African American Studies Commons^™

Brown, June, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

88^th Interview

Interviewee: June DeVonish Brown

Interviewer: Mark Naison

Interview took place November 21, 2004

Summarized by Concetta Gleason 2-08-07

June DeVonish Brown’s mother was born in Freetown Village in Antigua and her father as born in Barbados. Brown was born in 1921 in Harlem Hospital. Her father was a jeweler and a superintendent, and her mother was a homemaker. In 1929, Brown and her family moved to the Bronx with her five siblings into a three bedroom apartment. Brown’s father was a Garveyite. Both her parents emphasized the importance of being educated and politics was always discussed at …

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. …

Bergland, Beatrice And Bergland, Harriet, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Beatrice Bergland and Harriet Waites of the community church of Morrisania were interviewed for the Bronx African American History Project on October 25^th 2004. They began their interview by recounting their past and present experiences with the community church of Morrisania, which was founded by Pastor William E. Thompson in 1956. He, along with community members, purchased a house on Teller Ave. for $10,000 to serve as the non-denominational church’s building which facilitated the needs of the African American community that was developing in the neighborhood and also began the formation of new, warm, active community in Morrisania.

One …

Nicholas, William And Nicholas, Margery, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

William and Margery Nicholas are a husband and wife who are also longtime Bronx residents. As such, they stand as examples of the many families that make up the Bronx African American population. The Nicholas’ come from different backgrounds (as William was a Negro League baseball player and Margery became a teacher). Despite their different life experiences, however, they have enjoyed over 62 years of marriage.

William Nicholas played baseball variants such as stoop ball and stick ball. However, he was also a member of organized teams, such as those sponsored by his schools, PS 51 and Textile High School; …

Wattly, Wayne, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Wayne Wattly was born January 5, 1974 in St. Kitts in the West Indies. As a kid, his family would visit an aunt in New York almost every summer. Wayne and his sister always enjoyed their visits to New York and he says he thought of New York as a grand place that he just had to get to. In the summer of 1989 the Wattley family moved to New York permanently. They moved to the South Bronx between Castle Hill and Soundview. His parents left behind careers they had both had for over 20 years to give their children …

Stevens, Ruth, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Ruth Stevens is a Caribbean immigrant to the Bronx who attained a high-level position at CBS before ultimately changing careers to become a teacher. Her story offers insight into both her experience as an immigrant and her experience within the world of corporate America.

Stevens was born in 1950 in the area that currently makes up the country of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. During her childhood, she said that families had often been strict but that children still had the right to explore their surrounds. Stevens told the Bronx African-American History Project that her family ran a store on …

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 …

Jones, Pete And Blow, Kurtis, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Summarized by Alice Stryker

Pete DJ Jones moved to the Bronx in 1970 to Anderson Ave and 164^th street, where he still lives. He initially was a basketball player and moved to NYC for better playing opportunities. Kurtis Blow first heard Pete in the early 70’s. He was amazed at the fact that Pete was using two turntables, instead of 1, which was traditionally used, and that music was continuously playing.

In North Carolina, Pete fooled around with record players and microphones and would “play DJ”. He eventually started playing at parties. When he moved to the Bronx he …

Harper, Cheryl, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Cheryl Harper was born on April 12, 1977 in the South Bronx. She grew up in the Patterson Projects. She is one of 9 children, with ages ranging from 6 to 42. The siblings are all related through their father. She attended grade school at PS 70, middle school at Diana Sands, and high school at IS 83. Her mother was very abusive and she was in custody of her father. She was an alcoholic and addicted to crack. She describes memories of her mother when she was intoxicated. Her father made jewelry on Fordham Road and was an alcoholic. …

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 …

Tullis, Mercy, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Mercy Tullis was born October 16, 1975 to Honduran immigrant parents. She was born in Metropolitan Hospital in Manhattan even though her parents lived in the Bronx because supposedly it was the only hospital that would not report them for being immigrants. Mercy’s birth allowed her parents to obtain their green cards. Until she was three years old their family lived in a black Honduran neighborhood of the South Bronx on Vyse Avenue. When she was three they moved to Davidson Avenue and then finally two years later to 172^nd and Grand Concourse to Roosevelt Gardens.

Mercy goes into …

Carson, Ron, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewee: Ron Carson

Interviewer: Dr. Mark Naison

Summarized by Alice Stryker

Ron Carson’s early child hood was spent on Tinton Avenue near 1163^rd Street. His father moved to there from Virginia after his military career ended. The neighborhood was very diverse and he remembers experiencing a strong sense of community.

In 1953 the family was forced to move to the Patterson Houses because their neighborhood was being demolished to make way for the Forest Houses. Although the Patterson Houses did not have a bad reputation, the family was scared of the move. He was scared of changing schools as …

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 …

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 …

Hope, Bertha, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewee: Bertha Hope

Interviewer: Dr. Mark Naison

Summarized by Alice Stryker

Bertha grew up in Los Angeles California to parents who had a background in music and the music business. Her parents met when her father casted her mother as a dancer for the production “Showboat.” While her older sisters were young, they and her mother traveled around with her father, who was on a concert tour. The family settled in Los Angeles and her father’s connections to the music industry grew.

She got the majority of her music training in public schools. She was very talented and learned many …

Bonneau, Jackie Smith, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewee: Jacqueline Smith Bonneau

Interviewers: Mark Naison, Robert Gumbs, Robin Kelley

Transcriber: Patricia Wright

Date of Interview: February 5, 2004

Summarized By: Eddie Mikus

Jacqueline Smith Bonneau is a resident on Lyman Place who has resided in the Bronx since the 1940s. She is especially notable due to the fact that she is the niece of Thelonius Monk, a famous musician. As such, she is able to provide a personal insight into Monk’s life.

Bonneau moved to Lyman Place from Home Street when she was a young child. She was the daughter of a Pullman porter and a woman who …

Archible, Leroi, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewee: Leroi Archible [Interview 1]

Interviewer: Dr. Mark Naison, Jim and Kevin

Transcriber: Gregory Peters

Date: 01/26/2004

Summarized by: Daniel Matthews

Leroi Archible is a Bronx community leader, youth athletics coach, political organizer, and long time Bronx resident. He was born in Memphis and lived in Lola, Kentucky during his high school years. His father emigrated from St. Ann’s in Jamaica in 1928, and his mother was born in Tennessee. He grew up visiting his Jamaican relatives in Morrisania, and he moved to the Bronx after he left the Marine Corps. Archible attended Kentucky State from 1947-1950. He met his …

Henderson, James, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

James Henderson was born and raised in the South Bronx during the 1940’s and 50’s. He attended Morris High School during the 1950’s and graduated in 1957. During these years Morris High School was home to many musical talents who were from Henderson’s neighborhood. Groups like The Chords, a group who later became popular for their hit Sh-Boom, lived around Henderson’s block and attended many of the same classes. Henderson was also influenced by music during his youth. He collected jazz records and went to various popular jazz clubs on Boston Road like Goodson’s, Club 845, and the Blue Morocco. …