
personal experience and also as someone who's an insider on mental health
because that was certainly a very large component of the pandemic experience, so
thank you.
SMITH: You're welcome. It was a pleasure.
SESAY: Likewise.
SMITH: Have a good one.
SESAY: You too.
[End of interview.]
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