Digital Commons Network^™

Mcgee, Mildred Interview 1, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Mrs. Mildred McGee was born June 29, 1927 and married to Judge Hansel McGee. Also interviewed here are her daughter Dr. Elizabeth McGee and Mr. Leroi Archible. In the first session, Mrs. McGee provides details of her education, her parents’ backgrounds, living in Harlem, the Bronx, Washington DC and moving back to the Bronx. She also describes her husband’s childhood and his education. She attended an elementary school where there were no African-American teachers and she had only one African-American teacher in Junior High who taught Social Studies. The students also learned how to sew, cook and housekeeping at school. …

Dacosta, Lisa, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewee: Lucy Dacosta

Interviewer: Dr. Mark Naison and Oneka LaBennett

Date of Interview: August 23, 2007

Summarized by Alice Stryker

Lucy was born in the South Bronx in 1967. Her paternal grandparents were from Jamaica and her grandmother was the matriarch of the family. Jamaican culture was very much a part of her upbringing. Her father worked for the Housing Authority.

She attended P.S. 28 for kindergarten and then transferred to St. Margaret Mary for several years. She enjoyed going to school there very much. She played with many of the kids of her neighborhood as well as with her …

Rodriguez, Angel, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Angel Rodriguez (b. 1954) is a Puerto Rican musician, educator, historian, and grassroots cultural organizer. Born in Puerto Rico, he came to the Bronx twice: first at the age of 5, and then for good when he was 10 years old, along with his father, a Pentecostal minister, his mother, a day laborer, homemaker, and accomplished dancer, and several siblings. Angel always had a love for music, and he was especially inspired by the sound of traditional drums, which he first heard as a young boy. Initially Angel wanted to be a preacher like his father, but his father’s strict …

Mulraine, Edward, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

In this interview, the Reverend Edward Mulraine (b. 2/9/1969), pastor of a Baptist church in Mount Vernon New York, shares with the Bronx African American History Project his experiences growing up in the Bronx during the turbulent 1980s, as well as details of his work in the community as a high ranking official in the Williamsbridge office of the NAACP.

Born to a mother who immigrated to the Bronx from St. Thomas, Mulraine estimates that he lived in some fifteen different locations in the Bronx during the course of his childhood. Telling of his time in the Northeast Bronx, Mulraine …

Foster, Gertrude, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Gertrude Foster, nee Seaton, was born on October 31, 1927 in Rome, NY. Her grandparents had immigrated to the US from the West Indies and married on US soil, so their descendents were American-born. Because her birth parents were frequently absent, she was raised in Brooklyn and the Bronx by black foster families throughout the Depression years. From 1940 on she lived in the South Bronx. Throughout her upbringing Gertrude had both positive and negative experiences with other races. Occasionally she was in the minority, and she had to deal with prejudice from Italian, Irish, and Polish Americans. However, she …

Burbridge, Richard And Doris Interview 1, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

INTERVIEWERS: Mark Naison

INTERVIEWEES: Richard and Doris Burbridge

SUMMARY BY: Andrew O’Connell

Richard and Doris Burbridge, a married couple now living in Queens but originally from the Morrisania section of the Bronx, discuss in this interview how their families came to arrive in the Bronx and their early experiences growing up in the borough. Mr. Burbridge begins by explaining that his father first came to New York from Mississippi in the 1920s in the first wave of the Great Migration. His mother, also from Mississippi originally, joined his father in New York City shortly after.

Mr. Burbridge’s father, a parking …

Rooks, Valerie, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Valerie Rooks, born on July 29, 1954, grew up in the Sedgwick Housing Projects of the Bronx. Her parents, Helen Eugenia Hagen and Robert Lee Dillard, raised in Connecticut and Georgia respectively, moved into the project in 1952. Rooks recalls spending summers with her father’s family in Savannah Georgia in her preteen years. The Dillards worked several jobs to support their five children. In addition to working for the post office, her father took on odd jobs including cab driving and mechanic work. Her mother too held various part-time positions such as working for the board of elections, the census …

Melendez, Benjamin, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

In this moving interview with the Bronx African American History Project, Benjamin Melendez, speaks with Dr. Mark Naison about his life, which has taken him from gang member to community organizer who now tries to educate young men and women about the dangers of the lifestyle that he once led.

