Series:

Chemical Entanglements: Oral Histories of Environmental Illness

Topic:

Social Movements

Environmental Illness

Biographical Note:

Interviewed for the UCLA Center for the Study of Women’s Chemical Entanglements: Oral Histories of Environmental Illness series. Experiences Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). Associate professor, Department of Native American Studies, University of California, Davis. Environmental activism who has experienced exposure to pesticides and toxicants across her life.

Interviewer:

Kim, Kelsey

Interviewee:

Grandia, Liza

Persons Present:

Grandia and Kim

Place Conducted:

The interview was conducted using the Zoom video conferencing platform.

Supporting Documents:

Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library’s Center for Oral History Research.

Interviewer Background and Preparation:

This interview was conducted by Kelsey Kim, graduate student interviewer, for the Center for the Study of Women; PhD student in Anthropology, UCLA. Kim’s dissertation focuses on gender and racial inequalities in the Silicon Valley high-tech industry.

Processing of Interview:

The interviewer prepared for the interview by reading a pre-interview questionnaire completed by the narrator.

Length:

2.25 hrs

Language:

English

Copyright:

Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.

Audio:

Series Statement:

Chemical Entanglements: Oral Histories of Environmental Illness is a collection of interviews with over seventy individuals living in the U.S. and Canada whose family history, occupation, art practice, or activism have brought them into direct contact with illness experience and disability related to chronic, low-dose exposure to toxicant chemicals. The procurement of this collection (from March 2019 through September 2020) was sponsored by the UCLA Center for the Study of Women under the directorship of Rachel C. Lee, with interviews conducted by six undergraduates, five graduate students, two career staff, and two faculty members at CSW.

Birth and entering a chemical world--Childhood home in Georgia--Parents’ relationship to chemicals--Fabric softener smells in California--More on pesticide and other chemical exposure in childhood--High school environmental activism and development of further investment in environmental activism--High school illness--Activism at Yale--Developing interest in Anthropology, Women’s Studies, and going to graduate school--Research in Guatemala and exposure to pesticides there--Cancer diagnosis and coming into consciousness of chemical injury--Clark University building renovation, sick faculty

Clark University building renovation, sick faculty--Moving to UC Davis, renovation of UC Davis, second chemical injury--Increased sensitivities, holistic measures taken for detoxing, experience with COVID-19 and MCS--Mellon Foundation grant, education in toxicology, fragrance-free UCD campaign--Experiences with healthcare professionals with MCS--Activism in daughter’s school, daughter’s sensitivities--Reflection on gendered experience of chemical illness and motivation behind current activism