Devri Velaquez
Brooklyn, NY
“Some people take things personally when I’m like, “It’s really not about you at all. This is just me protecting myself and if you love and appreciate me as a person that means you want to see me around. So you need to respect the fact that we can’t hang out right now.”
Ryan Roach: What has your experience been like during the pandemic?
Devri Velázquez: Everyday has been different. The first three months I was pretty depressed going through the motions. Just having to face my issues with control. Finally around the 4th of July I started calming down and embracing the solitude and this new normal. And really being thankful for this because I think if it weren’t for the pandemic I wouldn’t have given myself the grace and permission to do a pause with my physical body. I was really on the go a lot and I think it was starting to burn me out physically and I wasn’t willing to accept that. And now I am really thankful for this rest period.
RR: What has your day-to-day looked like during the pandemic?
DV: When I returned around the “independence” day holiday to New York I actually felt a sense of comfort and rejuvenation. I felt refreshed. I was determined to pick up where I left off. Also, thankfully enough work started picking up. So when I returned it felt there was some type of signal put out that I was back in the grips of the city life and opportunities started coming back. Which really does give me life and makes me feel like I am living with purpose. So I have really been deep in work but I love it. It has been giving me something to do, utilizing my mind and brain for something other than panic and worry.
RR: What has your experience been like coping during the pandemic?
DV: Coping for me looks like walking.
Talking to myself which I also consider prayer because I am a spiritual person. I don’t believe I just possess this physical body on the outside but I do believe there is something internally that I need to constantly speak to. And just the environment around me gives me life. Just being back here in New York obviously the atmosphere is different than it was when I left pre-pandemic, but I’m embracing. You know it feels like when I am walking down the street there is this obvious sort of death in the family vibe. But it’s not awkward, it is something that everyone is picking up and dealing with including myself. And it’s allowed me to be grateful for things I use to consider “small things” like fresh air and grass and birds chirping.
RR: Do you have any accommodations, supports, or outside needs that were interrupted by the pandemic? And, if so, what did that look like for you?
DV: I am an ambivert. That’s how I identify so just as much as I love the solitude I also really appreciate human connection. But I also respect my body and I understand my body has different needs than the average able-bodied person. I do have a chronic illness that I was diagnosed with in 2011 and it’s a rare disease. And I am aware that if I were one of the people to contact COVID-19 I would have a very low chance of being able to fight it gracefully. So for that reason I have had to set firmer boundaries around who can contact me or who I am in close proximity to. And it’s been tough, you know, having that conversation. It’s been draining sometimes having that conversation with certain friends.
Some people take things personally when I’m like, “It’s really not about you at all. This is just me protecting myself and if you love and appreciate me as a person that means you want to see me around. So you need to respect the fact that we can’t hang out right now.”
RR: Over the past few months, media correspondents and politicians have continuously talked about “vulnerable” populations, yet rarely invite anyone from these communities to represent themselves or their communities. Why do you think that is?
DV: I think it is just a systemic issue. I think that people, blue collar workers and people who are not at that top percentage in terms of the capitalist hierarchy are always last in line. They are always the ones given the end of it even though they are the ones who have built things and they are the ones who maintain the flow of work. But for whatever reason, I wish I had a solution, I wish that there was going to be a plausible solution in the near future. But I honestly don’t think so. Unfortunately, this also goes back to the history of how this nation was created which is stepping on the backs of people who work and taking full advantage of them, their labor, their dedication, their loyalty and exploiting them. And then profiting. And exhibiting massive greed. It’s unfortunate and sad but I think it’s not a surprise when we see these communities being talked about by politicians to get points from the crowd. Then those people get voted in and we don’t actually see anything that sticks. So it is not a surprise to me at all.