Born in 1952 on the island of Puerto Rico, Melendez moved to New York when he was just eight months old, jumping from place to place in New York City before settling in the Bronx in 1964. Living on Stebbins Ave between 163^rd and 165^th streets in Morrisania, …

Byron, Cyril, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Dr. Cyril O. Byron was born atLincolnHospitalin theBronxonApril 15, 1920. His parents moved fromJamaicatoNew Yorkin the early 1900s. His father, who had been chief chef on Marcus Garvey’s ship, cooked for severalNew York Cityrestaurants and hotels, and founded Byron Caterers, one of theBronx’s largest black owned catering services. His mother did housework for prominentNew York Cityfamilies. Both were politically active, and his mother was a staunch follower of Marcus Garvey. His father was also superintendent for various buildings in which the family resided in theBronx, and Byron recalls doing much custodial work in the buildings with his brother.

In his …

Bataan, Joe, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

173/4(?)^th Interview

Interviewee: Joe Bataan

Interviewer: Mark Naison, Maxine Gordon

Interview took place June 12, 2006

Summarized by Concetta Gleason 2-1-07

Bataan Nitalano’s mother is African-American and his father is Philippine. His father joined the navy and did a lot of seasonal work as a short-order cook. Bataan would see his father only six months of the year. His racially mixed family was a rarity in Spanish Harlem where he grew up. His father was Catholic and his mother encouraged his attending Church. Although the neighborhood was mostly Spanish, there was a lot of Blacks, Chinese and Jewish people …

Lightfoot, Joceyln, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewee: Jocelyn Lightfoot

Interviewer: Mark Naison and Natasha Lightfoot

Summarized by Alice Stryker

Jocelyn Lightfoot was an immigrant from Antigua and was born on October 6, 1946. She was number 4 out of 7 and her father was a mechanic and her mother a housewife. She had a very strict upbringing and did not go to many parties. For social activity, her family often went to picnics. She went to Christ theKingHigh School, which was a Catholic school although her family was Anglican. She first visited theUSin 1968. She was able to visit theUSfrequently because of her job with an …

Baily, Mary, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

158^th Interview

Interviewee: Mary Bailey

Interviewer: Mark Naison

Interview took place April 21, 2006

Summarized by Concetta Gleason 1-17-07

Bailey is a retired nuclear Medicine Technologist and grew up in Morrisania. Bailey’s parents are originally from South Carolina, but she was born in Harlem on 138^th Street. When she was six years old, the family moved to the Bronx. Bailey was baptized, but not necessarily raised with a Catholic upbringing because her mother had some issues with the Church after St. Augustine’s refused to enroll Bailey in their school. The family originally moved to Boston Road, but then …

Rhoden, Everard, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Everard Rhoden (b. 1943) is a lifelong educator who hopes to embark on a second career as an entrepreneur. Originally from Jamaica, Rhoden immigrated to the US in 1954 to join his mother, who had immigrated in 1952. His mother worked as a live-in assistant in Queens at first, and then Everard and his mother moved to the Longwood section of the Bronx. At the time, the neighborhood was quite diverse, including Jews, Hispanics, Italians, African-Americans, West Indians, and Irish. Over time, the neighborhood became more homogenously black. Growing up, Everard was involved in gangs, although their activities were fairly …

Scroggins, Renee, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewer: Andrew Tiedt

Interviewee: Renee Scroggins

Date of interview: 3 February 2006

Summarized by: Craig Teal, 17 March 2007

Renee Scroggins, member of the punk/funk group, ESG, was born in Bronx, New York in the Moore Projects. Located on Jackson Avenue and 149^th Street, the projects started to deteriorate within a couple of years of it being built. Renee calls this time the ‘drug era’ and recalls a lot of bad situations being present because of the poor economic situation of the people that lived there. Renee went to elementary school at PS 35 on Morris Avenue where her …

Newsum, Phil, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Phil Newsum played in Latin ensembles in the 50’s and 60’s. He was not born in the Bronx nor was he raised there; however, his experiences in the Manhattan and Harlem music scene offers clarity to the Bronx music scene.

