African American Studies Commons^™

Gumbs, Robert Interview 2, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

The session begins with a quick recap of the questions asked in the first interview. From there, Robert discusses Freemen Theater. The theater was small and in walking distance from his house. During the day, the theater played movies and in the evening housed concerts. The audience was mainly African American and Jewish.

Dave Womack was one of the first artists to have an impact on him. When he was in High School, he started a jazz music appreciation day. Students would bring in a variety of artists’ albums, many of which he liked. The first jazz club he went …

Ketcham, Malik And Ketcham, Rose, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Dorothy moved to the Patterson Houses in 1950 from Brooklyn. At the time, she was married with two children. They saw moving to Patterson as a stepping-stone to greater things. Rose also moved there in 1950 from Queens with one child. Both of these families were part of the first group to live in the new projects. People were very friendly. The husbands would go to work and the mothers would go to a play yard and socialize. The building was also very safe.

Dorothy and Rose’s children went to Catholic school. Dorothy’s at St. Rita’s and Rose’s at St. …

Harding, Vincent, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewees: Clara Lee Irobunda, Vincent Harding, and Carmen Givan

Interviewers: Dr. Mark Naison and Brian Purnell

Summarized by Alice Stryker

Before the interview formally beings, Clara Lee Irobunda discusses her role in the transition with Morris High School into smaller schools. The school was getting too large to efficiently teach all of the students and many were “falling between the cracks.” To fix this problem, she designed small separate “schools” within Morris High School.

The interview is concerned with the experiences of a variety of people who grew up on Dawson Street and lived near/went to Morris High School. Dr. …

Washington, Valerie, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Valerie Washington is a lifelong resident of the Bronx, whose parents were both born in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. She grew up on Wells Avenue, then 1098 Simpson Street where her parents were the superintendents of the building. She says there were no other African-American families in the building, and this was common in the area for the superintendents to be African-American with mostly white Jewish tenants. She attended PS 20 where she was placed in the top classes from the very beginning of her education. She then attended Herman Ritter Junior High and then Washington Irving High School in 1953, …

Owens, Jimmy Interview 2, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

The second session begins with Owens discussing the teachers that had the biggest effects on him at Junior High School 40. One of those teachers was the head of the music department. He fondly remembers how he learned to play the trumpet with the book Easy Steps to the Band. This gentleman was his teacher for one year and was replaced by a woman who taught the students jazz. She also helped him prepare for the entrance exam for theHigh School ofMusic and Art, which he was accepted into.

When he was in JHS 40 he played at a …

Coleman, Dennis And Mcfeaters, Harriet Interview 2, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Dennis Coleman is a longtime Bronx activists, political leader, and educator. This interview examines his experiences with the Board of Education in the Bronx. Coleman served in the New York State Senate from 1955-1956 and was on a committee that examined different education programs throughout the state, especially in inner city schools. When he returned to the Bronx, he was appointed to serve on a local Board of Education in 1966.

Coleman discusses the 1968 Bronx Teachers strike, specifically the actions of teachers on both sides of the picket line, the issues, parental involvement, and the participation of advocacy groups, …

Goodwin, Welvin, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Welvin Goodwin was born January 7, 1908 in Tipson, Texas. Both of his parents were Farmers. His father was born in England. When he was younger then 10, he too started working on the farm. He came from a very large family, of which he and his sister were the only family members remaining when the interview was conducted. His mother used to babysit white children and Weldin would play with them and claims to have known nothing of discrimination.

Welvin enjoyed playing baseball when he was young and was in Negro Leagues. His father started him with baseball and …

Morris, Paula, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Paula Morris’ earliest memories of the Bronx are of Ritter Place. It was majority African American and had a great sense of community. Her father was initially a police officer, but later in life became a photographer. She was always aware that her mother, Maxine Sullivan, was a famous musician. Her mother’s fame, however, did not affect her upbringing. She still had to live by the same rules as everyone else she knew.

She attended P.S 54 for elementary school. The sense of community she experienced on her block continued at the school. Parents were always involved with their children. …

Coleman, Dennis And Mcfeaters, Harriet Interview 1, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewers: Dr. Mark Naison, Natasha Lightfoot, and Claude Mangum

Interview took place on January 26, 2005

Summarized by Alice Stryker

Harriet McFeeters was a teacher, administrator, staff developer, and Assistant District Superintendent in the New York School System and originally from the Bronx. She begins by talking about the way in which the Bronx schools became integrated. Dennis Coleman says that they had to try and come up with a number of new ways attempt to comply with the federal laws on integrating schools. One of the ways they integrated the schools was through rezoning. In addition to the need …

Pastore, Vera Simpkins, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Vera Simpkins-Pastore is a Professor Emeritus of psychology who taught in the City University of New York System and has resided in the Bronx for several years. As such, she is able to attest to the experience of growing up as a member of the Bronx African-American community.

Simpkins-Pastore was born in Mount Vernon, but moved to the Bronx at the age of 12. She told the Bronx African-American History Project that this decision was prompted by her landlord selling her family’s house as well as some marital difficulties between her parents. Simpkins-Pastore also said that she felt safe as …

Bailey, Shirley, Mark Naison

Bronx African American History Project (BAAHP)

Interviewee: Shirley Anderson Bailey

Interviewer: Dr. Mark Naison

The interview took place April 26, 2005

Summarized by Concetta Gleason 1-17-07

Shirley Anderson Bailey’s family, consisting of her mother, younger brother and herself, moved from Harlem to the Bronx in 1942 when Bailey was seven years old. Bailey’s family happened to move to the same area of the Bronx with some of their neighbors from Harlem. Bailey’s father was away trying to find work in Connecticut because of the Depression and Bailey’s mother took night classes and was one of the few working women in the neighborhood. Most families were two-parent …