African American Studies Commons^™

Sabb, George And Mubarak, Naeme, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewees: Naeme Mubarak and George Sabb

Interviewer: Dr. Mark Naison and his Spring 06’ Oral History of the African American Experience Class

Date of Interview: April 23, 2006

Summarized by Sheina Ledesma

Naeme Mubarak and George Sabb are siblings who grew up on Boston Road in the Bronx. Their mother and father were originally from South Carolina and migrated to New York City during the early 1930’s. Their first stop was Brooklyn and they moved around quite a bit in the following six years until they finally settled on Boston Road in 1941. Their father worked in a steel mill …

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 …

Sanderson, Shelley, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Shelley Sanderson, a Spanish teacher in Co-op City, grew up in the Morrisania section of the Bronx. Sanderson spent her early elementary school years in the late 1950s living in her maternal grandmother’s apartment on Boston Road, which was shared amongst twelve family members. She explains that children in the family were independent and responsible, and that neighbors looked out for one another and the children. Girls and boys played outdoor games such as jump rope and Johnny on the Pony respectively, and boys’ stickball games were big neighborhood events. Music was a constant presence in Sanderson’s life growing up. …

Mills, Kenneth, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Jazz pianist Captain Kenneth Mills grew up on Kelly Street in the Bronx. His family moved from Manhattan to the Bronx in the early 1940s. He attended P.S. 39, Junior High School 52, and Morris High School alongside several renowned artists, activists, and politicians, including Eddie Palmieri, Elombe Brath, and Colin Powell. When Mills’ family moved to Kelly Street, the neighborhood was predominantly Jewish. There was very clear ethnic division in housing. Specific strips of houses were inhabited by particular ethnic groups. Despite ethnic partitions in his neighborhood, Mills’ educational and musical spheres were integrated.

Mills’ piano talent surfaced early …

Mills, Kenneth, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Jazz pianist Captain Kenneth Mills grew up on Kelly Street in the Bronx. His family moved fromManhattanto theBronxin the early 1940s. He attended P.S. 39, Junior High School 52, andMorrisHigh Schoolalongside several renowned artists, activists, and politicians, including Eddie Palmieri, Elombe Brath, and Colin Powell. When Mills’ family moved toKelly Street, the neighborhood was predominantly Jewish. There was very clear ethnic division in housing. Specific strips of houses were inhabited by particular ethnic groups. Despite ethnic partitions in his neighborhood, Mills’ educational and musical spheres were integrated.

Mills’ piano talent surfaced early in life. At age three, he surprised friends …

Merchant, Jimmy, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Jimmy Merchant (b. 1940) is an original and founding member of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, and he also has a career as a visual artist. Merchant grew up in Harlem and the Bronx, the son of a shoe-shiner and “street man” from the Bahamas by way of South Carolina and a mother from Philadelphia. His father was frequently absent, since he made a meager living as a shoe-shiner and a numbers man. He also had problems with gambling and alcohol, and Merchant recalls that he and his mother would see his father about once a week. His mother worked …

Nobile, Joe And Hewitt, Kim, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Kim Hewitt and Joe Nobile are principals in elementary schools in the New York Public School System. Kim Hewitt was raised in the projects of Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, the daughter of Brooklyn-raised parents of Southern stock. At the time she grew up, New York was not yet beset by all the problems of gangland violence and the crack era, so Hewitt remembers her upbringing as almost entirely positive, safe, and nurturing. The community was very close-knit, families and friends looked out for one another, and there was a vibrant sense of community in the projects. Hewitt was raised when hip-hop …

Rhoden, Everard, Bronx African American History Project, Mark Naison

Oral Histories

Mr. Rhoden, a lifelong educator, and advocate for youth, recently retired after a distinguished career dedicated to uplifting at-risk students. Born in Jamaica, he immigrated to the United States in 1954 to join his mother, who had arrived two years earlier and worked as a live-in assistant in Queens.

His early years in New York were marked by hardship and perseverance. Upon arrival, at the age of eleven, Mr. Rhoden and his mother lived with a friend in a shared apartment in the North Bronx. Due to challenges caused by limited space, they later moved to Kelly Street in the …

Paris, Cecil, And Paris, Mazie And Paris, Arthur, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Mr. Cecil Paris and Mrs. Mazie Paris is an older couple whose families both emigrated from the West Indies to New York City in the earlier part of the twentieth century. Cecil’s mother began her life in America as a resident of the west side of lower Manhattan. She later moved to Harlem, where Cecil spent most of his youth. While his mother struggled to support the family by taking up domestic work, Cecil went to public schools in the area. Shortly after graduating from Textile High School, a vocational school for the textile trade, Cecil enrolled into City College. …

Scott, John L., Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewee: Reverend John L. Scott

