During the 2008 financial crisis the 150-year-old Nichols & Stone furniture factory permanently closed its doors in Gardner, Mass. In 2009 Community Artist and former “summer floater” at Nichols & Stone interviewed a dozen Nichols & Stone workers about their experience working in furniture and dealing with loss of not just their job but their identity as furniture workers. Working with other community members she is in the process of creating the Chair City Oral History Book Series from these interviews. In the midst of the current corona virus crisis these reflections from 2009 these powerful stories offer a perspective that feels so relevant today. I have pulled quotes from the Chair City Oral History Book Series as Dispatches from a previous crisis and reflected upon them in the context of our current crisis.
- Social Isolation
“It’s hard because I was used to getting up in the morning and going to work and being around people. Now the whole routine, it changed. I … Continue reading DispatchesRead more
This is a very challenging time for almost every single one of us and social isolation can make it even harder. If you are in distress, feeling the burden of this crisis in ways that are unbearable, please reach out. The number for the National Suicide Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 and more information can be found at their website: suicidepreventionlifeline.org