Oral history interview with Dedunu Suraweera, 2020
Abstract
Dedunu Suraweera speaks about her Staten Island roots, teaching in Richmond Hill in Queens, and plans to move to Queens that were displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic. She describes spending the pandemic living an working from her parents' house in Staten Island. She discusses the how the New York City Public Schools moved to online education, training, and outreach to families. She also describes he r recreational activities in the pandemic and the Sri Lankan communities in Staten Island and Queens. She also discusses politics and Black Lives Matter protests in Staten Island
Teachers; COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-; COVID-19 (Disease)--Social Aspects; Epidemics--Social Aspects; Social distancing (Public health) and education; Sri Lankan Americans; Staten Island (New York, N.Y.); Richmond Hill (New York, N.Y.); United States Politics and government 21st century; United States Race relations 21st century; Suraweera, Dedunu, 1988-; New York (N.Y.). Department of Education
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2020
Physical Description
59 pages
Note (Biographical)
Dedunu Suraweera is Sri Lankan American and was born and raised on Staten Island. Suraweera is a community school director at a high school in Richmond Hill, Queens and alumna of Columbia's School of Social Work
Note
Interviewed by Bridget Bartolini on December 31, 2020
Note (Provenance)
Dedunu Suraweera, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2023