Interviewer: Dr. Mark Naison

Date of Interview: March 3, 2006

Summarized by Sheina Ledesma

Reverend John L. Scott was a civil rights movement leader in the South and New York City. He has been the pastor of St. John’s Baptist Church in Harlem since the early 1970’s and remains a leader and community activist in the North Bronx where he has lived for the past thirty years. Reverend Scott was born in 1937 in a rural area of North Carolina called Delmar. He is one of six boys, including his twin brother, who were born …

Coleman, Dennis And Mcfeaters, Harriet Interview 3, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Dennis Coleman moved into the Castle Hill Projects from Morrissania with his wife and children. He was very active in the community and was quickly elected as Vice President of the Tennant Association of Castle Hill. One of the first issues he dealt with was racial discrimination. He attended a few churches while living at Castle hill, like St. Andrew’s in Castle Hill. He goes in to detail about the racial tension that existed in the community prior to the construction of the Castle Hill Projects and after their completion. There were also issues facing where to send the children …

Petersen, Basil And Petersen, Eric And Petersen, Ishma, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Basil and Ishma Petersen were born in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Ishma was born on February 24^th 1925, and Basil was born on March 7^th, 1924. Ishma’s father was a navigator, in charge of bringing the ships and the pilot boat into the harbor, while her mother sold fruits and vegetables. Basil’s father was a fisherman who wanted his son to continue in his footsteps. However, Basil decided from a young age he wanted to do something different. As a young boy as Basil was sweeping water off a captains car, the captain noticed him …

Christian, Samuel, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Samuel Christian grew up in the Morrisania section of the Bronx. His mother is from upstate New York and her father was from VA. Both are light skinned. He was born in the Bronx and was an only child. He, his mother, father, and paternal grandparents all lived in the same house. The family attended Mount Carmel Baptish Church.

Before he even was sent to regular school, he was enrolled in Dance school. The reason he was enrolled in dance school was to keep him away from the negative influence of the street. Coming home from school in the afternoon …

Alexander, Earle, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

143^rd interview

Interviewee: Dr. Earle Alexander

Interviewers: Dr. Mark Naison, Dawn

Interview took place February 6, 2006

Summarized by Concetta Gleason 12-20-06

Dr. Earle Alexander is a distinguished psychologist born in Harlem and raised in the Bronx. Alexander’s mother immigrated to the U.S. from Trinidad and his father from Grenada. His parents met in New York and had three children together; Alexander is the middle child of an older sister Elma and a younger brother Dawn. As the Harlem education system deteriorated, Alexander’s parents decided to move the family to the Bronx in the mid-1930s. The family lived on …

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 …

Smith, Troy, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Troy Smith was born in Harlem in 1966 and lived on 123^rd Street and Amsterdam Avenue. He grew up during the emergence of hip hop in the city and into the mainstream. In this interview he describes his experience growing up during this time as well as his strong interest in hip hop. Troy attended Junior High 43, the same one that Kool Mo Dee and some of the Treacherous Three and Fearless Four had attended a few years ahead of him. Growing up there was hip hop influence all around him, especially with the block parties held in …

Swain, Matthew, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Matthew Swain is a lifelong Bronx resident who witnessed many of the major historical events that took place in the borough over the last few decades of the twentieth century. His story, therefore, presents a firsthand insight into the dynamic aspects of the Bronx’s culture as a borough.

Both of Swain’s parents had resided in the Bronx prior to his birth. As a child, Swain resided in the Tremont neighborhood. Swain recalled that the Bronx of his youth was a safe place where adults sat in the streets looking out for children. Additionally, Swain also recalls the borough as having …

Questell, Americo And Connie, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

141^st Interview

Interviewee: Connie and Americo Questell

Interviewers: Dr. Mark Naison and Natasha Lightfoot

Date of Interview: January 30, 2006

Connie Questell’s parents met while working as a maid and a butler for a family in New Rochelle. When she was born, in 1943, her parents were living on Boston Road, in the Bronx. Her mother was from Georgia and her father was West Indian. Americo was born in Puerto Rico. His mother is Puerto Rican and his father is Dominican. In 1949, his family moved to East Harlem, he was 9. After he got into a fight in …

Mantilla, Ray, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Ray Mantilla is a widely known Latin and jazz percussionist. He was born on 920 Prospect Avenue in 1934. He was not allowed into kindergarten because he didn’t speak English but quickly learned it from observing other children. His father was an electrical engineer and is Peruvian, while his mother is Puerto Rican. As a kid he loved to play baseball and was on a semi-professional team. He attended Clark Junior High School and School of Industrial Art for high school. While in high school, he and his mother lived in the back of a women’s clothing store they owned. …

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 …

Cunningham, James And Cunningham, Margaret, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewees: James and Margaret Cunningham