Phil talks about the difficulty of being accepted by a Latin community as a black man playing Afro Cuban music. Despite the difficulty, he persevered and eventually found mentorship in Tito Rodriguez, Mongo Chaquitto, Rodrigues Hungero and others. In order to fit in with the Latin crowd, and African American or Afro American musician would take on Latin names. This …

Interview With Robert O'Brien, January 9, 2006, Robert O'Brien, Michael J. Birkner

Oral Histories

Robert O'Brien was interviewed on January 9, 2006 by Michael J. Birkner about his military service during World War II and his years as a student at Gettysburg College. He discusses his childhood and time at Muhlenberg College, before he enlisted in the US Navy Air Corps and served at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida. After the war he came to Gettysburg on a basketball scholarship. He discusses his experience as a physics major, fraternity brother, and college athlete.

Length of Interview: 94 minutes

Collection Note: This oral history was selected from the Oral History Collection maintained by …

Beckford, Hugh, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

INTERVIEWER: Natasha Lightfoot

INTERVIEWEE: Hugh Beckford

SUMMARY BY: Patrick O’Donnell

Hugh Beckford is the director of Caribbean American Family Services, an organization that he established in 1991. He is a 1985 graduate of Fordham College, Rose Hill, where he studied theology and sociology. Beckford was born in Trelawney, Jamaica, and was raised by his grandparents because his parents divorced when he was young. He was locally educated in Jamaican public schools and attended St. George’s College in Kingston, a boarding school. As a young man he was considered one of the best dancers in Jamaica and occasionally appeared on national …

Cruz, Marilyn, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewee: Marilyn Cruz

Interviewer: Dr. Mark Naison, Princess Okieme, Andrew Tiedt

Date of Interview Novermber 3, 2005

Summarized by Alice Stryker

Marilyn was born in Harlem. Her mother’s family immigrated to Harlem from Barbados and her father’s family was from the south. She grew up attending St. Ambrosse church, which was attended by many people from the Caribbean. While in Harlem, she attended PS 113 for grade school and remembers playing in Central Park.

The Basian side of her family was very mixed. She believes her great-grandfather may have been white, but she is unsure. The family really never discussed …

Singleton, David G., Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

David Singleton was born May 5th 1935 in mid Sacramento Valley. He was a student at the University of California, Berkeley. He applied and was accepted into Princeton Theological Seminary. While at Princeton, he served as a student in multi-racial situations in East Trenton and in West Philadelphia. He was eventually placed at Sound view Presbyterian Church in the Bronx in 1963 per the recommendation of a minister he had met while serving at Richard Memorial Presbyterian Church.

Singleton met Medgar Evers and participated in the civil rights movement in Birmingham Alabama. He had a few church connections there. He …

Brown, Rosemary, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Rosemary Brown, a civil rights activist and long-time Bronx resident, was interviewed for the Bronx African American History Project on April 21, 2005. Rosemary Brown and her large family of eight (eventually nine) first moved from Harlem to 1319 Prospect Ave. at the corner of 168^th Street in 1940, when the Bronx was an especially good place for African American families, because it offered schools, better apartments, safer conditions, and a community where everyone looked out for each other. Prospect Ave. was a tree-lined block where children could play outside, and had residents of various races. The integrated community …

Keller, Bernard, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Bernard Keller was born on November 14 1952 and he lived in Washington Houses on 99^th street until he was 8. His parents were Mable and Howard senior. He has two brothers and two sisters. His ancestry on both sides is African-American, not carribean. His father worked in the Housing Authority and his mother, once he and his siblings had grown up, worked as a school aid. However, both his mother and his father had only a rudimentary education, though this did not prevent them from encouraging their children to do well in school and go to college. When …

Lightfoot, Michelle And Lightfoot, Natasha, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewees: Natasha Lightfoot and Michelle Lightfoot

Interviewers: Brian Purnell

Summarized by Alice Stryker

Natasha and Michelle are sisters and lived in the Bronx for most of their lives. Both were born at St. Luke’s Hospital. Their parents are Jocelyn and William, both fromAntigua. Although the couple dated in Antigua, they did not marry until both had immigrated to theUnited Statesin 1970. Their maternal grandmother taught at schools and was a seamstress from the home and the maternal grandfather was a maechanic and a cab driver. Their paternal grandmother worked as a domestic and their paternal grandfather worked for a newspaper. …

Buapim, Veronica, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewers: Brian Purnell and Oghentoja Okoh

Interviewee: Veronica Buapin

Date Of Interview: October 5, 2004

Summarized By Eddie Mikus

Veronica Buapim is a Bronx resident who was born to Ghanaian immigrant families. Her life story depicts the experiences of a Ghanaian growing up in New York City as well as the evolution of the city’s community.

