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Michael DeJesus, Chelsea Senior Center
Covid changed my routine, but in a good way. It put me in spaces I would never have been without Covid. It allowed me to put my foot in the door which led to where I'm at right now. I'm the senior advocate/Shine counselor at the Chelsea Senior…
Keydi Figueroa
We weren't prepared for the lockdown, and it was very sad to see the loneliness, the sadness of the people who were so afraid. I live in a small apartment with my five children and my husband. At that time, we were in a vulnerable situation because I…
Floridalma Ochoa
I got sick in May 2020, when the virus was just starting to spread. I think I was caught with my defenses down and that's why it hit me so hard. I went to the emergency clinic twice, and then the next day I fell unconscious at home, in my room. They…
Dorothy (Dotty) Kushmerick 2025
My son was in the school system when it was taken over by Boston University. I myself believed that was the worst thing that happened. Why? Because it was all paperwork. When were the kids gonna learn? John Silber (president of BU) was dictating to…
Annie Jones
I live at Admirals Way. I've been in Chelsea 13 years. Before that Dorchester, but I was born in Mississippi. Okolona, near Tupelo. I grew up with Elvis Presley. Yes, I grew up with Elvis Presley! Do you sing? Of course, my whole family in the South…
Wieslawa Walsh, Supervisor, Kayem
I arrived in Chelsea from Poland in 1981. I was only 19. Kayem was my first job, working in a kitchen, making hot dogs. In a few months I was moved to a packing department, that was a little bit easier. Slowly I was learning English. Kayem promoted…
Valerie Rae LaCount, owner, Washington Park Florist
Over the course of those 47 years becoming and continuing to be a florist, we always did a little sympathy work. And then we did a little more, and then we did a little more. But we treat it like it's a wedding. It’s honoring the essence of who this…
Tanairi Garcia, owner, Aloe Natural, Chelsea City Council
I needed to create an oasis for my people in Chelsea. I needed to have my people feel like they were stepping away from the city. In my head I already knew that the elements of it were going to be plants. During the pandemic I would collect a ton of…
Stacey A. Smith
Since 2021 I have done nothing but research the story of Fanny Fairweather, the People's AME, and the history of Chelsea's Black community. I began because I wanted to figure out why my family seemed far behind. We'd been here over 100 years and had…
Sara Arman, GreenRoots
I’m a lifelong Chelsea resident. I first got involved in GreenRoots doing pandemic response work, trying to organize folks, talking to folks, making sure people felt connected. Right now I’m the director of Health Equity and Policy. The Forbes…