The  Queens Memory Project  brings you the 10th episode of season two of the  Queens Memory Podcast.  This season we have collected the documented experiences of Queens residents during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

In our final episode of season two, we hear once again from Queens residents about their hopes and fears for the future, as well as one quarantine wedding, 20 years in the making.

On the final episode of season two of Queens Memory Podcast, we begin with a 20-year love story. Kate O’Connell and Michael Scott Robinson first met in an acting class. The pair recount their first kiss, their courtship, getting engaged in 2013, and Kate’s cancer diagnosis one month before their original wedding date in 2018. “I wasn’t going to do ‘tragic bald bride.’ Nope. That’s not me,” she said. So they postponed. Kate got better. And they set a new wedding date for 2020. Their plans were once again derailed -- this time by COVID-19.

Kate, an ER nurse who has worked in a hospital throughout the pandemic, quarantined from Scott in their own house. Fear and stress and all the feelings that have struck some people throughout these trying times ultimately inspired the pair to hold a virtual wedding. “I realized that we still had this amazing celebration that we were entitled to, that we could create and share,” said Scott.

Listen to Kate and Scott’s wedding vows and hear about how they created a little bit of happiness for themselves, their family, and friends.

Later in the episode, we hear one more time from Queens residents about what they believe life “after COVID” will look like. From fears about students being left behind in their schooling, to hope that the traditional in-person working environment will be reimagined, even after it’s safe to come back; our Queens neighbors remain vigilant and hopeful. Many are rightfully determined that the Black Lives Matter movement, which sparked nationwide  protests  this summer, remains active and that conversations continue and work toward equal rights and equal treatment is never ceased. 

Individuals whose voices can be heard in this segment are: Tunisia Morrison, Tiffany Nealy, Yvette Ramirez, Khaair Morrison, Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman, Richard Parker, Aleeia Abraham, Shante Spivey, Keshia Desmarattes, Ty Hankerson, and Franck Joseph.

To close out the final episode, our whole team shared what they hope for the future after COVID, and reminisced on their favorite memories of the season.

This episode of the Queens Memory podcast was produced by Jordan Gass-Poore’, in conjunction with Anna Williams, Giulia Hjort, Syreeta Gates, Jo-Ann Wong, and Natalie Milbrodt. 

Editing by Anna Williams and mixing by Briana Stodden, with music composed by Elias Ravin, the Blue Dot Sessions, Audio Network, as well as, Dale Stuckenbruck (violin) and Heawon Kim ( piano), who played "The Marriage of Figaro" during Kate O’Connell’s and Michael Scott Robinson’s Zoom wedding ceremony. 

Special thanks for funding support from the New York Community Trust. Queens Memory is an ongoing community archiving program by the Queens Public Library and Queens College, CUNY.