Buapim was born on March 10, 1983, at Our Lady of Mercy Hospital. Her parents came from different Ghanaian tribes and had 9 other children (seven of which were full siblings to Buapim). Buapim grew up in a residence called Academy Gardens, which was …

Powell, Morgan, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Morgan’s full name is, Kristopher Morgan Powell. He was born in Mandevol, Jamaica in 1973. His parents were divorced, but his father was an engineer and his mother was a civil servant who worked in the founding years of the newly-independent Jamaican government. His mother moved to the US during his parents’ divorce and she established herself in Harlem, and when he moved to New York in 1974 they lived on Olinville Avenue in the Bronx, but spent much time in Harlem with his mom’s friends. Though Powell is Jamaican-American, he identifies as African-American because of his weak connection to …

Tyson, Cyril Degrasse, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Cyril Degrasse Tyson was born in Harlem in the early 1930’s and frequently moved around Harlem and eventually made his way into the Bronx at an early age. He discusses his family history and when his parents first moved to New York. His parents were both born in the West Indies on the island of Nevis and moved to New York after the first World War. They moved to an area of Manhattan which was referred to as the San Juan Hills at the time. He describes it as a pocket of blacks from the south and West Indies, Puerto …

Hanson, Avis Interview 1, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Avis Hanson is a Bronx resident who has taught in the many of the borough’s high schools. Her life tells the story of the educational experiences of the Bronx African-American community.

Hanson was born in Harlem, but her family moved to the Bronx after her mother discovered that Hanson’s teacher was often socializing with the principal during class hours. As a child, Hanson’s parents often fought with her teachers—in particular a sixth grade teachers whom Hanson feels did not respect her. Hanson attended Hunter College High School, which she identifies as one of the hardest to get into in the …

Johnson, Gwendolyn And Banks, Janet, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

INTERVIEWEES: Gwendolyn Johnson and Janet Banks

SUMMARY BY: Patrick O’Donnell

Janet Banks (b. 3/31/1917) was born in Worcester, MA and came to the Bronx in 1942. Up until the time of her high school graduation, Banks was raised by her grandmother. She graduated from high school in 1936, married in 1940, and moved to the Bronx with her husband in 1942, so she could live close to her mother. Banks immediately fell in love with the Bronx and has been there ever since. Although she was raised in the Episcopalian church, she converted to Catholicism in 1948. She is …

Crichlow, Gertrude And Hennessy, Adrianne And Dorsett, Virginia And Boney, Miriam, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Crichlow’s family moved from South Carolina to the Bronx when she was just a baby. She attended the Catholic School Lady of Victory, which was right across the street from where she lived. She was the first black student to attend the school and wasn’t readily accepted. However, she notes that the Italian students would hold her hand and help her to feel more welcomed. The Irish students weren’t as accepting. She notes socio economic differences as the main reason behind the discrimination she encountered.

Her children attended St. Augustine, she would eventually become a substitute teacher there when here …

Sogrue, Jim, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Jim Sogrue was an assistant pastor at St. Augustine’s Church in Morrisania, South Bronx from September 1957 until June of 1964. He was ordained in June of 1957, traveled to Puerto Rico to study Spanish and Spanish culture and upon returning was assigned to a Spanish mission in the Archdiocese of New York. Sogrue grew up in an Irish neighborhood on Wadsworth Avenue between 173^rd and 174^th in Washington Heights. He remembers forty families living in his apartment house and only one was not an Irish family. He did not know any black, Hispanic or Latino kids growing …

Interview With Robert And Esther Fortenbaugh, February 22, 2004, Robert Fortenbaugh, Esther Fortenbaugh, Michael J. Birkner

Oral Histories

Robert & Esther Fortenbaugh were interviewed on February 22, 2004 by Michael J. Birkner. Esther discussed her early years and Robert discussed his career at American Cyanimid and then as a United Methodist Minister. They both discussed their time at Gettysburg College (including meeting each other), their life after college, and returning to Gettysburg after retirement.

Length of Interview: 88 minutes

Collection Note: This oral history was selected from the Oral History Collection maintained by Special Collections & College Archives. Transcripts are available for browsing in the Special Collections Reading Room, 4^th floor, Musselman Library. GettDigital contains the complete …