African American Studies Commons^™

Smith,Yvonne Marie, Mark Naison

Oral Histories

Interviewees: Yvonne Smith, Member and Donna Joseph, President, Eta Omega Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated ©

Interviewers: Dr. Mark Naison Date: April 12, 2023

Summarized by Amy Rini July 15, 2023

Yvonne Marie Smith was born and spent her entire 72 years of life to date in the Bronx, and decades as a leading member of ETA Omega Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated ©. Smith is a retired educator and impactful community leader. Her parents were both born in New York City: her father was born in Harlem and her mother in Yonkers. Her …

Loving,Julia, Mark Naison

Oral Histories

Julia Loving, Summary of Interview with the Bronx African-American History Project

October 14th, 2020

Dr. Mark Naison and Alison Rini

Summarized by Amy Rini August, 2023

Bronx born public school librarian and high school educator Julia Loving’s parents were from Nelson County, Virginia. She has two older brothers, Jesse and Mark. Her grandparents were the only black store owners in 1920s Roseland, Virginia. In 1960, they moved up to New York City because their parents did not want their children to stay South in the height of Jim Crow. They met while going to colored schools and Baptist and Pentecostal …

Yartel Iii, Nan, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Nan Yartel III was born on the 15^th of an unmentioned month in 1965 in a village called Amatsou in the West African nation of Ghana. He attended primary school from 1971 until 1981. He is a member of the Fanti ethnic groups, one of the many different ethnic groups found in Ghana.

As a member of the Fanti people, he was able to obtain the position of chief, which enabled him the opportunity to finish his secondary education and thus came to the United States to do such that. He completed his education back in his homeland of …

Kontihene, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewee: Kontihene

Interviewer: Dr. Jane Edward, Kojo Ampa, Kareem Salifu, Dr. Mark Niason

Summarized by Sheina Ledesma

Kontihene is a Ghanaian Hip Hop musician who has lived in the Bronx since 2004. Kontihene describes his own music as being Afro-Pop or Hip-Life because it combines lively beats with traditional Ashanti folk music from Ghana. Kontihene grew up in Ghanaian town called Kumasi with his parents and two sisters. His love for music developed at a very young age. By age ten he was already writing poems and songs that discussed his family life. Encouraged and mentored by a local musician …

Brown, Genevieve, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewee: Ms. Genevieve Smith-Brown

Interviewer: Dr. Brian Purnell

Date: April 19, 2008

Summarized by: Estevan Román

Ms. Genevieve Smith-Brown is (was) a resident of the Bronx. She was a very involved community activist, volunteered her time for Seabury Daycare, policy board member Model Cities program of the and President of the Mid-Bronx Desperadoes organization.

Ms. Genevieve Smith-Brown, formerly Genevieve Smith-Brooks was born on July 12^th, 1937 in Anderson, South Carolina. In a town where most of the African-Americans were sharecroppers, Genevieve’s parents were one of the few African-Americans that owned a farm in Anderson, South Carolina. This farm …

Allen. Ray, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewee: Mr. Ray Allen

Interviewer: Dr. Mark Naison

Date: June 29, 2004

Summarized by: Estevan Román

Mr. Ray Allen is (was) an actor, singer and an organizer of theater and education programs in the Bronx. He is an African American of Caribbean descent, born on the island of Curacao, which is a part of the Netherland Antilles. His mother, Evelyn, was from the island of Anguilla. He moved to the Bronx on December 9^th, 1968 at the age of 14. He came after his father had passed away from a heart attack and Ray and his second sister …