Interviewers: Mark Naison and Natasha Lightfoot

Date: January 9, 2006

Summarized by Leigh Waterbury

James Cunningham was born in the Bronx in 1918 and describes what life was like in his household and his neighborhood. His father was a light-skinned black man who was considered colored while in WWI, and later when he moved to New York City to work as a customs inspector he was able to pass as white, which likely helped him to acquire that position. James attended PS 23 elementary school in his neighborhood around 167^th street, where he was …

Harris, Claire, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

INTERVIEWERS: Mark Naison, Brian Purnell, and Charles Olsen

INTERVIEWEES: Claire Harris

SUMMARY BY: Andrew O’Connell

Mrs. Claire Harris (b. May 29,1943) spent her childhood growing up in the Morrisania section of the Bronx. Harris’ parents, both immigrants from St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, arrived in New York at the beginning of the 20^th century, married, and had five daughters, the youngest of which is Mrs. Harris. Foreshadowing Mrs. Harris’ career as a university administrator and educator, both of her parents took part in the adult education programs. Her father used his education to shift careers from to the …

Jenkins, Arthur, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewee: Arthur Jenkins

Interviewer: Dr. Mark Naison, Maxine Gordon, Dr. Brian Purnell

Summarized by Alice Stryker

Arthur Jenkins is a musician who grew up in the Morrisania section of the Bronx. His mother’s side of the family moved to New York City from Houston, Texas. His grandmother had moved the family to Harlem, where his mother met his father. When Jenkins was born, his family was living in Harlem and shortly thereafter moved to the Bronx. His father worked as a garment presser and worked for a tailor.

He first began playing in bands when he was attending Junior High …

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 …

Orange, Taur, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Taur Orange grew up in the Bronxdale Houses which they were able to live in because his father served in WWII and these houses were designated to veterans. This housing complex opened in the early 1950’s and consisted of mostly two parent households. Her father worked for the New York Transit Authority, and after she turned 6, her mother worked as an assistant teacher, or paraprofessional as they were called. He describes the houses as having lots of trees and grass surrounding the building, which were very well kept. The ethnic makeup of the houses was very diverse. For fun, …

Murray, Elizabeth, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Her family moved from Harlem in 1941. Her father was a Transit Worker in the Subway Division and her mother was a seamstress from their home. They moved into a 3 family house on Home Street. Growing up there was a rich street life. She saw the racial makeup of her street change from mostly German and Jewish to mostly African American. She attended PS 63 and really enjoyed herself there. The school was pretty diverse. Her family attended Caldwell AME Zion Church. This was a powerful force in her life and in the community. Even though she lived in …

Walters, Delores, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Delores Walters was born in Lincoln hospital and lived in Rogers Place in the Bronx for nine years. Her parents grew up in Harlem and moved from there sometime in the 1940’s. Delores fondly recalls the block in the neighborhood and the street atmosphere on Rogers Place; she remembers being very active, with a lot of playmates. The community was predominantly Black, and the building she lived in was run by a Caribbean family whom she remembers doing a great job of keeping the building up. Although Delores does remember there being bullies, she never had difficulty with them in …

Himmelstein, Paul, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewee: Paul Himmelstein

Interviewers: Mark Naison and Brian Purnell

Summarized by Alice Stryker

Paul Himmelstein is one of 14 children and grew up on Prospect and Jennings Avenue. His father worked 7 days a week, as a truck driver during the week and a cab driver on the weekends. Both of his parents are Jewish and speak Yiddish.

The neighborhood was predominately black when he was 5. Before that, however, it was mostly Jewish. He speaks of the Jewish Delis and markets that he and his family used to go to on the weekends that were very close by. The …

Cannon, Paul And Williams, Jerald And Johnson, Woodrow, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewer: Mark Naison, Brian Purnell

Interviewee: Paul Cannon, Woody Johnson, Gerald Williams

Date: 11/10/05

Summarized by Salmaan Khan on 4/14/07

Gerald Williams was born in Newport News, Virginia. He moved to the Morrisania section of the Bronx with his mother with the intention of working and moving back. Gerald attempted to earn some money by working a job at the Hotel Diplomat on 43^rd street in order to go to Canada to play in the International Table Tennis Tournament. They chose to move to the Bronx because of friends his mother had in the Bronx. He was 13 when …

Blakeney, James, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

James Blakeney is a long time Bronx resident who grew up in the Patterson Housing Projects. His parents were sharecroppers from North and South Carolina. Neither of his parents received an education beyond the 6^th or 8^th grade. His father fought in World War II and then returned to the states to live in Queens, where James lived for three years, before moving to the Patterson Houses. His father worked at the mess hall of St. Albans Neighborhood Hospital and left the family, as many fathers were beginning to do, when James was ten years old. Mrs. Blakeney …